John Battams Whitworth (c1852-1945) took over a flour mill in Turvey in Bedfordshire in the 1870s, unfortunately in burnt down in the mid 1880's and he decided to relocate his business. He decided to come to Little Irchester because of two reasons. The first was because of the communication links that adjoined the site - the river, the road and the Northampton to Peterborough Railway. The second reason was because the mill was located within the heart of a farmland community.
The mill at Little Irchester was built in 1886 and was a steam roller mill. The mill last had wheat delivered to the mill by Narrow Boat in 1969, by rail in the early 1980s as there was still a link to the Midland Main Line at the time. Now all transportation is done by road. The first silo was erected at the rear of the mill in 1911-12. This was followed by additional ones in the 1930s. One of these silos was the scene of a spectacular fire on 17th June 1941 when the grain spontaneously combusted causing 3,000 tons of grain to fall into the Nene. Additional silos were built in the 1940s-1970s. The most recent being built in 1999.
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