Norfolk Mills

The site database search engine is on the Norfolk Mills page

List of recently updated pages - last site update 14th November 2019

You can use this search engine to search for all pages within the site that may contain a
name of your choice:

This website contains a considerable amount of historical and genealogical data for in excess of
1,200 mills along with over 3,000 photographs.

All pages should be easily accessible via the links above.

Wanted!

Information on Norfolk windmills and watermills.
Also photographs for copying (repairing if necessary) and preserving.
All photographs would of course be returned immediately
Please or telephone 07836 675369

Harry Apling's wonderful book
Norfolk Corn Windmills
along with around
1,500 other mill titles and documents
are available from
Alan Ticehurst

At the time of Domesday, in the 11th century, there were some 580 recorded watermills in Norfolk, but no windmills. The earliest known windmill in Norfolk was recorded at Rackheath in 1268 and the earliest identified windmill site in Norfolk was at Barton_Bendish in 1338, although Thomas Thurne gave a windmill in Waxham to Hickling Priory c.1190.

By the early 1800s only 80 or 90 watermills were still functioning but there were still 300 - 400 windmills in the county. By the late 1800s the water and windmilled stone ground flour was fast giving way to roller mill produced flour. The taste of the people was changing and the new technology was capable of producing flour far more efficiently and faster.

Horning_Mill_Loke_postmill was probably the first postmill and possibly even the first windmill to be fitted with William Cubitt's patent sails c.1807 that were eventually to be used by virtually all Norfolk windmills. Stalham_smockmill is the only other known contender.

The first steam mill for auxiliary power was installed at Dickleburgh in 1834.

In 1939 Claude Messent recorded that there were only 60 watermills still standing and by 2004 the number had gone down to 52 with only around 20 still containing any remnants of machinery and many have now disappeared completely. Forever.

Standing watermills and windmills are now a rarity and this website is intended to provide a pictorial and historical record of all the mills I can trace here in Norfolk, England.
Jonathan Neville

Pages are continually being updated and added - so any and all help with information, anecdotes and photographs would be greatly appreciated.

Remember to hit the refresh button when re-visiting in order to see page changes - otherwise your pc will probably load the old page from its internal cache.

This site is recognised by
SPAB
The Society for the Protection
of Ancient Buildings
Mills Section

24,696 visits from 66 countries in our first 4 months in 2002!
33,095 pages viewed in May 2007!

This site came onstream on 6th September 2002 and traffic has slowly increased.

May 2007 saw 17,622 visitors from 86 countries

We welcome viewers from the following countries:
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We hope you will find something of interest amongst the photos and snippets of information put together.

We would also be grateful for any information, history, anecdotes or photographs that could be included as we continue to develop and update the site. All photographs will of course be returned immediately after they are scanned.

Please note that all photographs and material on this site are subject to copyright and must not be reproduced without prior permission from the owner. If you are interested in a photo please for copyright details or telephone 07836 675369.

Photographs for Sale

Please note that all photographs and material on this site are subject to copyright and must not be reproduced without prior permission from the owner.

However, if you are interested in purchasing a full size digital photo,
many are available, subject to copyright.
please or telephone 07836 675369
Digital copy via email - £10.00
Digital copy burnt onto CD - £20.00 + postage etc (dependent on destination)
and don't forget to provide full details of which photo you are interested in!

Many individuals and organisations have between them, provided a vast amount of assistance and archive information for inclusion on this website. Please take time to visit the credits_page to view some of the information sources.

Do visit our sister site www.itteringham.com
Also Jonathan Neville's African and Norfolk wildlife digital photos at www.digitalwild.co.uk

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