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German Silver at Sarehole Mill

AaronCelestian

AaronCelestian

New Member
Hi everyone,
I’m a new member joining you all the way from Los Angeles! I’ve been deep-diving into the industrial history of Sarehole Mill, specifically its period as a "flatting mill" and its use for metal rolling and wire drawing.

I am trying to confirm if German silver (also known as Nickel silver, Argentan, or White metal) was ever documented as being processed at the mill. I know Matthew Boulton used it for rolling sheet metal for buttons in the 1750s, but I’m particularly interested in the mid-to-late 19th century (especially the Robert Simmons era after the steam engine was added in the 1850s).

Since I can’t visit the Library of Birmingham in person, I was wondering if any of the local experts here have ever come across a specific mention of German silver in the mill’s ledgers, rate books, or lease agreements? Even a snippet from an old trade directory or a technical diagram showing the rolling of non-ferrous alloys at the site would be a massive help.

Any leads or local knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for welcoming a Californian into your community!
 
I thought Sarehole Mill was a flour mill.
R

Thread 'Sarehole Mill'

Visited Sarehole Mill today. Had a great talk with the miller he was very busy, I understand the mill was working for the first time this year so he was pretty busy adjusting the stones and speed of the wheels. Heres a few pictures and a sequence taken with a mobile phone which should play if you use apple quicktime a free download. I even nabbed a little bit of freshly milled corn, it's texture not as fine as I imagined it would be. I was able to ask many questions about the mill, and he had a great knowledge of how the mill works. The whole building seemed to be moving, it very much felt...
  • Rod
 
Sarehole Mill actually had several distinct phases of operation across its history. You're right that it's best known today as a flour mill (and of course for its association with the young Tolkien), but it operated as a metal rolling and wire-drawing mill for a significant period before that. The mill on the Cole had sufficient water power to drive the flatting and rolling equipment that was common in the Birmingham metal trades, which extended well into the surrounding villages during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Matthew Boulton connection in the 1750s is relatively well documented — he used the site for rolling sheet metal for buttons before his operations consolidated at Soho. It's the Robert Simmons era and the post-1850s steam-augmented period that I'm still trying to pin down in the primary sources, particularly for non-ferrous alloys like German silver.

If you (or anyone else here) have access to the trade directories held at the Library of Birmingham, any entries for Sarehole or Hall Green under metal trades would be a huge help!
 
pjmburns said:
I thought Sarehole Mill was a flour mill.
R

Thread 'Sarehole Mill'

Visited Sarehole Mill today. Had a great talk with the miller he was very busy, I understand the mill was working for the first time this year so he was pretty busy adjusting the stones and speed of the wheels. Heres a few pictures and a sequence taken with a mobile phone which should play if you use apple quicktime a free download. I even nabbed a little bit of freshly milled corn, it's texture not as fine as I imagined it would be. I was able to ask many questions about the mill, and he had a great knowledge of how the mill works. The whole building seemed to be moving, it very much felt...
  • Rod
Click to expand...
From Wikipedia
As early as 1755, the mill was leased by Matthew Boulton, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution and leading figure of the Lunar Society for scientific experimentation. It is believed he converted the machinery for use in metal working. As well as milling grain it has been used for grinding bones for fertiliser, metal rolling (Matthew Boulton), tool sharpening and wire drawing.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarehole_Mill#cite_note-EHD-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a>
 
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