Oxnead Mill was another Domesday mill. From at least 1716 and up until 1822, Oxnead was a paper mill. In 1822 it was converted to make blankets before once again being rebuilt as a flour mill. A stone plaque indicates that this took place in 1850-1 using white painted brick with a Norfolk pantiled roof. The design was slightly unusual, consisting of 3 adjoining gabled sections. Being on the Aylsham Navigation there were two lucums, one on land and one above the water. In 1940 the mill was once more turned over to paper production.

The wheel, one of the largest in the county, was 18' 6" in diameter and 12' wide. Unusually for a Norfolk mill, it was housed in a single storey structure built against west side of the mill.

The wheel that John Buttifant built and installed was still in situ in 2004 - 154 years later.

There was a paper-mill at Oxnead several years before 1716; in that year one of the early paper-makers, William Seaman, died. It is not known whether or not Seaman was the first occupant, or if this mill pre-dates either of those already mentioned. An inventory of the goods of Seaman survives in the Norwich Archdeaconry series, but this had been badly damaged, and that section reading 'in the mill' has been almost totally destroyed. The only lines legible being; 'All the paper - - - work House wad - - - . . .£12 00 00.' and 'All the paper s - - - zing in the loft . . .£9 00 00.' It appears that the mill passed to Seaman's son because Shorter notes that in 1717 William Seamen of Oxnead, paper-maker, took an apprentice named James Dey.

It is not clear who owned the mill until 1748, when John Pollings the papermaker buried his daughter, and 1762 when he died. If Pollings was the master, he must have retired in 1758 when Oxnead mills were advertised to be let in the Norwich Mercury of 9th December. The terms of the advertisement throw some light on how the mill obtained its raw materials and transported the finished product.

'Oxnead Mills, are now to be Let for any Term of Years not exceeding Fifty, (the Tenant to do all Repairs and have Liberty to Assign) being an old established and well accustomed Paperwork, commodiously situate on a constant regular stream. Nine miles from Norwich, five from Northwalsham, three from Aylsham, and four from Coltishall, to which last Place, Junk and Materials may be brought up by Water from Yarmouth, and Manufactured Goods carried down at the very least Expense; and from whence they may also be conveyed by Navigable Rivers to Norwich, Beccles, Bungay and several Places of Note . . .'

Transportation costs of both goods and raw materials were an important consideration to anyone contemplating opening a manufacturing business in the countryside at this time.

The next references to paper-making at Oxnead are in 1779 when the mill was insured by Joseph and Daniel Ames, and William Parkinson, a partnership who also operated the mill at Hellesdon. In 1802 a man named John Threadwell is listed on a Norwich poll as a paper-maker at Oxnead, and around 1822 the mill was converted to the manufacture of 'duffield blankets'.
David Stoker

While Joseph Ames and his son Daniel Ames were running the mill in 1779, Daniel's son Edward Ames, went on to run Stoke Holy Cross mill.

Joseph Ames was executor to the will of Thomas Spurrell who owned Aylsham mill. The will was signed on 26th March 1770 and Thomas Spurrell died shortly afterwards; he was buried in Aylsham on 23rd June 1770. Joseph Ames, described as Gentleman, had possibly met Thomas Spurrell as a near neighbour - Aylsham and Oxnead mills were only a few miles apart on the River Bure.

During the first quarter of the 20th century, the Grix family, who also ran the next mill upstream at Burgh, converted the flour production machinery from stone grinding to the more efficient steel roller system. This probably involved the removal of much of the older machinery and gearing.

When the Grix family sold the mill, it was with a caveat that the mill could not be used for corn milling.

Jim & Barbara Crampton owned the mill from 1957 and used it to store 3 large organs. One originally came from the Carlton Cinema in Norwich and another from Norwich Haymarket. The third came from outside the county. At one point, for a short time, deep litter chickens were kept on one floor of the mill behind a canvas partition.

In the 1950s the wheel was connected to a generater to produce electricity for the nearby Mill House.
New paddles were fitted to the wheel and these increased the power to the generator by around 75%.
Unfortunately, the increase in power damaged the generator gearing and the system had to be taken out of service in February 1957.

