Guildford Society Wants Protection For Stoke Mill – Soon To Become a Riverside Pub

Published on: 13 Nov, 2025
Updated on: 20 Nov, 2025

By Emily Dalton, local democracy reporting service

And David Reading, Guildford Dragon reporter

The plan to transform the historic Stoke Mill into a riverside pub – approved by Guildford Borough Council earlier this month – has prompted the Guildford Society to investigate having the building listed, which would ensure it retains its character.

The mill was de-listed as a Grade 2 listed building by Historic England in 1988. It is unclear why this happened.

The Guildford Society accepts that the approved plan “respects the current fabric of the mill buildings” but says there is a strong case for making Stoke Mill a locally listed building, as an absolute minimum. “We would hope that Historic England would review the reasoning behind de-listing the building in 1988 and restore its listing so that it is protected for the future,” says the Society.

Stoke Mill, once home to the Surrey Advertiser, has been empty since 2021. Brewing company McMullen wants to transform the building into a “family-friendly” pub and restaurant with outdoor seating.

Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee approved the scheme at a meeting on November 5. Members welcomed the opportunity to turn a vacant building into a vibrant pub for the community and employment benefits.

Cllr Howard Smith

Cllr Howard Smith (Labour, Westborough) said: “It’s hard for me to conceal my enthusiasm for this. So much of the riverside in Guildford is inaccessible or covered by car parks. To have something where people can enjoy the riverside is absolutely fantastic.”

Councillors said they recognised concerns that had been raised, but believed that leaving the building unused and empty would ultimately be worse and could attract antisocial behaviour.

Cllr Joss Bigmore

Cllr Joss Bigmore (R4GV, Merrow) admitted: “There is harm to the Wey Navigation but there is also harm in leaving a building derelict.”

The plan would see a smaller building near Woking Road knocked down, a couple of extensions added and the car park rearranged with space for bikes, electric car charging and tables outside overlooking the river.

More than 20 people objected to the plans, arguing that the historic building should be locally listed. Some opponents to the scheme want to see Stoke Mill used as an arts or heritage centre instead.

Some residents said losing the smaller building would damage the look and history of the conservation area. Others were worried about noise from outdoor drinkers and how it will affect neighbours.

The building that is planned to be demolished was originally stabling for horses. The Surrey Advertiser used one half of that building to store archive material, including bound copies of newspapers some going back as far as the 1880s, while the other half was a meeting room with a small kitchen.

Despite voicing concerns, the Guildford Society says: “We are grateful that the current application respects the current fabric of the mill buildings to a large extent.  We remain concerned that the Stoke Mill is not properly protected by an appropriate listing. The Society is trying to find out why the Mill was delisted in 1988.”

Planning officers said the benefits of the scheme outweigh the downsides. They state there is no extra flood risk, and that traffic and wildlife impacts have been addressed.

CAMRA, the real ale campaigners, have also backed the plans, saying the new pub would complement the nearby Row Barge rather than compete with it.

The developer is likely to have to pay contributions towards protecting wildlife as well as funding walking and cycling improvements nearby.

The history of the building is well documented.

According to Wikipedia, and confirmed by local historian David Rose, Domesday lists a mill at Stochae on the King’s land. About 1635 Sir Richard Weston built the first paper mill in Surrey on the site. By 1740 it was also used for grinding corn. This was eventually replaced by a single story mill, with three pairs of stones, after the original was destroyed by fire in 1863. Papermaking ceased in 1869.

In 1879 a modern five-story brick built corn mill was constructed alongside and the older mill became a store. In 1894 the new mill was converted to metal rollers to grind the corn and a water turbine had replaced the waterwheel by 1915. The mill ceased working in 1957.

After a period of commercial use as a store and boatyard, the building was converted to offices in 1989, initially for the Crown Prosecution Service, and in 1999 was occupied by the Surrey Advertiser until 2020 when staff moved out during Covid.

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