Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Antique Shop

Main Street North certainly has a number of antique shops, but no one other than Mill House is set on twenty-two acres, has eleven buildings, and lays claim as the largest antique shop in New England.  

Mill House Antiques & Gardens was originally established in 1964 in a former grist mill. The property sits along the bank of Woodbury’s Nonnewaug River. Corporate refugee William Hildreth purchased the shop in 2008.

“It has always been a passion of mine,” said Hildreth about his love of antiques.

Not only did he grow up with furniture and accent pieces over a hundred years old in his parents’ home, travelling all over the world for his job surrounded him with antiques originating from a variety of dates and countries.

Hildreth’s shop primarily deals in English and French antiques and custom English-made furnishings. The seventeen showrooms of the shop feature a large collection of 18^th and 19^th century furniture.

“And we are also known for our lamps,” added Hildreth.        

About fifty percent of the items for sale at Mill House have been added by Hildreth and he keeps bringing new antiques in.

The 1890 Syrian coal bin, for example, is decorated with inlaid mother of pearl flowers. The architect table that Hildreth found in England is from 1740. The table is interesting in and of itself with its recessed ledge that pops out only when the lid is raised and the traditional notches called “baby buns." But it’s the deep gouges made by a seemingly frustrated artist that are the most intriguing to Hildreth.

“Each piece tells its own story,” he said.

Such is the case with the circa 1830 English mahogany butler’s secretary permanently dappled with a few ink stains. Butlers were in charge of the books and documents of the household so it would make sense that many letters were written in ink on this piece of furniture. Thinking of the possibilities of how the spills happened or for whom the letters were being written for is one of the many thrills antique collectors enjoy.

“The stains,” said Hildreth, “give it character.”

Not all the pieces all Mill House have character accents like these, of course. Some of the tables are in immaculate condition and were created with such master craftsmanship that they are stunning to look at.

Mill House is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.