Day 99. The Mill Stone

This mill stone stands by the church gate on the village green. How it came to be there is a mystery, but it has been in this location for at least a hundred years. Local historian and vicar  Harvey Bloom wrote in the early 20th century that it was part of a cider mill. The stones were used to crush apples and the juice was collected and fermented into cider.
It may have belonged to a communal mill or large scale enterprise rather than a single farmstead, considering its size. Documentary evidence of a cider house in Preston exists from the 18th century. Perhaps when this fell into disuse, the stone was moved to the church gate, and it has remained ever since.