Horsford towermill in Mill Lane at St Helena was built of red brick between 1860-1865 by Elijah Punt replacing Horsford_smockmill that had been built by Ezekiel Lock 1819-1820. Some knew the mill as St Helen's Mill.
In the 1860s a flour shop was being run on the premises.

The mill was 5 storeys and around 36 feet high, working with 4 double shuttered sails, each with 7 bays of 3 shutters, powering 2 pairs of stones, at least one pair being French burr stones. The Norfolk boat shaped cap with a petticoat held a fantail and gallery. A wooden brakewheel was set on on a cast iron windshaft. A wooden crown wheel with wooden teeth meshed with a wooden cogged wheel to allow auxiliary external drive when required. The crown wheel was of cast iron.

Tall, thin, red brick tower
5 storeys intact
No cap. sails or fantail
Now used as hay store
Machinery intact from 2nd floor
All iron great spur wheel with 4 tee arms. Iron cogs
One pair governors driven from upright shaft directly above
Octagonal wooden upright shaft begins at 3rd floor level

Supplementary wooden wallower clasp arm with wood cogs driving wooden geared apparatus for auxiliary power
Iron windshaft
Wooden boarded cap
Philip Unwin - 1972

Edward Woodrow, who had previously run Billingford towermill and Scole towermill, took over the mill in 1883. His Charles Edward Woodrow, became the owner and miller at Lakenham Peafield towermill.

William Howe bought the mill for £280 and took out a mortgage to the Loyal Faithful Lodge of Oddfellows, although he later transferred the debt to Thomas Hanworth Rackham, solicitor in Norwich. On Thomas Rackham's death, ownership of the mill passed to Thomas Rackham's widow, Mrs. Laura Catherine Rackham as William Howe had defaulted on mortgage payments. In April 1889 Laura Rackham sold the mill to the mill's tenant miller, Edward Woodrow. Edward Woodrow had prevously worked at Billingford_towermill and Scole towermill.

The mill had ceased working by 1922 and became derelict. The windshaft remained in place for many years along with a large Hovis sign that was still visible in the 1950s and into the 1960s. The windshaft was finally removed on 13th September 1982 but remained on the premises.

Windshaft with no brakewheel or wallower
Upright shaft, crown wheel, spur wheel but no stone nuts
1 pair French burr stones
Tentering gear
Sack hoist
Dust floor leaded over as roof
C. Seago - 10th January 1979

HORSFORD MILL
Structural inspection, 8th March 1979

The brick tower of the mill is complete and the first and second floors are accessible. As far as can be seen all of the original machinery is intact and according to the owner, in a workable condition.

Doors and windows are missing and although the frames and cills are still in position they are in poor condition.

The cap has gone but most of the timber supporting ring is in position but looks suspect. The windshaft is still there but the sails are missing.

The surrounding area is part soft grassed area and part gravelled drive. Offset foundations are visible at ground level but to determine the extent and depth a trial hole will be necessary.

The brickwork appears in reasonably good condition considering the age of the mill. Some weathering has taken place but is concerned mainly with the neck of the tower below the cap. About a quarter of the top twelve courses are missing and most of the rest is as bad as to warrant complete replacement.

There is a large and penetrating crack above the main entrance and the reveals of the lower door are cracking and disintegrating. There are external cracks below first and second floor windows on both sides of the tower, which carry down to ground level. Two original doors have been bricked up on the east side and there is evidence of bulging of the brickwork here. Two of the first floor beams are visible in the wall above the bricked up ground floor door.

The floor is concreted and patch but in good condition. The face brickwork is in good condition possibly because of the many years of limewashing which has taken place. There is one large crack in the north segment of the wall from the underside of first floor level down to ground level. Minor cracking is apparent in window opening. Small crack on line of bricked up door opening.

Visible timberwork in the floor above is in good condition and structurally sound.

The face of the internal brickwork is in poor condition, most bricks have spalled faces. Pointing of mortar is still intact which leads me to believe that ‘blue lias’ lime was used. This is a hard lime and was used structurally before the advent of Portland cement.

All openings in the brickwork are in poor condition and quoins will require re-making. There is vertical cracking above each of the three openings which appear quite deep. It was not possible to measure the depth but there was no daylight visible through these.

