Norfolk Mills - Dilham watermill

Dilham Mill
River Ant /
North Walsham & Dilham Canal

Dilham watermill built of weatherboard over a brick base with a Norfolk pantile roof. A substantial two floored weatherboarded storage building was attached to one gable end.
In 1900 the mill was described as having 4 floors of engine and boiler houses. The undershot waterwheel had a fall of 8 feet that drove 2 pairs of stones and its water was taken from the 25 acre Dilham Lake.
In later years, water power was supplemented by a steam engine and the nearby Dilham_smockmill was under the same ownership. The watermill almost certainly stopped working before the first World War c.1910.

c.1905

Watermill and house, Scottish Close (4a) with house (described as newly-built in 1597) meadow (4a), all in Dilham, with piece of moorland in Honing, leased by Thomas Windham to Thomas Hill and others for 21 yrs in 1578; to Thomas Hill for 21 years in 1597; to John Willyson for 11 yrs in 1621; to Francis Calfe and others for 21 yrs in 1636, with bond to observe covenants, 1641.
Norfolk Record Office

To be Sold
TWO WINDMILLS with their going Geers, one being near St._Giles_Gates, Norwich and the other at North_Walsham in Norfolk. Also the Remainder of a Term for sixty years which commenced in 1747 of a good water mill with a Dwelling House and small farm adjoining, being in Dilham, late occupied by Mr. Joseph Cole.
For further Particulars enquire of Mr. Marker at Dilham aforesaid, Mr. Gaze of Paston, or Mr. Gay of North Walsham.
All such Persons as are indebted to the said Joseph Cole are desired to discharge the same immediately to some of the abovesaid Persons or they may be sued.
Norwich Mercury - 7th November 1761

c.1911

Jno. Withers of North Walsham in the County of Norfolk. On a Water Corn Millhouse brick built weatherboarded & tiled & on the Mills therein together with the Running Tackle & other parts of the Machinery belonging thereunto situate in Dilham in the County aforesaid in his own Occupation, £400. On a House brick built & thatch'd situate on Eastgate Common near North Walsham aforesaid Tent. ----- Victualler & known by the Sign of the White House, £200. On a Brewhouse brick built & tiled situate in ye Yard belonging, £50. On a Granary near brick, stud & plaister built & thatch'd, £50.
Royal Exchange Fire Insurance - 6th December 1773.

William Harrison Wells was born on 24th September 1805 in Martham, the son of William and Sarah Wells. William Wells snr, who was born c.1781 in Lound, Suffolk, married Sarah Harrison in Gt Yarmouth on 29th January 1804. William snr was almost certainly a miller by profession but it's not known where. He died at some time between the census in 1841 and 1851 and the 1851 census lists Sarah Wells as the widow of a miller. William jnr was given his mother's maiden name as a middle name and obviously learnt milling at an early age. He married Harriet Howes at West Somerton on 9th May 1832.


1834 watercolour painting by Edmund Girling	1837 watercolour painting by Edmund Girling

The above painting was subject to a degree of artistic licence as the windmill was not as close to the watermill or in the position shown.

The wherry sail bears the letters WHW - William Harrison Wells of Dilham mill.

The 1834 painting depicts the artist, Edmund Girling, sitting on a log in the foreground and the 1837 painting shows him rowing across the mill dam. A certain amount of artistic licence appears to have been deployed. The adjacent windmill is the smockmill, also owned by William Harrison Wells.

William Harrison Wells was a good friend of Edmund Girling jnr (1796-1871), who along with William Stannard jnr, were London corn and flour merchants trading under the name of Girling & Stannard. They operated from Jack's Coffee House in Mark Lane, London.

While Harrison was running Dilham mill he was occasionally visited by his friend and business aquaintance Girling, who was also an artist of the Norwich School and WHW commissioned him to paint two watercolours of Dilham watermill.

William Harrison moved to Norwich between 1851 and 1854 and by 1864 was running New_Mills. When Girling died in 1871 he bequeathed William Harrison £300 in his will, which gives Harrison's address as New Mills and St George's.

