Eling Tide Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eling Tide Mill |
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The mill from beside mill pond, with the toll hut foreground.
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| Location | Eling |
| OS grid reference | SU 36502 12520 |
| Area | Hampshire |
| Built | ca 1785 |
| Owner | New Forest District Council |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Tide Mill | |
| Designated | 29 March 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1179062 |
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Eling Tide Mill is a very special old building in Eling, Hampshire, England. It sits on a man-made path called a causeway. This mill is one of only two working tide mills left in the whole United Kingdom! The other one is in Suffolk.
A tide mill uses the power of the ocean's tides to turn its wheels and grind grain. People have used mills in Eling for a very long time. A mill was even mentioned in a super old book from 1086 called the Domesday Book. However, we don't know if that old mill is connected to the one we see today.
The current mill was rebuilt about 200 years ago. This happened after a big storm damaged it in the 1770s. Today, Eling Tide Mill is the main part of "The Eling Tide Mill Experience." This is a fun place where you can learn about the mill, local history, and enjoy walks. The site got its current name in 2018 after a big makeover. It's also a "Grade II* listed building," which means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
Contents
How the Mill Works
Eling Tide Mill has two big waterwheels. Each wheel was made to power two sets of millstones. These millstones are what grind the grain into flour.
Today, one of the waterwheels and its millstones have been fixed up. They work perfectly and produce flour that you can buy! The other waterwheel has been made to look nice, but it doesn't move. It's there so visitors can see all the cool parts of the mill's machinery up close. The working parts are covered for safety.
The mill can make flour for about five to seven hours every day. This depends on the tides, of course!
The Mill's Long History
For many years, Winchester College owned Eling Tide Mill. We know this because a special paper from 1418 still exists. This paper shows that the college rented the mill to a man named Thomas Mydlington. He had to promise to keep the mill and the causeway in good shape.
Causeway Challenges
The causeway, which is the path the mill sits on, often had problems. For example, it was washed away in 1887. This issue kept happening until 1940. That's when engineers figured out the problem was with the design of the sluices. Sluices are gates that control the flow of water. Once they fixed the design, the causeway became much stronger.
Collecting Tolls
The people who rented the mill also had the right to collect money from vehicles using the causeway. This money is called a toll. In the past, a car with four wheels cost 6d (which is about 2.5p today). A two-wheeled vehicle cost 4d. These prices stayed the same for a very long time, until 1970!
More recently, the local council, Totton and Eling Town Council, has managed the toll. Today, it costs one pound for each car per day to cross the causeway.
Millers and Toll Collectors
In 1967, a man named Tom Mackrell was the toll collector. He was also one of the last people to work the mill before it closed in 1946. Tom was both the toll collector and the mill foreman. He worked for his brother, Raymond, who was the master miller of Eling Tide Mill.
In 1975, Winchester College sold the mill to New Forest District Council. They sold it for a very small amount of money. After that, the mill was carefully fixed up. It reopened in 1980 and is now run as "The Eling Tide Mill Experience" for everyone to enjoy.
