Irstead Turf Fen drainage mill was built by Yarmouth millwright, William Rust c.1875 for Frederick Neave, to drain Horning marshes into the River Ant and is thus similar in design to High's_mill at Potter Heigham. Although the tower only had two floors, it was 31' high with a Norfolk style boat shaped cap, four double shuttered sails of seven bays and a six bladed fantail. This mill, very unusually, has two scoop wheels that could be worked independantly, with a choice of high or low gears. Stalham Hunsett is the other known example.

The mill ceased working around the 1920s when cattle no longer grazed the marshes.

This mill is on the river Ant in Irstead. The water levels around the mill are now kept very high and there is no footpath or land access to the mill. The mill can be seen by boat from the river Ant or from How Hill on the Ludham side of the river. 
Alison Yardy - 6th November 2008

Turf Fen Mill on the Norfolk Broads set to be restoredTurf Fen Mill on the How Hill Estate is set to be restored (Image: iWitness/Michael Harvey)
Plans to restore one of the most photographed mills on the Norfolk Broads and get it turning for the first time in almost two decades have been unveiled. 
Norfolk County Council wants to repair Turf Fen Mill, a grade II* listed structure on the How Hill Estate, to ‘winding condition’. 
It was built in the 1860s to help drain Horning marshes and stayed in use until the 1920s. 
Since then, the landmarked structure has become popular with tourists and photographers.
The windmill sits beside the River Ant in Barton Turf and is one of three drainage mills on the estate. 
Plans submitted to the Broads Authority are proposing new sails be installed, repairs carried out to brickwork and the cap raised for an inspection. 
The mill was previously restored between 1984 and 1987 when steel stocks were added and the mill was returned to turning condition. 
A report said: “The proposed scheme of repair works aims to return the mill to a sound structural condition as a landscape feature.  
“This will allow the mill cap to turn to wind for the first time since 2005 with new sail frames and substantial repairs. 
“The sail frames were removed in 2016 and 2018 on health and safety grounds as one sail whip broke and the sails frames were rotten and beyond repair.” 
Historic England declared the mill “at risk” and added it to the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register in July 2022. 
County Hall is expected to work with the Norfolk Windmills Trust and other stakeholders to raise the funds necessary to repair the structure. 
The report describes the mill as a “significant landmark” and “one of the most photographed mills on the Broads”. 
“Restoring and repairing the mill will allow visitors using the river or visiting the How Hill estate to view the mill complete with sails from the east bank.  
“The mill is used as an educational resource to explain drainage to visitors and education groups staying at How Hill.” 
George Thompson, Eastern Daily Press - 20th January 2024

Turf Fen Mill on the Norfolk Broads set to be restored

Turf Fen Mill in Norfolk Broads gets restoration grant
It is one of the most recognisable - and one of the most photographed landmarks in the Broads.
But Turf Fen Mill, in Irstead, has not turned for more than two decades, regularly suffers from floods and is deteriorating. 
Now, thanks to a £242,870 grant from Historic England, the Grade II listed building will be saved. 
The mill, which is owned by Norfolk County Council, is one of three drainage mills that sit on the How Hill estate, home of the How Hill Trust, an environmental study centre for the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads. 
It is planned that repairs to the mill will be completed by 2026.
The repair project will also be used to further develop the skills of young millwrights who have been training under the Broads Authority’s recent mills training programme, part-funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.  
Sarah Morrison, Historic England architect, said: “The Turf Fen mill is a familiar landmark on the Norfolk Broads and an important part of the local landscape story.
"This exciting partnership project with Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Windmills Trust and the Broads Authority will repair and protect the building for years to come, enable better access to the site and tell the story of how such mills shaped the local landscape.” 
Councillor Phillip Duigan, chair of Norfolk Windmills Trust, which maintains the building, said: “I’m thrilled that Norfolk County Council has secured this grant from Historic England to carry out the restoration works.
"Norfolk is famous for its attractive and diverse landscape.
"Working together with partners to secure funding like this means we can protect important landmarks like Turf Fen Mill and safeguard them for Norfolk and its future generations," he added.
Turf Fen Mill, which sits next to the Andrew Farrell, Broads Authority partnership and external funding manager, said: "Turf Fen is one of our most iconic mills and an important part of the Broads National Park's built heritage.
"This investment from Historic England will help to ensure that the skills to repair and restore these mills remain in our area and ensure that this beautiful and rare example of the engineering that shaped our landscape remains for many more decades to come."   
Norfolk County Council is also working with the Norfolk Windmills Trust and the Broads Authority, with the support of the How Hill Trust, to develop skills training, outreach activities and historic interpretation around the three remaining mills in the area. 
History of Turf Fen Mill 
Turf Fen Mill was built around 1880 by millwright William Rust to drain the surrounding marshland into the River Ant and make the fields on the west bank suitable for grazing livestock. 
Standing at 31 feet high, with a brick tower and a wooden main shaft, it is topped by a boat-shaped weatherboarded cap.  
The mill was constructed with four double-shuttered sails and with a choice of high or low gears. 
The mill fell out of use in the 1920s. It was previously restored between 1984 and 1987 when steel stocks were added and the mill was returned to turning condition. 
Today, however, it is in poor condition and at risk from further deterioration.  
The ground floor regularly floods, the cap and stocks need attention, there are currently no sails, and it can only be accessed by the river.  
It was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2023. 
Last month, plans submitted to the Broads Authority proposed new sails be installed, repairs carried out to brickwork and the cap raised for an inspection. 
Daniel Hickey Senior Reporter, Eastern Daily Press - 8th February 2024

My great, great grandfather Frederick Neave of Neatishead Hall had Turf Fen Mill built, together with the adjacent Neave's Mill that still bears his name.
Nick Walmsley - 31st August 2026

1860s-1870s: Mill built

O.S. map 1884: Draining Pump (Wind)

c.1944: Mill ceased working

1955: Mill with sections of cap missing and without sails and fantail

1973: Cap gone but sail stocks, fan frame and machinery in situ

1976: Norfolk Windmills Trust took over responsibility for the mill and set about major restoration project

1984-87: Mill restored by millwright John Lawn

1986: Mill returned to pristine condition and fitted with a new cap and new sails

12th May 1987: Mill designated with a Grade ll listing

c.1990: New wooded brake wheel installed

1999: Mill appearing intact with sails

February 2007: New wood paddles fitted to the scoop wheel by trainee millwrights

2012: Mill appearing intact with sails

2018: Mill appearing intact but run down and without sails

2023: Mill intact with stocks

March 2026: Mill undergoing restoration

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2004