Kenninghall Chimney Mill was so called because of an adjacent chimney built by William Lock in the 1850s. It is not clear if the chimney was on the Mill house or an outbuilding. The mill stood to the west of the Lopham Road to the south of the village on Kenninghall Heath. The mill buck was set on a two storey roundhouse, the ladder held a 6 bladed fan and there was a curved porch at the top of the stairs. Two pairs of underdriven French burr stones and a flour mill were driven by 2 pairs of patent double shuttered sails struck by rack & pinion, the outer pair having 8 bays of 3 shutters and the inner pair having 7 bays of 3 shutters and 1 bay of 2 shutters.

The photo at the top of the page shows Herbert Benjamin Bush standing beside the mill shortly before he died and not long after the photo was taken, the mill caught fire. Herbert Bush worked the mill for 46 years.

Body: Smallest seen, 17 ft. by 9 ft. with a curved porch
Quarterbars: 8 ins. square
Wallower: Iron mortise i.e. wooden cogs
Governors: Driven from upright shaft
Sackhoist: Drive by slack belt from a pulley in front of wind shaft
Rex Wailes - c.1980

Centre post 1 ft. 8 ins. diam. at floor level tapering to 1 ft. 7 ins. at the crown tree
Post capped with iron collar 1 ft. deep by 2 ins. thick
Crown tree 1 ft. 9 ins. wide by 1 ft. 8½ ins. deep
Iron windshaft
Wooden brake
Great spur wheel 3 ft. 6 ins. diam.
Stone nuts 17 ins. dia. with ratchet and ring lift
2 pairs French burr stones, underdriven
Flour machine driven from wood pulley off brake wheel which could be disengaged, with countershaft on spout floor which could be shifted to tighten the belt
2 pairs of governors, belt driven off the underside of the great spur wheel
Bridgetrees made of wood, curved and heavy, well tenoned and very nicely made
Sack tackle off a wood ring on brake wheel
South Norfolk Windmills - H. E. S. Simmons
The Miller - 17th November 1947

To be SOLD
AN ESTATE in Kenninghall in the county Norfolk, in the Occupation of Mr. John Licence & his Tenants, consisting of two Messuages, Granaries, a good Windmill & about half an Acre of Land being part Freehold & part Copyhold.
For further Particulars enquire of Mr. William Licence of Bressingham or of Mr. Meadows at Diss, Norfolk
Norfolk Chronicle - 11th, 18th & 24th December 1773

Tithe Award 1844
Map by Henry Calver, Surveyor, 1840
Owner: Robert Womack
Occupier: do

KENNINGHALL
Mr. Henry Newson will Sell by Auction on Thursday 24 July 1851 at the Kings Head Inn, North Lopham at 4 o'c in 9 Lots:-
In Kenninghall
Lot 9. A Capital POST WINDMILL with Brick Roundhouse, Dwelling house, Stable, Outbuildings, Horse mill etc. occupied by Mr. Garrod together with two enclosures of land containing ...
This Lot is Freehold & well situated for Trade.
Applications to Messrs. Wallace & Lyus, Solrs. Diss, Mr. Thomas Davey, Garboldisham or Mr. Newson, Bury St. Edmunds.
Norfolk Chronicle & Norwich Gazette - 19th July 1851

Situations Vacant
to Journeymen Millers
WANTED, an IMPROVER to work a Windmill.
Apply to G. Chamberlain, Kenninghall, Norfolk.
Norfolk News - 8th October 1864

Arthur George Fordham took 6 feet off the sails, which had previously almost touched the ground.

Herbert Bush once worked the mill non stop for a fortnight.

... in working order until 1919
Eastern Daily Press - 25th November 1926

Clarence Denny Gillings, Greylag, Heath Road, Quidenham, at L. G. Shaw & Son Ltd. builders, Chimney Mill:-
Site at Townlands_Farm. His father, Bertram Gillings used to farm there as tenant of Trustees of Kenninghall Townlands Charities, the owners.
Harry Apling - 17th November 1970

Kelly's 1854: John Fuller Lock, master of Guiltcross union workhouse & registrar of marriages
Kelly's 1933: Herbert B. Bush, higgler

Index of Wills 1603: Thomas Ayer, miller

Index of Wills 1727: William Sare, miller

1773: John Licence, miller

December 1773: Mill advertised for sale

Faden's map 1797: Windmill

Poll Book 1802: Robert Sare, miller

Bryant's map 1826: Windmill

1830: Robert Womack, miller

Greenwood's map 1834: Windmill

1840: Robert Womack, miller

1843: William Garrod, miller

Tithe Award 1844: Owner: Robert Womack; Occupier: Robert Womack

White's 1845: William Garrod, corn miller

1846: William Garrod, miller

July 1851: Mill advertised for sale by auction

1853: William & Gordon Lock, millers

Kelly's 1854: William Lock, miller
White's 1854: Gordon Lock, corn miller

1863: Gordon Lock, miller

White's 1864: G. Y. Chamberlain, corn miller

1865: G. Y. Chamberlain, miller

1868: Arthur George Fordham took over running of the mill

Kelly's 1879: Arthur George Fordham, miller & farmer, Chimney mills

White's 1883: Arthur George Fordham, miller and farmer, Chinnery mills

O.S. map 1884: Windmill

Kelly's 1892: Arthur George Fordham, miller (wind) & farmer, Chimney mills

Kelly's 1896: Arthur George Fordham, miller (wind) & farmer

Kelly's 1900: Arthur George Fordham, miller (wind) & farmer

Kelly's 1904: Arthur George Fordham, miller (wind) & farmer

1904: Herbert Bush took over running the mill

Kelly's 1908: Herbert Bush, miller (wind)

Kelly's 1912: Herbert Bush, miller (wind)

Kelly's 1916: Herbert Bush, miller (wind & steam)

Kelly's 1922: Herbert Bush, miller (wind & steam)

Kelly's 1925: Herbert Bush, miller (wind & steam)

1926: Mill derelict

Kelly's 1929: Herbert Bush, miller (wind & steam)

1949: Mill derelict

C. R. Temple photo 1950: Published in EDP 27th February 1975

O.S. map 1955: Windmill

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2007