List of watermills in the United Kingdom

Last updated

Kingsbury Watermill Museum, St Albans Kingsbury Water Mill 20031012-007.jpg
Kingsbury Watermill Museum, St Albans

The use of water power in Britain was at its peak just before the Industrial Revolution. The need for power was great and steam power had not yet become established. It is estimated that at this time there were well in excess of ten thousand watermills in the country. Most of these were corn mills (to grind flour), but almost any industrial process needing motive power, beyond that available from the muscles of men or animals, used a water wheel, unless a windmill was preferred.

Contents

Today only a fraction of these mills survive. Many are used as private residences, or have been converted into offices or flats. A number have been preserved or restored as museums where the public can see the mill in operation.

This is a list of some of the surviving watermills and tide mills in the United Kingdom.

"The Lesson of the Water Mill"

 
Listen to the water mill
Through the livelong day;
How the clicking of the wheel
Wears the hours away.
Languidly the autumn wind
Stirs the withered leaves;
On the field the reapers sing
Binding up the sheaves;
And a proverb haunts my mind
And as a spell is cast,
"The mill will never grind
With the water that has passed."
 

Sarah Doudney,


"Puck's Song"
Excerpt

 
See yon our little mill that clacks
so busy by the brook,
She has ground her corn and paid her tax
ever since Domesday Book.

 

Rudyard Kipling,

England

Bedfordshire

Stotfold Mill, Bedfordshire Stotfold Mill, Mill Lane - geograph.org.uk - 159395.jpg
Stotfold Mill, Bedfordshire

Berkshire

Chamberhouse Mill, Berkshire Chamberhouse Mill.jpg
Chamberhouse Mill, Berkshire

Buckinghamshire

Hambleden Mill, Buckinghamshire Hambleden Mill and Weir - geograph.org.uk - 536842.jpg
Hambleden Mill, Buckinghamshire

Cambridgeshire

Houghton Mill, Cambridgeshire Cmglee Houghton Mill.jpg
Houghton Mill, Cambridgeshire

Cheshire

Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire Quarry Bank Mill 2016 027.jpg
Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire

Cornwall

Cotehele Mill, Cornwall The watermill at Cotehele - geograph.org.uk - 1616255.jpg
Cotehele Mill, Cornwall

Cumbria

Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Cumbria Stott Park Bobbin Mill - geograph.org.uk - 136422.jpg
Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Cumbria

Derbyshire

Stainsby Mill, Derbyshire Stainsby Mill - geograph.org.uk - 2284146.jpg
Stainsby Mill, Derbyshire

Devon

Otterton mill, Devon 040111ac ottertonmill4sm2.jpg
Otterton mill, Devon

Dorset

King's Mill, Dorset King's Mill, Nr. Marnhull - geograph.org.uk - 371390.jpg
King's Mill, Dorset

Durham

Killhope Wheel, Durham Killhope wheel - geograph.org.uk - 682965.jpg
Killhope Wheel, Durham

East Sussex

Sheffield Mill, East Sussex Sheffield watermill, East Sussex - geograph.org.uk - 370488.jpg
Sheffield Mill, East Sussex

East Yorkshire

Stamford Bridge Mill, East Yorkshire The Corn Mill Stamford Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1271429.jpg
Stamford Bridge Mill, East Yorkshire

Essex

Bourne Mill, Essex Bourne Mill.jpg
Bourne Mill, Essex

Gloucestershire

Egypt Mill, Gloucestershire Egypt Mill - geograph.org.uk - 24778.jpg
Egypt Mill, Gloucestershire

Greater London

Clock Mill, Greater London Clock Mill, Three Mill Lane.jpg
Clock Mill, Greater London

Hampshire

Sadler's Mill, Hampshire Sadler's Mill 2005.jpg
Sadler's Mill, Hampshire

Hertfordshire

Redbournbury Mill, Hertfordshire Redbournbury Watermill.jpg
Redbournbury Mill, Hertfordshire

Isle of Wight

Yafford Mill, Isle of Wight Yafford Mill, Isle of Wight, UK.jpg
Yafford Mill, Isle of Wight

