In 1997 an industrial building associated with Barton Mill was severely damaged by fire. A building survey was carried out by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in advance of rebuilding. Much of the building, in particular the timber-framed first floor, dates to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries, but part of an earlier structure survives within its fabric. The north-east wall of this structure comprises several metres of well preserved medieval masonry.

The Barton Mill area has a documented history extending back to the eleventh century. At
that time much of the land along the south bank of the Stour was assigned, by Archbishop
Lanfranc, to the monks of Christ Church Priory. Barton Mill was the barley collecting and
malting centre of the monastery’s brewing activities; the brewhouse itself lay north of Green
Court in the Cathedral precincts. The area appears to have enjoyed relative stability, and
reasonable prosperity up until the Dissolution. The Bartoner’s accounts preserved in the
Christ Church archives show a peak of activity from c.1250 to c.1350, with a gradual waning
in business thereafter. The medieval fabric preserved in the mill building undoubtedly relates
to the Priory’s occupation of the site, and may date as early as the twelfth century, however a
later medieval date is possible.

The report is not completely clear but this is believed to refer to 49 Barton Mills.(1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd, 1998/2006, BARTON MILL BARTON LANE, STURRY ROAD, CANTERBURY, KENT An assessment and record of a fire damaged building.(revised 2006) (Unpublished document). SKE52479.