18th July 2025

Unique townhouse in George Eliot’s ‘Mill on the Floss’ to go up for auction

A three bedroomed townhouse within the Grade II listed Great Alne Mill near Stratford upon Avon, which is said to have been the inspiration for George Eliot’s classic literary novel, The Mill on the Floss, is to go up for auction this month, with a £450,000 guide price.

Great Alne Mill, whose current buildings date back to the 16th century, is believed by some to have been the basis for the iconic Victorian novel, whose author grew up in Nuneaton and Coventry. The mill, on the picturesque River Alne, produced flour until the 1960s and was reopened in the 1980s to grind flour that supplied its own cafe and tearoom.

Now the townhouse, which was part of a 1989 conversion of the mill to luxury residential accommodation with extensive private grounds, will appear in SDL Property Auctions’ next online live-streamed auction on Thursday 31st July, along with over 230 other properties and plots of land.

SDL Property Auctions partner and auctioneer, Andrew Parker, said: “This a fantastic opportunity to acquire a really special property that combines modern style with the original features of the mill, seamlessly incorporated into the interior design.

“Its literary connections, as the possible inspiration for The Mill on the Floss, make the house quite special and when you add in the picture-perfect views over the River Alne, direct access to miles of footpaths and close proximity to local amenities, it’s not surprising that we have had high levels of interest in this property.”

To view Race View, Great Alne Mill in Alcester click here.