Kent

Bradley's Mill, Kent Bradley's Mill, Speldhurst.jpg
Bradley's Mill, Kent

Lancashire

Higher Mill, Lancashire Higher Mill Museum - geograph.org.uk - 694912.jpg
Higher Mill, Lancashire

Leicestershire

Cotes Mill, Leicestershire COTES MILL WIKIPEDIA.jpg
Cotes Mill, Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

Cogglesford Mill, Lincolnshire Cogglesford Mill, Sleaford - geograph.org.uk - 850654.jpg
Cogglesford Mill, Lincolnshire

Norfolk

Caley Mill aka Heacham Mill, Norfolk Caley Mill - home of Norfolk Lavender, Heacham, Norfolk - geograph.org.uk - 1731715.jpg
Caley Mill aka Heacham Mill, Norfolk

Northamptonshire

HardwaterMill, Northamptonshire HardwaterMill.JPG
HardwaterMill, Northamptonshire

North Yorkshire

Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire.JPG
Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire

Northumberland

Ridley Mill, Northumberland Ridley Mill - geograph.org.uk - 256995.jpg
Ridley Mill, Northumberland

Nottinghamshire

Warsop, Nottinghamshire Warsop Mill (4).jpg
Warsop, Nottinghamshire

Oxfordshire

Mapledurham Watermill, Oxfordshire Mapledurham Watermill 1.JPG
Mapledurham Watermill, Oxfordshire

Shropshire

Daniel's Mill, Shropshire Daniel's Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1491921.jpg
Daniel's Mill, Shropshire

Somerset

Wookey Hole Paper Mill, Somerset Wookey hole paper mill.JPG
Wookey Hole Paper Mill, Somerset

South Yorkshire

Worsbrough Mill, South Yorkshire Worsbrough Mill 2005.jpg
Worsbrough Mill, South Yorkshire

Staffordshire

Brindley Mill, Staffordshire Brindley Mill 2019.jpg
Brindley Mill, Staffordshire

Suffolk

Flatford Mill, Suffolk Flatford Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1615895.jpg
Flatford Mill, Suffolk

Surrey

Shalford Mill, Surrey Shalford Mill 2017.jpg
Shalford Mill, Surrey

Tyne and Wear

Path Head Water Mill, Tyne and Wear Path Head Water Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1218754.jpg
Path Head Water Mill, Tyne and Wear

Warwickshire

Wellesbourne Water Mill, Warwickshire Wellesbourne Water Mill - geograph.org.uk - 89870.jpg
Wellesbourne Water Mill, Warwickshire

West Midlands

Sarehole Mill, West Midlands Sarehole Mill.jpg
Sarehole Mill, West Midlands

West Sussex

Westhampnett Mill, West Sussex Westhampnett Mill, Sussex - geograph.org.uk - 1759735.jpg
Westhampnett Mill, West Sussex

West Yorkshire

Armley Mills, Leeds, West Yorkshire Armley Mills, Leeds - geograph.org.uk - 615329.jpg
Armley Mills, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Wiltshire

Blackland Mill, Wiltshire Blackland Mill - geograph.org.uk - 791058.jpg
Blackland Mill, Wiltshire

Worcestershire

Forge Mill, Worcestershire Needle Mill Museum-Redditch - geograph.org.uk - 744294.jpg
Forge Mill, Worcestershire

Scotland

Aberdeenshire

Mill of Benholm, Aberdeenshire The Mill of Benholm - geograph.org.uk - 400954.jpg
Mill of Benholm, Aberdeenshire

Angus

Barry Mill, Angus Barry Mill2.jpg
Barry Mill, Angus

Dumfries and Galloway

Bobbin Mill on the Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway Bobbin Mill - geograph.org.uk - 3056906.jpg
Bobbin Mill on the Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway

East Ayrshire

Aiket Mill, East Ayrshire Aiket Mill.JPG
Aiket Mill, East Ayrshire

East Lothian

Preston Mill, East Lothian PrestonMillBEST.jpg
Preston Mill, East Lothian

East Renfrewshire

Highlands

Click Mill, Kingussie

Lanarkshire

New Lanark mill buildings New Lanark buildings 2009.jpg
New Lanark mill buildings

