As it weaves its way through West Norfolk, the A47 - Norfolk's artery into the Midlands - is alive with industrial and commercial traffic carrying goods and raw materials to meet the modern needs of the Seventies.

But passing through the village of Narborough, the traffic thunders past a reminder of a bygone era.
For standing bold and proud across the River Nar is the Narborough Water Mill, a disused six-stone corn mill. Believed to have been last in use in the early 1950s, the building at one time used for storage purposes, has gradually fallen into decay.

But during the autumn new interest was generated in the mill with the exciting possibility of its being given a new lease of life.
The result is the publication of a report giving detailed information about the watermill.
It is based on a survey of the mill, and is the first report to be prepared by the recently formed Lynn and West Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society.

Since it was formed in August last year, the society's membership has grown to twelve. The first report was the work of a nucleus of five active members.
Mr. Bob Trett, curator of Lynn museum, and one of the society's founder members, explained why it was formed. "Basically it was felt that there is a gap to be filled in recording the industrial history of the area, in which people have a considerable interest," he said.

The mill at Narborough was chosen as the group's first study because the machinery inside is still largely complete, and for that reason quite rare.The group are keen to record the area's industrial heritage before it disappears through neglect and decay.

The owner of the Mill, Mr. Brian Ash, of Park Cottage, Narborough, has dreams of preserving the mill and restoring it to working order. One idea he is toying with is open it as a museum in which ancient farm implements could be exhibited alongside the machinery. The museum, he feels, could also be incorporated in a fishing centre. But an ambitious scheme of that nature would obviously require considerable finance to make it a practical proposition.

Mr. Ash feels that the report will be a valuable aid to him in the future if he applies for a grant for the mill's restoration. Although he is enthusiastic about such a project taking shape, his more immediate concern is the mill's state of repair. He said part of the roof was in danger of collapse, and was causing concern.

But the archaeology group do not consider themselves preservationists. Mr. Anthony Beaumont, also a founder member, who was responsible for writing the report, explained that the society's role was to provide a written and photographic record of the area's industrial heritage before it disappeared. "It's up to the owner of the property concerned to try to restore a particular building. We do not have the necessary finances for this work," he said.

The report on the mill is a comprehensive account. It includes detailed information on the internal machinery, much of which is still intact. Other aspects covered included location, history, the buildings and their state of repair. It is illustrated with plans, drawings, photographs and a map of its location. A series of technical drawings has been produced by Mr. Vic Walker, who used to work at Savages, the old Lynn engineering firm. A copy of the report is available for inspection at Lynn Museum.
Lynn News & Advertiser 28th January 1977

Narborough Mill - Report No. 1 from the N.W. Norfolk & King's Lynn Branch:

Narborough Water Mill
This report is based on a survey carried out in the autumn of 1976. A series of technical drawings by R. V. Walker and others were produced and copies are available for consultation at King's Lynn Museum. Other copies are held by the Secretary of the Group and by the Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society (to which the Group is connected).

The account was written by Tony Beaumont with additional notes and drawings by Bob Trett.

For further information on the work of the Group, contact King's Lynn Museum or the Secretary, M.W. Skerritt, 29 Winfarthing Avenue, King's Lynn.

The Group would like to thank Mr. B. Ash, the owner, for his help and for permission to inspect the mill. Mr. Ash also lent the old photographs of the mill and his deeds to assist the Survey. The modern photographs were provided by Messrs. Beaumont and Tuck.

Narborough Water Mill, TF 7472 1320 - King's Lynn and District Archaeology Society Study, Sept - Nov 1976.

Location
The water mill is situated on the left hand side of the Lynn-Norwich main road at the village of Narborough, 12.5 miles from Lynn town centre. The mill stands about 100 ft. from the road and faces approximately south west. The building is set across the River Nar (rises at West Lexham and has its outfall at King's Lynn). The road bridge over the Nar is parallel to the Mill.

Surroundings; waterways
The Nar is about 40 ft. wide behind the mill and narrows for at least 100 yards towards Narford. This semi mill pool does not appear to be very deep at the rear of the mill - say 5-6 ft. in dry weather.

The long lake at Narford Hall appears to provide the main steady water supply to the mill and the Nar has an entry and exit in this lake. There is also a 'by-pass' to the mill water and this overflow runs round the north side of the mill, joining the river near the main millwheel outfall through a culvert. (It should be noted that another arm or branch of the Nar passes under the main road about 200 yards north of the mill.)

Building (1780?)
The main dimensions are shown on the drawings. The south-west front-facing elevation is red brick, mainly Flemish bond and solid brick. There are vertical recesses across the length of the elevation and an imposing design of round-topped wood-sashed windows. The left-hand part of the main building has a later residence added and partly in front of the north end. This residence (marked 'engine house' on 1897 plan) is of no architectural merit and has a slated roof. The adjacent north part of the front elevation of the mill is considered to be a later addition to the main brick front, but is in the same design but less well-preserved. The whole mill roof is pantiles. The rear of the mill has a derelict cottage attached to the main wall and the majority of the remainder of the rear mill wall is horizontal weather boarding (probably the original design is not the original woodwork). This weather boarding was probably also on the front of the mill when built. At the south end of the mill a curiously ecclesiastically designed 'summer house' is attached and originally formed the master-miller's private entrance from his nearby large house (see 1897, map).

