c.1900
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Hingham
Mill Corner towermill |
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c.1900
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Hingham Mill Corner towermill stood in a small yard by the road and was built of tarred red brick for Philip Pitts in 1829, which is recorded on a datestone inscribed PP 1829. The 6 storey mill ran 3 pairs of stones that were powered by 4 double shuttered sails, each with 8 bays of 3 shutters that were stuck via a chain pole. The boat shaped cap had a petticoat and a gallery. The fanstage at the rear of the cap held a six bladed fan with a cradle underneath. A stage was set against the second floor. |
The jockey wheel for tensioning the slack belt for the sack hoist ran in a carriage on a track. |
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c.1910 |
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c.1920 |
c.1920 |
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Tithe map 1841 - as redrawn by Harry Apling |
Tithe Award 1842 |
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No. 145 |
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Arable |
2a. 0r. 29p. |
£1. |
District Intelligence |
Hingham
On Tuesday afternoon about half past three o’clock a violent tempest accompanied by snow, hail & rain passed over this town & the electric fluid was seen to strike the top sail of Mr. George Pitt’s mill & was conveyed along the iron shaft from thence to the sack tackling, the chain of which acted as a conductor to the earth, the continuation being kept up by a nail through the floor & upon which the chain rested. A man & a boy were standing at the time upon the ground floor of the mill but did not receive any hurt; neither did the mill or any part of its machinery. |
| Situations Vacant WANTED immediately, a respectable Man as BAKER, a good Dough Maker. Good character required. Apply to G.W. Pitts, Hingham. |
| Situations Vacant WANTED a Journeyman MILLER. None need apply without a good character. Apply Mr. G.W. Pitts, Hingham Mill. |
Situations Vacant |
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c.1925 |
Situations Vacant |
| Situations Vacant WANTED, an Apprentice to a MILLER & BAKER. Apply G.W. Pitts, Hingham, Attleboro’. |
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c.1927 |
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c.1930 |
Preliminary Advertisement Hingham S. Mealing Mills (late Stockings & Mills) is instructed by the Mortgagees to Sell by Auction at the White Hart Hotel, Hingham on Tuesday June 23, 1885 at 5 for 6 in the Evening, in Seven Lots, the following Valuable FREEHOLD PROPERTIES centrally situated in Hingham. Brick & Tiled DWELLING HOUSE DWELLING HOUSE & SHOEMAKER’S SHOP Five Enclosures of excellent Accommodation Pasture & Arable LAND containing 12a.3r.0p. A very substantially built Brick Tower WINDMILL of Six Stories, with Cottage & Premises. Two Valuable old POLICIES OF ASSURANCE. Messrs. Bailey, Cross & Barnard, Surrey Street, Norwich, Vendors’ Solicitors. |
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Mill working via oil engine - 7th November 1938 |
Hingham, Norfolk |
WIND MILL |
Containing Six Stories & drives Three pairs of Stones, with yard, Garden, capital COTTAGE & Premises occupied by Mr. Barber, together with the small Dealers occupation adjoining with Premises & Enclosure of productive Arable LAND containing 2a. 0r. 29p. occupied by Mr. Bilham. The above Mill, to which there is a good trade, stands in an excellent situation at Hingham about Five Minutes walk from the Market Place & about Three Miles from Hardingham & Kimberley & Five from Attleborough Railway Stations. It is in good repair, the Sails are in capital order & a new Stock has just been put up. Lot 5. LAND … Frost Row … Lot 6. Policy of Assurance, Sun Life Assurance £200 … Lot 7. Policy of Assurance, Sun Life Assurance £300 … Particulars may be obtained at the Offices of the Auctioneer, Orford Hill, Norwich & of Messrs. Bailey, Cross & Barnard, Surrey Street, Norwich, Vendors Solicitors. Norfolk Chronicle - 13th & 20th June 1885 |
A brick tower windmill with cottage and garden of 2 acres 29 perches at Hingham owned by J. Wade of Thompson was mortgaged for £400 to John Elmer of Norwich in October 1894. |
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1st September 1970 |
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Vera Woolacott & Ruth Christmas 27th June 2005 |
Pitts family c.1897 |
The above left photograph shows Vera Woolacott née Pitts with her cousin Ruth Christmas, also née Pitts. |
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Pitts family in 1923 |
