Señores's Watermill

Señores's Watermill in Las Serillas is a medieval watermill standing on the bank of the Eresma River, on the outskirts of Segovia, close to the Fuencisla Sanctuary. It ranks among the oldest surviving traces of the region's industrial past — the first written record of a mill on this spot dates back to a document from 1136, kept in the Segovia cathedral archive.

Where does the mill's name come from?

The name refers to its original owners: the cathedral chapter, referred to in Spanish as "los Señores" (the Lords). For centuries the mill belonged to the canons of Segovia's cathedral, who drew income from its operation. Later it passed into the hands of the religious order of the Handmaids of Mary (Siervas de María), and today it is privately owned.

Is the building standing today the same medieval mill?

Not entirely. The original twelfth-century structure did not survive unchanged — what stands on the Eresma today is a building raised in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries on the site and foundations of the earlier mill. Even so, the continuous use of the river's water power on this exact spot is why the mill is regarded as one of the first civil buildings built for industrial purposes in Segovia. Along the Eresma's banks, generations of similar mills and small hydraulic workshops once operated, and this mill was one of the key links in that chain.

What protection status does the building hold?

In September 2022, the regional government of Castilla y León formally declared the mill a Cultural Heritage Asset with Monument status (Bien de Interés Cultural, categoría Monumento). The administrative process behind that decision had been open since the 1980s, and its conclusion confirmed the building's historical and architectural value as part of the Eresma's industrial heritage.

What is planned for the building's future?

The mill falls under Segovia's special plan for protecting historic areas, and its owners have drawn up a renovation project aimed at tourist use. Under the approved plans, the upper floors are set to become a handful of tourist apartments, while the old grinding room — with its equipment still in place — is meant to stay as close to its original condition as possible, kept as a record of the building's industrial past.

How to get there and what else is worth seeing nearby?

The mill sits in the Zamarramala district, along the route that follows the Eresma River toward the Fuencisla Sanctuary, a Marian shrine of considerable importance to Segovia's residents. Walking the riverbank from the old town side pairs a view of the city walls and the Alcázar with a look into the Eresma valley, where traces of other hydraulic buildings survive alongside this mill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the mill currently open to visitors? The building is privately owned and does not currently operate as a museum or an attraction with regular public access — the approved project only foresees future tourist use through apartments.

What sets this mill apart from other buildings along the Eresma? Its documented history stretching back to the twelfth century and its ties to Segovia's cathedral chapter make it one of the oldest known industrial buildings in the city.

Have the mill's original mechanisms survived? The renovation plans call for keeping the grinding room as close to its original state as possible, even though the building itself dates from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

What legal protection does the site have today? Since 2022 the mill has held Cultural Heritage Asset status with Monument category, giving it legal protection as part of Castilla y León's heritage.