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c.1905
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Little Cressingham towermill
Watton Brook |
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c.1905
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| Little Cressingham mill was a rare combination of a wind and watermill working together. The only other Norfolk example is Burnham Overy Union mills. |
The pale grey brick 50ft high, six storey tower was built c.1821 and had four patent sails, eaxchwith 8 bays of 3 shutters. The boat shaped cap had a petticoat, gallery and a six bladed fantail. A wooden reefing stage was built around the third floor, which was the meal floor and contained the elegantly stop-chamfered lower section of the upright shaft. A wooden clasp-arm spur wheel underdrove one pair of peak and one pair of French burr stones on the floor above. The wallower was probably the smallest in the county with only 26 teeth - as opposed to the 72 teeth giant at Old Buckenham towermill. Another left-handed pair of each type of stone were installed on the first floor and were underdriven by an oil engine or an iron breast-shot water wheel that was 12 feet in diameter and 6 feet wide. An oat crusher on the second floor was also water-powered. A Tattershall Half-sack Midget Mill and a wheat cleaner were also used. |
One pair of sails was lost in 1911 and then in 1916 severe tailwinding cost the windmill its commercial life, as it was damaged beyond repair. When the sails were finally removed in about 1920, one pair was reinstalled on Carbrooke towermill. The cap, stage and top machinery were removed in about 1940. |
| A more comprehensive history of the combined mills can be found on the Little Cressingham watermill page. |
Tithe Award 1845 Occupier: John Marsh |
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| No. 266 | Mill, house, garden etc | Pasture | 1a. 0r. 33p. | Pt. of £21.13.11 |
Notice to Debtors & Creditors of Benjamin Henry Land deceased. Miller & farmer. Executrix Mrs. Caroline Land. Norfolk Chronicle - 24th December 1853 |
... the notable wind & watermill of Little Cressingham, now strictly speaking a watermill, for the huge yellow-brick tower with white balustraded gallery has lost its sails. In Search of Windmills - Hokins & Freese - 1931 |
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20th May 1978 |
In the 1980s Harry Apling queried as to whether the upright shaft, spur wheel, bridge trees and other white painted timbers from the earlier smockmill were reused during the construction of the combined water and towermills. |
| c.1940 the cap and machinery down to the top section of the upright shaft were removed and a flat concrete roof was constructed. Unfortunately, the slab designed to cover the access hole to the roof above the sack hoist was never put in place and over the years rainwater penetrated to the ground floor, rotting the wooden timbers all the way down. |
c.1972 the millpond and part of the river that had been bypassed with a new channel, was filled in. In 1975, the outbuildings constructed of clay lump and flint were demolished. |
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May 1993 |
The Norfolk Windmills Trust is pleased to announce that they will soon be commencing work on the restoration of a unique combined Wind and Watermill at Little Cressingham, near Watton in south-west Norfolk. The Chairman of the Trust, Mr. A. G. Hodges, will mark the occasion at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday the 8th of July, 1981, when he receives the keys fom Mr. J. E. Davies, the owner, who is letting the mill at a peppercorn rent to enable the Trust to embark upon its restoration. The ceremony will be held at the mill. Press Release - 1981 |
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O.S. Map 2005 Image reproduced under licence from Ordnance Survey |
c.1821: New water and wind combined mill built
1900-1904: Frederick Panton Rodwell
Kelly's 1904: Frederick P. Rodwell, miller (wind & water)
1908-1924: Horace Freestone, miller
Kelly's 1916: Horace Freestone, miller (wind & water)
Kelly's 1925: Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Freestone, miller (steam & water) [actually oil & water]
Kelly's 1929: Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Freestone, (exors. of) millers (steam & water) [actually oil & water] Kelly's 1933: Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Freestone, (exors. of) millers (steam & water) [actually oil & water]
Kelly's 1937: Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Freestone, (exors. of) millers (steam & water) [actually oil & water]
c.1940: Cap, gallery and windshaft removed and a flat concrete roof installed
c.1972: Mill pond filled in
1975: Outbuildings demolished |
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 01263 587564 or
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| Nat Grid Ref TF86970021 |
Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2004 |