There are also large cracks below the windows.

The floor appears sound and has suffered some beetle attack. This does not look very extensive and treatment with the appropriate fluid will eradicate this. Some boards are missing. The working parts are complete and it is understood that they are still operable.

Brickwork is in poor condition as the first floor. There is no evidence of cracking above this level.

Floor is in good condition with about 25% of the floorboards missing. As an indication of the strength of the floor there are two millstones, which I estimate to weigh 10 cwts each, laying side by side and there appears to be no deflection of the floor structure.

Left to its own devices the mill tower will stand for many years yet but will benefit from remedial repairs.

I could not recommend complete restoration as I consider that the cost will be enormous and until several tests have been carried out on the brickwork it is not possible to say whether the tower is capable of carrying sails again. As the machinery is in good condition it would seem appropriate to carry out repairs to the cracks, make good the brickwork, rehabilitate doors and windows and keep the mill as a museum piece for the machinery inside.

C.S. Memess

9 March 1979

In August 1979, the Friends of Norfolk Windmills newsletter reported that Peter Dolman of Ipswich hoped to buy the mill with a view to restoration. By November 1980, Peter Dolman had relinquished the project.

Kelly's 1922: Benjamin Punt, farmer
Kelly's 1922: William Punt, beer retailer
Kelly's 1922: Hedley Woodrow, baker & corn merchant

Kelly's 1925: Benjamin Punt, farmer
Kelly's 1925: William Punt, beer retailer
Kelly's 1925: Hedley Woodrow, baker & corn merchant

Kelly's 1929: Benjamin Punt, smallholder
Kelly's 1929: William Punt, beer retailer
Kelly's 1929: Hedley Woodrow, baker

Kelly's 1933: Percy Punt, smallholder
Kelly's 1933: Herbert Punt, beer retailer
Kelly's 1933: Hedley Woodrow, baker

Kelly's 1937: Percyn Punt, smallholder
Kelly's 1937: Hedley Woodrow, baker

1860-1865: Mill built by Elijah Punt, farmer, replacing Horsford smockmill

1855-1868: Charles Punt, miller (previously miller at Horsford smockmill on same site)

White's 1864: Jeremiah Punt, corn miller

1865: Jeremiah Punt, miller

June 1867: Mill advertised for sale and recorded as being built of brick

1868: Elijah Punt, miller

26th September 1868: Mill sold by auction, occupied by Charles Punt and bought by William Howe for £280

October 1868: Mill advertised to be let

1872: Hugh King, tenant miller

May 1874: Mill advertised for sale by auction, with Hugh King & ? Punt as tenant millers

1878: Hugh King, tenant miller

Kelly's 1879: William Neve, miller (tenant)

White's 1883: Robert Morley, corn miller, h. Hevingham (tenant)

1883: Edward Woodrow, miller & baker, took over the running of the mill

O.S. map 1887: Windmill

1888: Mill passes to estate of late L. C. Rackham due to default of mortgage

April 1889: Mill sold by Mrs. Laura Catherine Rackham to tenant miller, Edward Woodrow

Kelly's 1892: Edward Woodrow, miller (wind) & baker

Kelly's 1896: Edward Woodrow, miller (wind) & baker

Kelly's 1900: Edward Woodrow, miller (wind) & baker

Kelly's 1904: Edward Woodrow, miller (wind) & baker

Kelly's 1908: Edward Woodrow, miller (wind) & baker

Kelly's 1912: Edward Woodrow, miller

Kelly's 1916: Hedley Woodrow, miller (wind)

February 1920: Hedley Woodrow, tenant miller

1922: Mill had ceased working and was becoming derelict. Hedley Woodrow, baker

1933: Mill acquired by S. W. Bowman

1949: Mill acquired by H. Bowman

Karl Wood painting 1950: Mill without cap but with windshaft still in place and Hovis written on side of tower

October 1978: John Lawn, millwright, removed cap and leaded overf dust floor to preserve machinery

1980: Mill derelict

13th September 1982: Windshaft removed by crane

April 2004: Mill was advertised for sale

January 2005: Mill unsold but still for sale with top of tower open to the elements

November 2005: Mill under new ownership

2007: Renovations in progress

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2005