Seeing Oxnead Mill on the website reminded of two events in my life. I was born in 1937. Aged 15 I went to Blackpool on a week's holiday with a friend and his family. John and I couldn't wait to get ourselves over to Squires Gate airfield. We were to fly for the very first time. We paid ten bob apiece (50p) and were thrilled to climb aboard an 8-seater twin-engined De Haviland Rapide for a ten minute flight taking us around Blackpool's famous tower. All passengers got a nice certificate stating the type of aircraft and the fact that they had flown at a height of over 500 feet. Blackpool Tower stands at 518 feet! The certificate was signed by 'Captain Jim Crampton'. Several years ago, I learned of Oxnead Mill and its collection of organs. I was surprised to learn the name of the mill's owner and wondered if it was the same 'Capt. Jim Crampton'. Needless to say, Jim wrote a very pleasing letter in return and invited me to Oxnead Mill at anytime. He went on to mention that his business of flying progressed to where he owned and piloted an airliner in conjuction with a travel business.
Geoffrey Lloyd - 13th July 2004

The picture of an organ recital at Oxnead Water Mill actually shows Mr. J. G. Crampton, owner of the mill. Although Mr. Edwin Gates had been invited to play at the recital, our photographer visited beforehand and was lucky enoiugh to take this shot of Mr. Crampton at the organ. Dick Le Grice wrote in to say that he used to be an organ builder with the now ceased firm of Hill, Norman & Beard, makers of the Christie orgasns. He explained that Jim Crampton not only built the organ in the picture, but also purchased a small Wurlitzer organ and installed it in Oxnead Mill, later on adding a Compton organ (the one from the Haymarket cinema) and later still a Christie. All of these were pipe organs, as no electronics were available in those days. He goes on to say: "Jim Crampton was a flying man and flew from a field in Felthorpe, later taking a hanger on St. Faith's airfield, expanding this into Air Anglia and eventually Norwich Airport. In the early days I used to fly as a passenger with him to Spalding to tune the organ in the Baptist church, driven from the landing ground by his brother Ted."
Rosemary Dixon, Eastern Daily Press - 18th October 2014

In 1959 a turbine costing £800 was installed to provide electrical power for both the organs and the rest of the property. In order to provide an unrestricted flow of water to the turbine, the lower paddles of the wheel were removed. The dynamo was housed outside the main structure in order to prevent the mill being classed and rated as a power station. The turbine was bought from Sir Michael Peter of Iford Manor who was related to the builder that constructed Norwich Thorpe railway station.

By the 1970s the pulp boiling shed was becoming derelict, although for a time it was used to store an aircraft fuselage. One night the chimney collapsed. The shed remains were then removed.

I was born at Oxnead at Lime Kiln Farm whose meadows led down to the mill and my cousin Susan Crane now lives in the new large house adjacent to the mill! What a co-incidence. Our farmhouse was demolished after we left in about 1960 and replaced by a modern house on the same site. We all remember Jim and Barbara Crampton who also owned the Travel Centre in Norwich although I remember him most for giving me my first trip in a small plane from Oxnead and seeing my own house from the air. Quite a treat in those days. The mill was out of bounds in those days apart from the area where the organs were as I think it was deemed unsafe.
Wendy Levy - 30th January 2006

1716: First mention of the mill as a papermill on death of William Seaman - papermaker

1714: William Seaman jnr took on James Dey as apprentice

1748: John Pollings buried his daughter

1758: John Pollings retired and mill advertised to be let

1762: John Pollings died

1779: Mill insured by partnership of Joseph & Daniel Ames and William Parkinson (also at Hellesdon mill)

1802: John Threadwell - papermaker

c.1822: Mill converted to manufacture 'duffield blankets'

White's 1836: Robert & Page Bleakley, Duffield & blanket manufacturers

Census 1845: Robert & Page Bleakley, manufacturers

White's 1845: Robert & Page Bleakley, Duffield blanket manufacturers

Census 1851: James Key (20), millers carter

1851: Mill rebuilt as a corn mill

Kelly's 1853: Cooke & Gambling

Kelly's 1865: William Browne

Kelly's 1883: William Browne & Son, millers

Kelly's 1892: Charles Edward Browne - farmer & miller (water) - firm of W. Browne & Son, North Farm

Kelly's 1904: William Browne & Son - millers (water) & merchants - Stand 15, Corn Exchange, Norwich. Head Office, The Grange, Marsham

Kelly's 1912: William Browne & Son, millers

Kelly's 1916: John William Grix

Kelly's 1922: John William Grix - miller (water) & corn merchant, Oxnead Roller Mills

Kelly's 1937: John William Grix - flour miller, corn & cake merchant, also farmer, Oxnead Roller Mills,
North Farm. Tel. Buxton 21

1940: Converted back to a papermill by John Moseley & Pitt Rivers - Agricola Paper Mill Co

c.1941: Pulp boiling shed and chimney built

1957: Jim & Barbara Crampton

February 1957: Wheel taken out of use - had been producing electricity for the mill house

1959: Turbine installed to take over electricity production

1986: Lucums and east gable roof rebuilt

2003: Mill used a store