Ruth Christmas is the baby in her Mother’s arms. The photo is of Ernest Pitts (my grandfather’s older brother), his wife Annie and five daughters in 1923. On the left is Ada Pitts and on the right is Phineas, Father of Ernest and |
Jenny Giles has sent me your marvellous website of Hingham Mill from Strangely, my Mother did not know about the family windmill until I discovered it although her Father did take the family to visit Hingham when she was a child. I took her to see it in 2005, when she was 92, and attach a couple of photos of her standing in front of the mill. Her name is Vera Woolacott (nee Pitts) b. 18 March 1913 and still going strong. I also attach a picture of my Mother with Ruth Christmas (b. 14 Sept 1923) in |
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1990 |
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28th June 2005 |
The above photograph shows Vera Woolacott née Pitts standing in front of the mill once run by her great great grandfather. |
After the sails had been removed a store was built against the side of the tower. In 1973 the tower was reduced to 3 storeys. |
William Samuel Barber was born on 22nd August 1837 and died on 1st December 1916, aged 79 and was buried in Hingham cemetary. He was succeeded at the mill by his stepson, John Watling until c.1908. |
Inscription at Hingham: |
A photograph taken during WWI shows four Red Cross nurses from Bears Farm Hospital, a lady in black and two men standing on the stage. |
c.1958, James Long of the Mill House wrote to Harry Apling to report that Sometime after dismantling one stock was used for Pakenham towermill in Suffolk. |
In 1974 Philip Unwin recorded that, James Long once of the Mill House, owned a painting by Hoye in 1883, that depicted the mill with the engine shed doors open showing a portable steam engine with a belt drive to the mill. |
Kelly's directory of 1908 and 1912 records the mill as being powered by wind and gas. This would have been town gas as Hingham had its own gas works from 1871 until shortly after World War I. However, the Gas Company failed several years before electricity came to Hingham although the mill had already converted to running on oil by 1916. |
... Hingham ... a fine big towermill of the black-brick Norfolk pattern, but the sweeps & fantail had recently been dismantled, & a row of yawning holes told of the gallery which had embraced the huge body - another fine fellow come to rest. In Search of English Windmills - Hopkins & Freese, 1931 |
My name is Brian Foster I am 56 years old my Great Uncle was born in Oak yard & in later life lived in Pitts Square off what was then called Gas Lane; his name was John Thomas Foster, his father in law was Phillip Gapp the Blacksmith. John Foster was born in May 1873 & died in April 1964 he was a great Hingham man & is buried in Hingham cemetary, He was the eldest of 5 brothers all born in Hingham I only knew him & his next youngest brother Alfred who had a shoe menders shop in Hingham & after the 2nd war he repaired shoes in Oak Yard which he had bought the houses where he was born. My Grand father was the youngest brother born in 1883 he came to London in 1901 but died in 1948. My mother & father with me & my older sister used to go to Hingham many times for holidays I loved it so much I wanted my parents to move there. We still visited Hingham up until my fathers Death in 1993 (died in James Paget Hospital). One of my cousins Anne Houghton was housekeeper to Alan Breeze & her Father worked for Burts the Bakers all his adult life, his name was William Foster the Baker. I hope this is of some interest my sister & I were always fascinated by the Windmill.
Brian Foster - 14th November 2007 |
William Barber b.1779, my GGG Grandfather was miller at Jay's_Green_Tower_Mill between 1830s - 1851. His son Samuel Barber b.1811 was also at Jay's_Green in 1839, then in 1845 - 1864 he was Miller at Scole_Tower_Mill. His son William Samuel Barber b.1837 was Miller at the following: 1861 - Eye, 1871 - Gissing, 1881 - Rockland All Saints, 1891 - Hingham and between 1878 -1879 William appears to have been at Carlton_Rode_Tower_Mill. William was at Hingham until 1904, his Step-Son Robert John Watling was recorded as miller up to 1908. |
Robert John Watling moved from Hingham Mill Corner towermill to Cringleford_watermill, where he remained until it burnt down in 1916. He was also listed at Saxlingham Thorpe in 1922 and 1925. |
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O. S. Map 1882 Courtesy of NLS map images |
White's 1864: Phineas Pitt, bank and insurance agent (East of England Bank) |
1829: Mill built for Philip Pitts |
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 07836 675369 or
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| Nat Grid Ref TG 02630181 |
Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2005 |