A Fire at Dennes Mill

Canterbury's historic Dennes Mills comes to a fiery and dramatic end in this amazing piece of local reportage from Sydney Bligh

Sydney Bligh’s 1933 film begins with views of the six storey Dennes Mill meeting its fiery end while the local fire brigade desperately try to put out the flames. Crowds gather to witness the event which, over the course of the morning, destroys more of the building until it eventually collapses. Clouds of steam are seen coming from the Great Stour river, over which the mill was built. At the end of the film only the mill’s cast iron pillars and waterwheel have survived.

The mill seen in Sydney Bligh's film was built in 1792 and served as a city granary during the Napoleonic Wars. Designed by the civil engineer, John Smeaton, who also designed the Eddystone Lighthouse, the six storey mill was an imposing sight in the ancient city. From 1896 the mill was known as Dennes Mill and lasted until its fiery demise in 1933.