State of repair
The fabric is variable in its weatherproofing. There is some leakage through the roof at the rear and the cottage interior is entirely derelict with an amount of wall collapse at the juncture of cottage and mill wall. The three floors and all main wood beams of the mill are in fair condition and at present safe to negotiate. Without some roof repairs very soon, probably the main fabric will deteriorate with increasing rapidity in a few years.

Machinery - general
The mill is rare in having all its machinery in situ, although not in perfect working order.

Originally the cast iron water wheel drove four sets of stones through spur and bevel gears using cast iron/wood teeth. At an unknown date, the horizontal mainshaft was extended to take two more sets of stones and the same gearing. The extension coupling between the mainshaft and the extension is completely fractured. (Many wood teeth are missing from the extension shaft bevel wheels.)

The governor gear is inoperative and the governor bevels are worn and do not mesh. Attached to the main drive spur ring is a later cast iron bevel gear ring (cast in eight sections). This drives a vertical shaft carrying further wooden toothed bevels at the first floor level. These gears were re-toothed by Savages Ltd. in 1950/1(?) for the purpose of driving a 1905 high-speed 'multi-mill' on the first floor. This work appears to have been of very short duration and since then the mill has never worked. The multi-mill and its drive shafts and belting are all complete.

There is considerable amount of derelict light seed dressing and grading machinery on the first floor. It is thought that only this light machinery was driven by a steam engine at one time, situated in the present residence marked 'engine house' on the 1897 plan. There is now no evidence of a steam drive apart from an old concrete-filled firebox lying in front of the mill. A large pulley-like wheel is on the front of the mill wall. It is considered now that this was not an engine drive pulley but a dust extraction fan in a casing, probably driven from inside the mill from a convenient shaft. N.B. The 1910 photograph at the head of the main page would appear to dispute this theory as it clearly shows the drive belt from the engine house attached to the pulley.
(Jonathan Neville)

The sack hoists inside the mill are certainly the original design and material. The drive to the chain sack hoists is effected by a crude but still working lever and rope system whereby the drive pulley for the belt is raised and lowered. All this mechanism is complete and almost certainly dates from the building of the mill in 1780(?).

Millstones
The sets (two each) of the six stones are in place and covered with wood-slat casings. Several spare stones are also on the first floor, one being freshly cut. An original stone dresser's brush of reeds exists. The external built-out sack hoist platform is in fairly good condition.

Water slackers
The worn wheel hand drive on the outside sluice frame is in working order and the sill over which the water flow passes can (apparently) be raised and lowered. The sill for working the water wheel is not now operative.

Water wheel
The main dimensions are shown in the detailed report in the Society records and the built-up 14 ft. diameter cast iron wheel is in good order, covered with lime deposit about 1/16 in. thick. The mainshaft bearings are likewise in good order and still greased.

It would seem that the basic mechanism of the mill would operate with the bevel pinions driving the stones which were screw operated out of mesh.

The mill is now owned by Mr. B. Ash, resident in Narborough, who owns a trout farm higher up the River Nar.

The 'engine house' residence was until recently occupied and part of the ground floor of the mill is maintained in a reasonably clean condition and used for the resident's storage, etc.

Conclusion
The Society's appended drawings well show that this mill is of the greatest interest because its mechanisms are largely complete and now quite rare. It would seem a practicable proposition, given some financial aid, possibly through a national grant, that the mill could attract visitors to see some of its machinery working from time to time.

Narborough Water Mill - list of inscriptions noted
Cast iron sluice gates and raising gear "Whitmore & Binyon Wickham Market" Outside rear of building
Adjustable crushing rollers "Henry Bamford" "Hamfords patent No. 46 Uttoxeter England" 1st floor
Corn balance "Frith Everett"* "Carcoran, London" 1st floor
Aspirator "Child's patent No. 1062 1st floor
Emerson's Patent Purifier "John Stannion & Co. Sole Licensees" 1st floor
Millstone balance "Clarke & Dunham 1859" 1st floor
Shaft to drive roller crushers "Smith's Screw Boss" 1st floor

Excerpt from Listed Buildings sheet:

Former watermill. Late C18 with late C20 repairs. Brick, carstone and weatherboarding with pantile and corrugated iron roofs. 3 storeys with attic. 5 bays to which a sixth was added to north side in late C20 after the demolition of C19 additions. 4 bays recessed within giant enclosing arches. The arches are semicircular headed with raised ashlar keystones and imposts. Ground and first floor windows with glazing bars beneath skewback arches. Southernmost bay with ground and first floor doorways. Second floor has 4 pivot windows with glazing bars beneath semicircular arches. The central window is rectangular beneath a skewback arch. Dentil cornice. Central weatherboarded lucum with corrugated iron roof. Carstone rubble south gable-end. Rear wall weatherboarded with a continuous outshut housing machinery. Sluice gates beneath a 3-centred arch. 5 C20 sash windows with glazing bars in outshut. Bridge to front with 2 3-centred arches and a swept parapet.
Interior. 4.3 m wheel driving pit-wheel and wallower. Horizontal mainshaft with provision for 6 pairs of stones of which 5 survive.