Hempstead Watermill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hempstead Watermill |
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The rear of Hempstead Watermill
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| General information | |
| Type | Watermill |
| Location | On the River Glaven near the town of Holt |
| Town or city | Holt |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°53′57″N 1°06′46″E / 52.8991°N 1.1129°E |
| Opened | 1830 |
| Owner | Richard John Gurney (1830) |
Hempstead Watermill is an old watermill located in Norfolk, England. It's about 1.7 miles southeast of the town of Holt. This mill sits right on the River Glaven, along the road connecting Holt to the village of Hempstead. The mill was built in 1830 by Richard John Gurney. It was first known as Holt Watermill.
Contents
What the Mill Looks Like
The Hempstead Watermill and the house next to it are built from local brick and flint. Their roofs are made of red Norfolk pantiles, which are a type of curved roof tile. The River Glaven was blocked to create a large pond. This mill pond sits right behind the mill building.
How the Mill Worked
Hempstead Watermill used to get its power from a large water wheel. This wheel turned thanks to the flowing water from the river. In 1905, the water wheel was taken out. A more modern and efficient turbine replaced it. A special gate, called a sluice, was also put in to control the water flow to the turbine.
Water Sources for the Mill
When the turbine was installed, the mill had five different water sources.
- The upper pond was one source, but it was washed away in big floods in 1912.
- Another source was Old Decoy, which is now called Selbrigg Pond.
- New Decoy also supplied water.
- Horsepit Pond was a fourth source. This pond was originally for the farm horses at nearby Red House Farm. Water running off the farm buildings also helped fill it. A sluice was added to this pond to send more water to the mill pond.
- Even with all these sources, the mill often only had enough water to run for about five hours a day.
Other Power Sources
Later on, a traction engine was used to help run the mill. This engine connected to the mill through a pulley wheel on the outside of the building. The watermill had two sets of grinding stones. These stones were used to grind grain into flour. Most of the time, only one set of stones could work because there wasn't enough water.
Sawmill Operations
A circular timber saw blade was also powered by the turbine. This saw was set in a strong steel bench. It was used to cut wood for the Gurney Estate, which owned the mill. This saw was still working as late as 1977. The small shed that protected the saw bench is no longer there. The watermill complex also included other buildings. These were sheds for carts, places to store hay, stables for horses, and pens for pigs and cows.
The Mill's Bakery
In 1911, a bakery was added to the mill's buildings. The large oven for baking bread came from T. Collins & Co in Bristol. This oven was heated using coke, which is a type of fuel. A boiler with a 20-gallon capacity also used coke. This boiler provided hot water and helped control the oven's temperature.
The oven could bake 208 one-pound loaves of bread at once. It was heated up twice before the fresh bread was delivered to people living nearby. Water for making the bread was carried in buckets. It came from a natural spring located across the road from the mill.
