Beeleigh Mill was a water corn mill located in the hamlet of Beeleigh, in the parish of St. Peter's, Maldon, Essex.

The mill was in operation until 1875 when it was destroyed by fire. Remains of the mill survive, including the steam driven mill which was built in 1845 to supplement the output of the watermill. The Premonstratensian Abbey of Beeleigh, founded in AD 1180 possessed a watermill and it is probable that it was located on the site of the mill destroyed in 1875. This watermill had been bought and refurbished by a Mr. Dunkin in 1795 and then possessed two waterwheels driving 12 pairs of grinding stones. There were two docking bays inside the mill for loading the flour. The lighters using the docks would take their cargo to the port of Maldon via the River Chelmer. Here it was loaded onto Thames Sailing Barges where it was shipped to London for sale to the London workhouses and Neville's Bakery. The steam driven mill drove five pairs of grinding stones and the driving mechanism is shown in the photograph below.

Gear mechanism for the grinding stones in the steam mill

Wentworth Beam Engine: installed in 1845, saved from the 1875 fire by Maldon Fire Brigade. The engine is still in situ and the mill is open to the public during Heritage weekends in September. Stewards and guides provided by Maldon Archaeological and Historical Group.

When Essex County Council took a lease on Beeleigh Mill in 1992 it was proposed to refurbish the mill and open it to the public as a tourist attraction. It was found that the mill had been adopted by a colony of bats, which, being a protected species, meant that work which would disturb the bats could not proceed. 

Plans have now been submitted to Maldon District Council to build a roost for them by roofing over the adjacent north wheel pit of the water mill  and building in bat boxes to entice the bats into their  new des res.  There are a number of species of bats living in and around the Beeleigh Mill complex with most of them residing in the leat  which previously fed the north waterwheel. In the steam mill it was found that only a limited number of Daubenton's bats were present. It is these bats that the County is hoping to re-house so that restoration work can begin on the beam engine and grindstone driving gears, thus preserving this priceless piece of industrial archaeology.

MAHG members help to look after the Mill and provide stewards to guide visitors around the remains during the annual Heritage Open Days organised by Maldon District Council.

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