John Stammers, born 1822, second son of Robert Stammers of Magdalen_Gates_post_mill, Pockthorpe, Norwich.
At Wymondham 1850 - 1858.
Went to Dilham watermill by 1861 and to Mendham watermill 1864.
Letter from David Cubitt, Norwich, to Harry Apling - December 1982
N.B. John's brother Joseph Stammers, was miller at Mendham

The North Walsham & Dilham Canal

This was the only official canal in Norfolk and was really the canalisation of the River Ant. It was made wider than most other canals in order to accommodate Norfolk wherries. The main cargoes were offal to the two Antingham_Bone mills with return loads of fertiliser. Corn and flour moved in and out of Bacton_Wood and Swafield mills with other commodities such as timber, farm produce and coal making up the majority of the remainder of trade. It was hoped that coal would be the mainstay cargo but this never materialised. The canal was just over 8¾ miles long, ran from Smallburgh to Antingham and contained 6 locks: Honing, Briggate mill, Ebridge mill, Bacton Wood mill, Swafield lower and Swafield Upper.

1812: Act of Parliament passed authorising construction of the canal

July 1826: Canal opened having cost £32,000 to build

1885: Ailing canal sold for £600 but the company's London solicitor absconded with the money

1886: Scheme introduced to encourage tourist traffic

c.1893: Antingham - Swafield section abandoned because of lack of traffic

1934: The wherry Ella, sailed from Bacton Wood Staithe for the last time

2003: Canal navigable for the first 2 miles as far as Honing Lock

Dilham mill originally stood across the river Ant but the river was diverted to form the North Walsham & Dilham Canal, which was completed in 1826.
There is little doubt that prior to the canal being built the mill was effectively at the head of the historically navigable River Ant and was served by wherries accessing up the tail stream. This section of the Ant was, and still is to some extent, subject to tidal influence giving the right of free navigation, but the canal company could well have expected the right to charge craft using its much more direct channel up to the mill. This, however, the company was specifically prevented from doing by a special clause in the Act preserving the right of free navigation up to the mill.
Despite this, it would appear that when Honing Lock was constructed fairly close to the site of the mill, steps were taken to construct a dam near the mill to create what was known as Dilham Broad or Dilham Lake and an entrance to this broad was created from the canal upstream of Honing Lock. Thereafter wherry access to the mill appears to have been southwards across the broad to the mill head and the former access via the mill tail seems to have fallen into disuse.
Alan Faulkner - 16th April 2003

At one time the mill dam covered 25 acres and it is said that the cause was an accidental breach of the river bank in 1868. The story goes that this was the time of a disastrous drought and when a local farmer attempted to dig a tunnel to gain water, the resulting inflow quickly got out of hand and resulted in the flooding of Dilham beds.

The level of the mill dam has dropped and is now below the level of the old wheel sluice.

Dilham staithe and towermill in 1929

The wheelpit 11th December 1977

TO BE LET With Possession at Michaelmas next.
A Capital BRICK TOWER_WIND_MILL_at_PALLING next the Sea
With good Dwelling house, requisite Outbuildings and an acre of Land adjoining and now in the occupation of Thomas FRARY.
The Mill drives two pair of French Stones and two Flour Mills.
Apply to SEWELL, BLAKE & CO. Solrs. Norwich or to Mr. Warnes at Mr. Wells' Dilham Mills.
Norfolk Chronicle - 19th September 1835

Tithe map 1840 - as redrawn by Harry Apling

Wheelhouse 15th April 1983

Wheelhouse 19th October 2003

The headrace 15th April 1983

Tailrace arch 15th April 1983

Tailrace arch 19th October 2003

O.S. map c.1887 - 1891
Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey

NIAS plan December 1977

Dilham broad bed 19th October 2003

If you have any memories, anecdotes or photos please let us know and we may be able to use them to update the site. By all means telephone 01263 713658 or

Dilham Wind & Water Mills - Tithe Award 1841 Owner William Howe Whindham & Occupier William Harrison Wells
No. 5: Water Mill etc. Water	16a. 0r. 11p.
No. 6: Mill Rand. Pasture	0a. 1r. 30p.
No. 7: Windmill Meadow. Pasture	5a. 2r. 2p.
No. 8: Mill Pightle.	1a. 0r. 7p.
No. 11: Little Mill Meadow
No. 12: Great Mill Meadow
No. 16: Windmill Pightle. Arable	1a. 3r. 29p.
No. 56: House, Farm Premises & Garden	1a. 0r. 8p.
Total:	53a. 3r. 38p.
£3. 13s to Vicar £6 17s to Appropriators