River Alne

The River Alne is a tributary of the Warwickshire Avon and has its headwaters to the north of Wootton Wawen.

The River Alne is sufficiently large when it reaches Wootton Wawen to have provided the source of power for a mill (now disused) near the village of Great Alne. It has four storeys with a wooden lucam (covered sack hoist); mostly 19th century. No water wheel remains; power was supplied by a turbine of German origin installed before 1914, replacing the wheel and installed in the wheel pit. A grain elevator and some flour dressing plant still remain but the roller mills have gone. Supplementary power was at one time supplied by a steam engine, which was replaced by a 2 cylinder oil machine; the latter was removed when mill closed.

The Spencer family (later Spencer Son and Hancox) had the mill from the 1870’s; in its heyday it employed 15 people, supplying flour to bakers and biscuit makers as far as Weston-super-Mare. For local deliveries the firm had its own vans. It specialised in pig food and pigs were kept in pigsties (still present) to test the products. It ceased operation in 1966; the latest owner plans to restart milling using stones, not rollers.

Hoo Mill is also on the river between Great Alne and Alcester. (Grid ref SP 107578) The most complete traditional water-mill in the area stands by the river in Haselor parish; its has stone lower courses with brick above. An internal waterwheel is still in place and operational; a complete set of grinding machinery remains although this has not been used for corn grinding for many years; other machinery (kibblers, etc) are still in place and used occasionally as well as an external drive pulley which powers a circular saw. Three pairs of stones remain and a rare type of sack hoist mechanism with a device to disconnect the drive if a sack attempts to overrun; a flour dresser and oat crusher are still present. The mill was built 1810; at one time it was used for needle pointing but not for scouring; from the 1850’s the mill was held by the Morris family from whom present owner, John Stewart, is descended. He still generates his own electricity with a turbine.

The River Alne flows generally southwards before joining with the River Arrow at Alcester, which itself joins the River Avon near Salford Priors.