A brief History of Salfords Mill
In January 2026 HLHS received a request from BBC Sounds to assist in the production of a short programme about Salfords Mill for their Secret Surrey series in late January 2026.
We had previously helped them with programmes about the Gatwick Airport Beehive and Gatwick Racecourse.
It became clear that HLHS had very limited information on the Mill immediately to hand and prompted a fast trawl through our archives to see what we could contribute. The following brief history has been compiled from the material we found.
The Mill was situated at Salfords on the east of the A23 Brighton Road where the Mill House ‘Beefeater’ restaurant now stands. It drew its waterpower from the Salfords Stream and stood adjacent to the Millers house over the area now occupied by the restaurant conservatory.
Our late colleague, Brian Buss, who lived in Salfords many years ago had left us with a File about various historical items relevant to the area and it contained a few snippets of information.
Other information in this history is taken from an entry in ‘The Mills’ archive by Peter Sinclair.
This map is from about 1869.
This image from Google Earth shows the A23 with the Mill House restaurant above the Salfords Stream.
From at least 1768 the site occupied by Salfords Mill was originally Salvers Farm. This spelling of ‘Salvers’ was later changed to Salford Farm. From 1805 a mill was in use. In 1841, Thomas Newnham was the miller and by 1855 it was no longer a farm.
This view looking south along what is now the A23 shows the Mill at about this time.
According to an advertisement in the local paper, ‘E. Nye & Co., Family Millers’, had established their business at Salfords Mill in 1854. However, by September 1883, Edward Nye was expressing his wish to retire from the milling business and had let Salfords Mill. The new tenant was most likely Mary Ann Burrows, F. S. D. Brown’s youngest daughter. Mary died in 1885 and two years later her son, James Henry Burrows, was recorded as the miller when it was destroyed by fire on 19 February 1887.
Salfords Mill in the 1880s after Mary Ann Burrows had taken it over in 1883 and before it was destroyed by fire in 1887. A man can just be made out, standing behind the fence in the centre of the photograph. The painted sign seems to read ‘M. A. BURROWS DEALER IN …. STRAW’.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT SALFORDS. (Local Newspaper Report)
So seldom is the neighbourhood of Reigate and Redhill visited by a serious fire, that a feeling akin to consternation was experienced in the Borough early on Saturday evening, when the southern horizon was found to be lit up with a lurid glare and there was every appearance of a great conflagration in the immediate precincts of Redhill. The wildest conjectures were hazarded as to the locality of the fire. Some said the Asylum was in flames; others that it was the Workhouse, and not a few singled out High Trees for destruction. All doubts were set at rest, however, by the arrival of a messenger at the Redhill Fire Brigade Station, who announced that Salfords Mill was on fire. With the utmost expedition Mr Charlwood and his Brigade had their engine out, and proceeded to the Mill, but the fire had got a complete mastery of the structure, which was old and built almost entirely of wood, and all that could be done was to take means for protecting the residence of the owner, Mr. Burrows, and which is also of wood, from perishing with the mill. In this duty the Brigade received Immense assistance from a party of the Guards from Caterham Barracks, who were on their way home from a football match at Horley, and were passing Salfords at the time of the fire. Under the command of Lieut. Hamilton, their secretary, they worked literally “like troopers,” scrambling over the roofs, and apparently quite fearless of the fire. It cannot be doubted that the salvation of the house was largely due to their praiseworthy efforts. A strong north-easterly wind was blowing at the time, and this fanned the fire, which burned with the utmost fierceness, huge tongues of flame shooting up into the air, and lighted up the country for many miles around; so that by the early hours of Sunday morning the old mill, which was picturesquely situated, and has been a landmark for very many years, was entirely consumed, with the whole of its contents. Unfavourable comments were heard on all sides amongst the immense crowd who collected, that the Redhill Brigade was left alone to grapple with the fire. The Reigate Brigade, though not formerly “called” knew of the fire early in the evening, and it cannot be doubted that the Crawley Brigade, if not that of Dorking were aware how serious was the conflagration, yet no hand was held out to help the Redhill men, whose labours, praiseworthy and excellent as they were only resulted in throwing the contents of what was irreverently called “a penny squirt,” on what by comparison was a fiery furnace. It is unfortunate that twice within a few months the Reigate Brigade should have been found wanting, we cannot help thinking that they must be resting on laurels already won, instead of adding fresh leaves to their chaplet.
The cause of the fire is as much a matter of conjecture as was its locality, and is up to now shrouded in mystery. One rumour says a boiler was overheated, another that the milling stones caused the ignition, a third that one of the brass bearings became overheated, and fell into the “Silks.” It is, however, pretty certain that the mill was closed at five o’clock on Saturday evening and that the fire did not break out until after seven. It is said that Mr. Burrows and his family were not at home at the time of the outbreak. The ruins were smouldering all day Sunday, when the ruins were visited by large crowds from Redhill and Reigate; and on Monday evening there was a strong rumour that the house had caught, that the Redhill Brigade were again called out, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
According to a later report, Mary Ann Burrows owned the business before the fire but afterwards it was carried on by J. H. Burrows and Co. Fortunately, the insurers paid out for the damage, estimated to have been £2,200, and by 1 October 1887 the mill was substantially rebuilt by Mr Scott of Salford.
