John Smeaton's Snuff Mill at Chimney Mills, Newcastle upon Tyne

This article analyses the results of a programme of archaeological building recording and evaluation on the site of the Leazes Brewery, established in 1837 using premises built c. 1782 as a water-powered snuff mill to a design by John Smeaton (1724–1792), possibly his only mill designed for this use. Smeaton is of national significance as a designer of wind- and water-powered industrial machinery and buildings, and he was among the first to describe himself as a 'civil engineer' and as a 'professional'.The only part of the snuff mill still surviving above ground is the Grade II listed Leazes, or Transport, House. Two unlisted parallel brick-built ranges to the north-west of Leazes House, built after c. 1782 but before 1831 and forming part of the later use of the snuff manufactory, had been incorporated into the Leazes Brewery and latterly Newcastle University's Jones Marine Engineering Laboratories. These ranges were demolished after recording in March 2008

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Brick · Civil engineering · Excavation · Mill · Newcastle upon tyne · Snuff · Waste management · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Engineering · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology