Halvergate towermill was a 50ft, 6 storey mill built of pink brick and bears a date stone of 1866. The mill stood close to the road beside the mill house to the south of the village on a site once occupied by Halvergate_postmill. Power to the 4 pairs of stones and 2 flour mills, was provided by 4 double shuttered sails struck by rack & pinion via a chain pole; 1 pair had 8 bays of 3 with innermost 4 on one edge, 5 on the other. The boat shaped cap had a petticoat, gallery and an 8 bladed fan. The tower had two ground floor doors and the windows were offset. A bake office was also run on the premises.

On Monday 30th October 1865, Jacob Crane bought 4 pairs of 4ft 10in stones at the auction of machinery from Bixley towermill and these were almost certainly incorporated in the new mill.

Stone nuts:- Smallest solid iron ones seen. 13 teeth.
Stones:- 4 pairs. 1 pair 58 ins. diam. came from Bixley mill.
Sack hoist:- 2 equal trundle wheels drove some way below the wallower a slack chain up to the sack barrel. The load chain was endless, with a short span of chain & an eye for hitching the sacks & the cord controlling the hoisthad a stirrup at the bottom for foot operation.
Rex Wailes

Situations Vacant
To Millers
Wanted in the Country, at a Wind Tower Mill, an experienced trustworthy MAN; one who has been accustomed to Assist in Agricultural Work preferred.
Address A. B. Lincoln's, Halvergate, Acle.
Norfolk News - 20th May 1871

Preliminary Announcement
Halvergate
Within three Miles of Reedham station
A Recently-erected Powerful Freehold BRICK TOWER WINDMILL driving four pairs of Stones & two Flour Mills, Bake Office, Granaries, Dwelling house & convenient Premises.
Clowes & Nash are favoured with directions from the Proprietor to Sell the above desirable MILLING PROPERTY by Auction during the month of May.
Particulars of the Auctioneers, Bank Chambers, Norwich or of I. B. Coaks & Co., Vendor’s Solicitors, Bank Plain, Norwich.
Norfolk News - 18th April 1885

Michalemas Sales by
Clowes & Nash
HALVERGATE MILL
On Monday October 5, the outdoor effects for Mr. Jacob Crane, who has let the above Mill.
Catalogues of the Auctioneers, Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 19th September 1885

HALVERGATE (& Stokesby)
Spelmans on instructions from the Executors of E. E. Trett, decd. will Sell by Auction on 6 June 1917 at the Star Hotel, Great Yarmouth the following valuable properties
At Stokesby
Nine capital cottages & gardens and Stokesby Mill with house & land.
At Halvergate
Well situated Halvergate Mill with bake office, dwelling house etc.
Yarmouth Independent - 19th May 1917

Mr. Claridge, a science teacher in Gt Yarmouth, reputedly tested his science experiments in his workshop within the ground floor of the mill. Apparently a tunnel ran from near the mill into the nearby outhouses.

My parents Percy and Jessie Claridge and I lived there from 1949 to 1981.
From the childhood recollections of some of the stories that my parents told me, apparently in the late 1800's the owner failed to fully apply the brake at ceasework and during the night the strong wind made the sails go round backwards. The resulting friction caused the cap and sails to catch fire and the whole lot came crashing to the ground.
The five upper storeys of the mill were also destroyed in the blaze.
Until 1976 the First Floor was used for storage, but then strong winds blew the roof off, thus letting in the rain and eventually that became unsafe.
The ground floor was used as a workshop, until the death of my father in 1977.
My mother continued to live at The Mill House until her death in 1981 when the property was sold.
I believe the present owners are intending to fit a new cap onto the Mill.
Martin Claridge - 2nd July 2005

My great grandfather John Woodcock had the mill until 1904 and my Grandad Dick was born there. My dad is still alive and has such fond memories of Norfolk. His grandad John died young so my dad has memories of spending some time with Ben Wright who is mentioned in your details on the mill.  My dad is now 84 and housebound with a degenerative neural condition and I want to see what I can pull together in terms of and memories, pictures that might exist of that time.  Especially is any photos might include any memory of our family or Ben Wright.
Sadly when my grandad Dick died, my granny burnt all photos / items in what she called ‘the hole’ in the garden where they lived so we have very little that we have.
Jill Ducker (née Woodcock) - 29th October 2021

Nat Grid Ref TG41600598

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2005