Norfolk Mills - Ashby Oby drainage & saw windmill

Oby drainage mill in Ashby was a 4 storey red brick towermill and stood beside the River Bure in the combined parishes of Ashby with Oby. The mill was on the Oby Manor House Estate and belonged to the Wyndeham Cremer family but were tenant farmed by the Wiseman family from before 1836 to after 1937, thus the mill was often known as Wiseman's Mill. The mill was almost certainly built in 1753 and a datestone was incorporated in the tower structure. The sails powered both a drainage wheel and a sawbench that was probably only used for estate work rather than commercial.

c.1930 with intact boat shaped cap

The mill used two pairs of patent sails, one pair having 6 bays of 3 shutters with a bay of 2 shutters nearest the canister and was struck via tail pole.
The boat shaped cap had a petticoat and held a 6 bladed fan.

At some point the top section of the tower was rebuilt.

OBY near Thurne, Norfolk

situate Three Miles from Acle (G.E.R.) and Martham (M. & G.N.Jt.R) Stations and known as the

In 1933 the mill was being run by H. Davey and had been in that family for around 100 years.

The mill was also used to power a circular saw bench for estate timber work. An auxiliary engine also drove a turbine to assist with drainage when required. The mill was powered by 4 patent sails and had a boat shaped cap with a petticoat and a 6 bladed fan. Striking was via a chain pole.

In 2008 the mill was recorded as being Grade II listed.

If your mantra when property hunting is location, location, location, it certainly ticks all the boxes.
Estate agent Trevor Blythe eagerly points out the wonderful broadland countryside and river views and - yes - it certainly has character as the oldest surviving drainage mill on the Broads.
Yet the seasoned salesman, who has seen everything from a cold war bunker at Wymondham to a railway signal box at Mattishall go under the hammer, is honest enough to confess the purchase of Oby Mill, near Acle, remains "one for the adventurer".
As a building listed as grade two * because of its national importance, Mr Blythe admitted the new owner would face "many, many hoops" to get planning permission to turn it into a home and he thought it an unlikely possibility.
Nevertheless, a guide price of £30,000 to £50,000 has failed to deter more than 50 people from across the country expressing interest in the mill, which goes under the hammer at a Tops Auction House sale, at the De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel, Ipswich Road, Norwich, on April 3.
Mr Blythe said: "A complete spectrum of people has shown interest. The buyer might well be someone who is willing to take a gamble that if they don't get planning permission straightaway they might next year, or in 20 years."
In the meantime, he helpfully suggested that if they were a boat owner they could still pull up on the bank of the River Bure and enjoy the scenery.
But Norfolk County Council's heritage and landscape manager, Michael Knights, was yesterday quick to shatter the dreams of any Broads lover still harbouring hopes of turning it into their home.
He said: "The couple who currently own it have done nothing with it. This is not a valuable piece of real estate. I have spoken to the Broads Authority and it would never be granted planning permission.
"As a grade two * listed building - one of only 100 or so around the county - it would also be a liability. I can see major cracks in the brickwork, and if it is not kept in good repair the planning authority can issue the owner with a repairs notice at any time."
Mr Knights is the technical adviser to the Norfolk Windmills Trust and hopes the charity will be in position to successfully bid at the auction, with a view to turning the mill into a working heritage attraction.
He said: "There used to be 200 of these iconic mills on the Broads landscape but now there are only 74 left. Oby Mill is the oldest one surviving - there were once copper or brass letters on it saying it was built in 1753."
Describing Oby Mill as a "piece of industrial archaeology", he said it reflected the evolution of mills, first using a scoop wheel to move water from the grazing marshes into the river, before switching to a more efficient centrifugal pump. The EDP reported in 1933 how the sails were removed, leaving the mill to be powered by a diesel engine.
Mr Knights said the mills were one of the distinctive features that made the Broads so appealing to visitors and he was "passionately concerned these structures should be put back into good heart". If the trust was able to buy the mill, it would cost an estimated £250,000 to put the cap and sails back and restore it.
Bryan Reed, chairman of Norfolk Windmills Trust, last night appealed to the public to help make their vision a reality by sending donations to the trust c/o the head of finance at Norfolk County Council, at County Hall. He said: "If we want to do something special we rely on public donations and grants."
Stephen Pullinger - Eastern Daily Press - 14th March 2008

The sale of the oldest drainage mill on the Broads was described by the auctioneer as "one for the adventurer" - but it emphatically won the stamp of approval of a Norfolk postman.
The sails on the tired-looking mill ceased to be a landmark feature for passing sailors when they were taken down in 1933, its machinery shed long ago fell into dereliction and the former marshman's cottage on site is now little more than a pile of rubble.
Norfolk Windmills Trust had been hoping to buy Grade 2* listed Oby Mill, near Acle, to restore it as a working heritage attraction, but at a Tops Auction House sale at the De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel, in Norwich, the charity found itself outbid by Adam Whiting, a local Royal Mail van driver.
The guide price was £30,000 to £50,000, and Mr Whiting, 44, of Witton, near Brundall, was willing to pay £41,500 to see off rival bidders for a chance to realise his artistic dream.
Since returning from Australia two years ago, where he worked part of the time on historic building renovation, he said he had been looking for a suitably secluded property, a rural retreat where he could indulge his passion for sculpture and carving.
Mr Whiting acknowledged that he would have to work closely with the Broads Authority to see what might be possible but he hoped to rebuild the marshman's cottage as a possible home for himself as well as restoring the mill and machinery shed.
His plan for the cottage would be to reuse the old bricks on site and create a green dwelling - "living with the environment and not in it" - with solar or wind power and dry composting toilets.
Mr Whiting, who would undertake a lot of the restoration himself, said: "I would like to see the mill working again in some way. I have done a lot of travelling and I think I could create something like a travellers' stop."
The restoration of the machinery shed might include - subject to Broads Authority agreement - somewhere for light refreshments as well as a spot for walkers to stop and enjoy views of the River Bure.
He said: "It won't be a big development. I want something that blends in with the countryside and integrates modern, clean technology with the aesthetics of the old mill."
Auctioneer Trevor Blythe said despite massive national interest before the sale there were only three bidders and the price only just crept over its reserve.
He had been frank with prospective purchasers that they would face many hoops to get planning permission for a home on the site and it might appeal to someone willing to take a gamble.
Stephen Pullinger - Eastern Daily Press - 8th April 2008

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June 1985	June 1988


c.1992	September 1998