(TQ 75555388) Mill [NAT]. (1) Hayle Mill Drying Lofts. Early to mid 19th century, two-three storeys, weatherboarded under slate roof. Drying lofts on 2nd floor, rag room and upper and lower salles where packing and sorting was carried out. Overshoot waterwheel of 1878 provided power for paper making. Listed Grade II. (2) Listed Building grade upgraded to II* 28 May 1993. (3)

Environmental assessment: Heritage, published August 2004. Assessment of the state of the building (4)

Report on desk study published September 2005. Risk assessment of the potential hazards and pollutants.(5)

Conservation statement published May 2004. List of recommendations. (6)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
HAYLE MILL ROAD TQ 75 SE 11/263 Drying Lofts at Hayle Mill II
shall be upgraded to Grade II* (star) and the entry shall be amended to read:-
TQ 75 SE HAYLE MILL ROAD
11/263 Hayle Mill (formerly listed as Drying Lofts at Hayle Mill)
Paperworks. Circa 1800, and originally a water powered paper mill; with ongoing additions and alterations up to late C20, including replacement overshot waterwheel of 1878, mill chimney of 1891, and incorporating former mill house, now offices. Earliest phases of Kentish ragstone supporting early C19 timber frame, later additions of buff brick some with weatherboarded upper floors. Natural slate and corrugated sheet roof covering. Works complex developed around drying loft building incorporating water wheel and drive within lower floor, and finishing salle. Attached are ancillary buildings associated with preparatory and finishing stages of paper making, including vat house, machine house with rag- cutting loft, broke and pulp stores, boiler house, offices formed from mill house, and ancillary single storey ranges housing beater room, boiling and size preparation rooms, all attached and running parallel, or at right angles, to the core drying loft. DRYING LOFT of two storeys and sixteen closely spaced timber-framed bays supporting shouldered king post trusses and hipped slated roof: Louvred sides to upper floor with louvred doors to provide draught for drying. Building on east west alignment with broad overshot water wheel taking water feed from south. Wheel housed internally in wheel room, with beater room then glazing room to west. Above, former drying floor, now with C20 paper-drying machinery to east end, but with paper drying trebbles remaining in situ at west end. At south-west corner of drying loft, WEST LONG ROOM (finishing salle) two storeyed range of 14 window bays, extends northwards with extension at north end of six window bays, giving continuous glazing to first floor sidewalls beneath a low pitched slate roof. At centre of drying loft north wall, VAT HOUSE extends northwards. Single storey; brick with weatherboarded gable beneath corrugated sheet roof. At north east corner of drying loft, MACHINE HOUSE WITH RAG CUTTING LOFT extends northwards. Two storey, painted brick to ground floor, upper floor of 14 window bays to west side, with 17 windows to east side, and two windows flanking each side of weatherboarded former central doorway to north gable. Swivelling casements resembling sash windows to gable apex. Weatherboarded gable with central window. At south east corner of drying loft, and extending southwards from south end of the rag cutting loft, BROKE AND PULP STORES. Pair of wide timber-framed and weather boarded buildings beneath wide, low pitched slate roofs. The easternmost part is angled southwards, and the overflow sluice from the mill pond runs below. Brick and stone east side wall. To the north east corner of the easternmost broke and pulp store, tall tapering circular brick CHIMNEY dated 1891 and attached BOILER HOUSE of 7 bays, beneath corrugated sheet roof. Early C20 coal-fired boiler and diesel-fired boiler c1960 within. Western lean-to extension, formerly ashlees room. Attached to north end of extension to west long room, OFFICES, formerly MILL HOUSE. Circa 1800. Random Kentish ragstone to ground floor plastered first floor, with brick end stacks below low pitched hipped slate roof Double pile plan. 2 storeys, 3 bays with shallow glazing bar sash windowed bays to east front ground floor, 8 over 8 panes to centre, 4 over 4 panes to flanking lights, with three 6 over 6 pane sashes to first floor. Central door with altered doorcase and transom light. To the south of the drying loft attached, and running parallel to the mill dam ANCILLARY BUILDINGS, including BEATER, RAG BOILING and SIZE PREPARATION ROOMS. Single storey, the outer early C20 range concealing inner late C19 range, of Fletton brick with large metal windows. Hayle Mill is a fully developed and near complete example of a late C19 integrated paper- making complex which displays the characteristics of both water powered and fully mechanised paper-making technology on a single site. The site has evolved around the highly-significant drying loft, specifically designed to provide a controlled flow of air through louvred side walls for drying purposes above a centrally located integral water wheel.
HAYLE MILL ROAD 1. 5278 (West Side) Drying Lofts at Hayle Mill TQ 75 SE 11/263 II
2. Early to mid C19. 2 to 3 storeys weatherboarded but the 2nd floor is built of continuous vertical louvres covered with wire gauze. Hipped slate roof. The 2nd floor contained the Drying Lofts and is of Kingpost construction. The 1st floor contained the Rag room and the Upper and Lower Salle where packing and sorting was carried on. Between the ground and 1st floors is an Overshot Waterwheel of about 1878 which provided the power for making paper.
Listing NGR: TQ7617455579 (7)

Historic England archive material: BF098780 HAYLE MILL, HAYLE MILL ROAD, MAIDSTONE

<1> O.S. 1: 10 000 1979 (OS Card Reference). SKE47787.

<2> DOE (HHR) District of Maidstone Aug 1974 (38) (OS Card Reference). SKE40493.

<3> DOE (HHR) Maidstone (amendment letter 28.5.93) (OS Card Reference). SKE40591.

<4> Architectural History Practice Ltd., 2004, Environmental assessment: Heritage, Hayle Mill, Tovil, Maidstone. (Unpublished document). SKE13533.

<5> Ian Farmer Associates, 2005, Report on desk study, Hayle Mill, Hayle Mill Road, Maidstone. (Unpublished document). SKE13534.

<6> Paul Thomas, 2004, Conservation statement, Hayle Mill, Tovil, Maidstone. (Unpublished document). SKE13535.

<7> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.