Moray

North Ayrshire

Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire DalgarvenMillBuildings.jpg
Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire
Giffen Mill, North Ayrshire Giffenmill071.JPG
Giffen Mill, North Ayrshire

Orkney

Dounby Click Mill, Orkney Dounby Click Mill, Orkney 2017-05-24.jpg
Dounby Click Mill, Orkney

Perthshire

Stanley Mills, Perthshire Stanley Mills 2015.jpg
Stanley Mills, Perthshire

Renfrewshire

Meikle Millbank Mill, Renfrewshire Millbank Mill ruins, Lochwinnoch - mill machinery.jpg
Meikle Millbank Mill, Renfrewshire

Scottish Borders

Robert Small's Printing Works, Innerleithen

Shetland

Quendale mill, Shetland Quendale, the mill - geograph.org.uk - 3736661.jpg
Quendale mill, Shetland

South Ayrshire

Millmannoch Mill in the 18th century, South Ayrshire Millmannoch - Land of Burns.jpg
Millmannoch Mill in the 18th century, South Ayrshire

Western Isles

West Lothian

Northern Ireland

County Antrim

Pattersons Spade Mill, County Antrim Pattersons Spade Mill, Carnanee (geograph 4222604).jpg
Pattersons Spade Mill, County Antrim

County Down

Coalisland Mill, County Down The Ulster Folk Museum (12) - geograph.org.uk - 515409.jpg
Coalisland Mill, County Down

County Fermanagh

County Tyrone

Ballynasaggart, County Tyrone Old Mill, Ballynasaggart - geograph.org.uk - 1009891.jpg
Ballynasaggart, County Tyrone

Wales

Clwyd

Rossett Mill, Clwyd Reflections on Rossett Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1356758.jpg
Rossett Mill, Clwyd

Dyfed

Y Felin, St Dogmaels, Dyfed Y Felin (The Mill), St Dogmaels - geograph.org.uk - 743856.jpg
Y Felin, St Dogmaels, Dyfed

Gwent

Gelligroes Mill, Gwent Pontllanfraith, Gelligroes Mill - geograph.org.uk - 45062.jpg
Gelligroes Mill, Gwent

Gwynedd

Melin Hywel, Gwynedd Melin Hywel, Llanddeusant - geograph.org.uk - 1357568.jpg
Melin Hywel, Gwynedd

Mid Glamorgan

Powys

Penegoes Water Mill, Powys Penegoes Water Mill, near Machynlleth - geograph.org.uk - 38865.jpg
Penegoes Water Mill, Powys

South Glamorgan

Esgair Moel, South Glamorgan Melin wlan Esgair Moel, Sain Ffagan.jpg
Esgair Moel, South Glamorgan

West Glamorgan

Aberdulais Tin Works, West Glamorgan Waterwheel at Aberdulais Tin Works (5030).jpg
Aberdulais Tin Works, West Glamorgan

See also

References

  1. "Boxford Mill". Mills Archive. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Watermills and Windmills". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "Eddington Mill". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. Walk Mill Official Website
  5. Historic England (10 May 1989). "Trewen Mill (Grade II) (1263383)". National Heritage List for England .
  6. Boot Mill Official Website
  7. Gleaston Watermill Official Website
  8. Heron Corn Mill Official Website
  9. Little Salkeld Watermill Official Website
  10. Historic England (12 February 1962). "Milton Mill House and attached mill> (Grade II) (1086529)". National Heritage List for England .
  11. Hanson-Smith, Christopher (1980). Hadfield, John (ed.). The Shell Book of English Villages. London: Michael Joseph. pp. 314–315. ISBN   0-7181-1900-2.
  12. "Hembury Mill Cottages". Bridport Holiday Cottages. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  13. Gayle Mill official website
  14. Daniels Mill Official Website
  15. Arrow Millofficial website
  16. Charlecote Mill official website
  17. New Hall Mill official website
  18. Sarehole MillOfficial Website Archived 2010-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Canmore Scottish national database record
  20. Preston Mill Official Website
  21. Talgarth Mill Official Website

Bibliography