Stone is one of the nicest small towns in Staffordshire, a canal town of narrowboats and old brick, and The Mill sits right in the middle of it at the end of Mill Street. The building goes back to 1785, when it ground flour for the monks at St Michael’s, and it is unusual in having had two water wheels under a single roof — two mills in one, as the family who run it like to say. It is also tied up with the story of Hovis flour, which is not a bad claim for a wedding venue to have in its back pocket. Restored, listed and now run as a family business, it manages the trick of feeling historic without feeling like a museum.
Inside there are two quite different rooms to play with. The Barn Room is the rustic one, all beams and brick and candlelight, and the Garden Room is lighter and more elegant, opening towards the gardens. Those gardens are the surprise: terraced and landscaped, with a stream running through and a little rustic bridge that every photographer who comes here makes a beeline for, plus a licensed outdoor spot for couples who want to say their vows in the open air. The whole place is yours for the day, and there are 8 bedrooms sleeping 16 on site, including a honeymoon suite, with more rooms in the hotel next door for anyone who wants to stay close.
Food is done in house and done properly, with menus built around Staffordshire beef, local vegetables and whatever the kitchen can get hold of fresh, running from arrival nibbles and a multi-course wedding breakfast through to a full-sized hog roast or a Spanish paella later on. Couples generally sit 84 for the wedding breakfast, with a good many more joining for the evening. Parking is free and on site, the station is a short walk away and junction 14 of the M6 is about 10 minutes off, which makes it easy for guests coming from either direction.
Where the band plays
This is a mill, not a barn conversion the size of an aeroplane hangar, and that is part of its charm for live music: the rooms are intimate enough that a band and a full dancefloor are never far apart, and the sound gets into every corner without anyone straining. A compact three or four-piece suits the space beautifully, though a bigger line-up works too if you are happy to give up a table or two. The venue has its own sound system in place and the team are well used to bands and DJs, so it is worth a conversation early about exactly where the stage will go in whichever room you are dancing in, and how the load-in works from the car park — a town-centre site is always worth planning rather than improvising.
How the evening runs
The shape of the night here is generous. The bar tends to call last orders around midnight and the music has a little longer to run before the lights come up, so the final set lands while the room is still full rather than playing out to a handful of survivors. In practice that means a first dance in the mid-evening, evening food somewhere in the middle, and two proper sets from the band with enough room for an encore. Confirm the exact music finish with the venue when you book, and pass it to your band at the same time so they build the night around it.
Bands available in Staffordshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Staffordshire.
- Wedding Bands in Staffordshire
- Events Bands in Staffordshire
- Staffordshire Tribute Acts
- Staffordshire Wedding DJs
- Staffordshire Corporate Entertainment
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.