Norfolk Mills

The site database search engine is on the Norfolk Mills page

List of recently updated pages - last site update 7th May 2008

This website contains a considerable amount of historical and genealogical data for over
850 mills along with over 1,400 photographs.

All pages should be easily accessible via the links below.

Wanted!

Photographs of Norfolk windmills and watermills
for copying and preserving
All photographs would of course be returned immediately

NORFOLK'S WINDMILLS by river, road and rail

by

Luke Bonwick

Now available!
(as of February 2008)

Details on News page

Breaking News!
Two new groups have been set up:

Friends of Letheringsett Mill

Friends of Norfolk Mills

if you would like to become a member of either group

please do contact us by

We look forward to hearing from you!

Pair of new stones

delivered to

Letheringsett Mill

on 15th April

National Mills Day

Letheringsett Watermill
will be open and working
on
Saturday 10th May from 10.00 -12.30

At the time of Domesday, in the 11th century, there were some 580 recorded watermills in Norfolk, but no windmills. The earliest known identified windmill site is at Barton Bendish.

By the 19th century only 80 or 90 watermills were still functioning but there were still 300 - 400 windmills in the county.

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

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

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