History of the Bourne Civic Baldocks Mill

The Doomsday Book gave Bourne three mills in the town. There has been a mill on this site since 1086. Baldocks Mill is the only remaining mill in the town and is over 200 years old. Mr Baxter-Shilcock was the owner of the mill, he was the grandfather of Raymond Mays. The last miller at the mill was Mr Frederick Baldock, he was also the manager. Baldocks mill has two mill races. The smaller of the two wheels is an undershot wheel, the larger being a different type, a breast shot wheel. They ran independently, the small wheel ran the carpenters work shop. The large wheel drove the mill stones.
Both wheels collapsed around 1924. A gas engine was used
later to drive the mill wheels and the carpenters saw.
The Baldock family moved out in 1968.
In 1973  students from Bourne Secondary School, now known as Robert Manning College, started to clean up the mill with the help of Mr Watkins and Mr Dawn two school teachers at that time, and it was envisaged it would become an agricultural museum but no plans were ever drawn up. The Red Cross rented the cottage for a number of years. Baldocks mill became a grade 2 listed building in 1973. Bourne Civic Society took over the mill in 1978, renting it from the Bourne United Charities.

There have been a number of phases in the refurbishment of the Heritage Centre/Museum. They have been possible with the many grants and donations the Society have received over the years that the work has been in progress. The first being the Raymond Mays Room, the History of Bourne on the third floor, the installation of the water wheels and the Worth Gallery.