Norfolk Mills - Dilham watermill

Dilham Mill
River Ant /
North Walsham & Dilham Canal

c.1905

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 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.1911

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

William Harrison Wells was born on 24th September 1805, 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 wherry sail bears the letters WHW - William Harrison Wells of Dilham mill.

The 1837 painting apparently depicts the artist, Edmund Girling, rowing across the mill dam. A certain amount of artistic licence appears to have been deployed as the 'adjacent' windmill is almost certainly the towermill at the staithe, some distance away.

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 Girling, who was also an artist of the Norwich School and painted at least 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.

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

c.1935 watercolour

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

Henry Warnes rented the mill for several years in the 1830s having let out his own mill at Sea_Palling; prior to moving to Dilham he had been renting Horsford_smockmill.

Tithe map 1840 - as redrawn by Harry Apling

Map c.1885-1891
Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey


Wheelhouse 15th April 1983			Wheelhouse 19th October 2003

The headrace 15th April 1983


Tailrace arch 15th April 1983			Tailrace arch 19th October 2003

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

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

All that remains now is the brick wheelpit, 1.8 metres wide and 6.6 metres long, with the remains of gearing for adjusting the breast sluice. On the north and east sides the walls of the mill survive to a height of about one metre but the south and west walls have disappeared entirely.
NIAS Report - 11th December 1977

Dilham broad bed 19th October 2003

William Harrison Wells was born on 24th September 1805, the son of William and Sarah Wells. Sarah's maiden name was Harrison.

William Stackwood snr moved from Bolwick watermill in the 1880s, where he had been working as a journeyman miller along with his son William jnr. who temporarily remained at Bolwick.
By 1891 William Stackwood snr had moved to Cawston and taken over Sygate Black Mill and White Mill.
William Stackwood snr had at least 14 children during his two marriages and 9 of them were known to have married in Norfolk.

1542: Mill and manor house conveyed by Sir Edmund Windham to Robert Townshend

1578: Mill leased by Thomas Windham to Thomas Hill and others for 21 years

1597: Mill newly built - probably on older site

1597: Mill leased to Thomas Hill for 21 years

1621: Mill leased to John Willyson, miller, for 11 years

Dilham Index of Wills 1633: John Willison, miller

1636: Mill leased to Francis Calfe and others for 21 years

1641: Francis Calfe with a bond to observe covenants

Faden's map 1797: Mill

Dilham & Norwich Poll Book 1802: Thomas Boulter, miller

Edmund Girling watercolour 1834: Depicts mill and wherry bearing initials WHW - William Harrison Wells

1835: Owner William Harrison Wells; occupier Henry Warnes having let his own towermill at Sea Palling

White's 1836: William Harrison Wells - wind & water; also Bacton Wood

Tithe Award 1841: William Howe Whindham, owner; William Harrison Wells, occupier

White's 1845: William Harrison Wells, corn miller, The Mills; also Bacton Wood

Hunt's 1850: William Harrison Wells

Census 1851: William Harrison Wells (45), Harriette Wells (39) wife + 7 children, Sarah Wells (73) mother

White's 1854: William D. Gardiner - Water Mill; also Aylsham Cawston Road towermill

Craven's 1856: William Drake Gardiner, miller

21st August 1858: To Let notice in the Norfolk Chronicle

Craven's 1858: William Drake Gardiner, also Wymondham smockmill

White's 1864: John Stammers, farmer & corn miller Water Mill

Kelly's 1879: George Shreeve, miller & merchant

White's 1883: George Holland Shreeve, miller, corn merchant & farmer

Census 1891:

William Stackwood snr (54) b.Carbrooke, miller & engine driver (portable)
Jimimia Stackwood (48) b.Horsham St Faith's
Beatrice Stackwood (13) b.Marsham
Sydney Stackwood (10) b.Marsham
Louisa Stackwood (7) b.Marsham
Ethel Maude Stackwood (5) b.Booton
Samuel Bayfield (24) b.Itringham, miller (boarder)

Kelly's 1892: William Stackwood

Kelly's 1896: William Stackwood, miller (water) & at Cawston

Kelly's 1900: Sydney Stackwood

Kelly's 1904: William Stackwood

Kelly's 1908: Charles Christopher Goose

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 587564 or

Nat Grid Ref TG33102670

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