Letheringsett Watermill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Letheringsett Watermill |
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Letheringsett Watermill west elevation.
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| General information | |
| Type | Watermill |
| Location | River Glaven |
| Town or city | Letheringsett |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°54′22″N 1°03′54″E / 52.9062°N 1.0650°E |
| Opened | Present mill 1802 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Brick built with black Pantile roof |
Letheringsett Watermill is a historic building located on the River Glaven in the village of Letheringsett, Norfolk, England. It's about 1.4 miles (2.2 km) west of Holt. This amazing watermill is special because it's the last fully working watermill in Norfolk that still makes flour! You can even explore inside the mill here.
About the Mill Building
The mill you see today was built in 1802. It's made from red bricks and has a black tiled roof that hangs over the edges. This large watermill has four floors and three pointed sections on its ends. Some windows on the ends are made of brick.
The waterwheel was designed to work in two ways. It could run as a breastshot wheel, where water hits the middle of the wheel. It could also change to an undershot wheel, where water flows under the wheel. This was useful if the water levels in the river were low during dry weather.
To get more water to the mill, the height of the mill pond dam was raised by about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in the 1800s. However, this caused problems because nearby fields would sometimes flood in bad weather. This made the local farmers quite unhappy!
A Look at the Mill's History
The history of a watermill in 'Leringaseta' (which is now Letheringsett) goes way back to the Domesday Book of 1086. This was a big survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. The first known owner of the mill was Thomas de Saxlingham in 1383.
The current mill replaced an older one that burned down in 1802. This wasn't the first time fire had struck the mill! Another mill on the same spot also burned down in 1744.
By 1941, the mill stopped using water as its main power source. Instead, a diesel engine was put in to run the machinery. But in 1984, the miller, Peter Warwick, decided to switch the mill back to water power. This was the first time it had run on water in 40 years! Then, in 1987, a big project to fully restore the watermill began, led by Mike and Marion Thurlow.
How the Mill Works Today
The Letheringsett Watermill actually got some help from a huge event: the Great Storm of 1987. This storm knocked down many trees, and 200 oak trees were used to fix the mill. They helped restore 2,000 feet (600 meters) of beams and 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) of flooring inside the mill. The roof was also replaced, and the waterwheel was carefully put back into its correct position.
In 1990, the watermill opened its doors to visitors. It produces about 2.5 tonnes of stone-ground wholewheat flour every week. This flour is sold to people visiting the mill and to local businesses.
Today, this busy mill makes many different types of flour. These include whole wheat flour and spelt flour. You can buy all their products at the Mill shop. They also sell dried fruit, nuts, oats, muesli, and other baking ingredients.
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Visitors can watch the mill working and see how flour is made. There are also tours of the mill on most weekday afternoons, but there is a small fee to join. In 2007, more restoration work was finished. The grain floor and the bin floor were opened to the public. These areas are now used for exhibitions and learning. They have displays of old tools, photos, and videos. The restored floors were officially opened by North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb on October 6, 2007.