The new building was a five-storey brick building with a tiled roof and a large wooden lucam at the top floor. Previously, the mill had contained four pairs of stones, but the new building housed a Tattersall Roller Mill supplemented by a large undershot external waterwheel. A 10-horse power high and low pressure beam engine was later supplied and installed by Thomas Horn & Son, a well-known firm of engineers and millwrights based in Waterloo Road, London, and a boiler was supplied by Whitmore and Binyon. A short article in ‘The Miller’ extolled the quality of Salfords ‘patent’ and “household’ flour, while the bran was mentioned for its breadth and clean finish.
The rebuilt Salfords Mill, c. 1898.
A poor-quality photocopy of a photograph reproduced in a booklet published to mark the 60th anniversary of Granose Foods. This photograph was taken from the south side of the Salford Stream.
Yet, for all this, the business was declared bankrupt in June 1896. In 1897, the mill was advertised to be let in a trade magazine.
“Mill to let which is fitted with steam engine and boiler, waterwheel (out of order), four pairs of stones and a strong hurst framing. Tattersall three break rollers, wheat cleaners etc. The above is in good working order although the proprietor would be willing to make certain improvements, subject to the lease.”
It appears there was no interest in 1897, because it was put up for sale two years later, on 19 May 1899:
“Messrs. Seagrave, Collis and Co. will sell, at the Mart, on Thursday next May 25th at two, the substantial Freehold Water-power mill (with auxiliary steam power). Salford Mill, 105ft. to main Brighton Road. Modern building, 4500ft. floor space; dwelling house, stabling, gardens, vacant land, engine, machinery, etc. Particulars of Messrs. Seagrave, Collis and Co., Auctioneers, 143 Holborn Bars, London, EC.”
It was acquired by the International Health Association Limited, a newly formed business subsidiary of the Seventh Day Adventist Organisation. It is possible that they were renting the mill as early as 1898, but James’s creditors may have wanted a settlement that required its outright sale.
The interest of the Seventh Day Adventist Organisation in the mill was a result of the success they had in importing health foods produced in the USA. The organisation wanted to manufacture health foods in Britain so that their members could live in harmony with the health principles it upheld, but there were no available funds at the time. Instead, some of the leaders formed a private company, the London Health Food Company, with premises at 451 Holloway Road, North London. The company imported health foods produced at the Battle Creek Food Co., Michigan, under the guidance of a Dr Kellogg, who was the Medical Superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanatorium. Following the success of this business, the Organisation formed the International Health Association and its board of directors agreed to purchase the London Health Food Company at its meeting on 9 October 1898.
Salfords Mill was acquired by the new International Health Food Association and a machine for flaking wheat was purchased in America and installed, together with ovens and other equipment. Mr W. T. Bartlett was appointed as Business Manager and Secretary of the company. At a further meeting of the board of directors on 20 December 1899, Mr A. Rodd was elected Works Manager. The practical side of the business was under the care of men drawn from the bakery trade, one of whom, Mr J. Heide, was sent to America to be trained in health food production. Apart from becoming the first mill in Britain to produce wheat flaked breakfast cereals, the company also produced health biscuits and nut foods.
But, as was usual at the time, lighting was by gas and oil lamps, and if light was needed in out-of-the-way places, candles were often used. That was the cause of another conflagration on 16 August 1900. A lighted candle was left in the drying chamber by one of the staff and the mill was completely destroyed again. All the machinery and stock were lost. Rather than rebuilding Salfords Mill, the board of directors agreed at their meeting on 11 September 1900 to restart production at 70 Legge Street, Birmingham. Money was donated from various sources to relieve the distress of the workers who had been made unemployed because of the disaster, and imports from America filled the gap until production could start again after settlement was received from the Fire Insurance Company. Later, in September 1907, the company moved to new premises at Stanborough Park, Watford.
The remains of Salfords Mill in 1907 after it burned down in 1900.
Over the ensuing years, the remnants of Salfords Mill fell into ruin and eventually the site was cleared. The Mill House was run as a private hotel and restaurant with a dance floor for many years, but in 1987 Whitbread took over the lease and converted it to a Beefeater restaurant and hotel. In 1995, the hotel accommodation was demolished and replaced with a 48-bedroom Premier Inn.
There is no visible trace that Salfords Mill ever existed though the shape of the Salfords Stream as it passes the Mill House does offer one clue. If one can gain access to the private area at the rear of the Mill House restaurant it is possible to see that the Stream takes a very sharp diversion to the south just before it reaches the former Mill site. It is tempting to believe that this was artificially created when the foundations for the original Mill were first laid down and, if so, it may define the exact location.