Sarehole Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarehole Mill |
|
|---|---|
Sarehole Mill
|
|
| Location | Hall Green, Birmingham |
| OS grid reference | SP1005381833 |
| Area | West Midlands |
| Built | 1771 |
| Governing body | Birmingham Museums Trust |
| Owner | Birmingham Museums trust |
|
Listed Building – Grade II
|
|
| Official name: Sarehole Mill | |
| Designated | 25 April 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1075631 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Sarehole Mill is an old water mill located in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It's a special building, protected because of its history. Today, it's a museum run by the Birmingham Museums Trust. Many people know it because of its connection to the famous writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It is also one of only two working water mills left in Birmingham. The other one is New Hall Mill in Walmley.
Contents
History of Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill was first built in 1542. It stands on the site where an even older mill once operated. For a while, it was known as Bedell's or Biddle's Mill, named after an early owner. Later, in 1727, people called it High Wheel Mill.
Early Uses of the Mill
Around 1755, Matthew Boulton leased the mill. He was a very important person during the Industrial Revolution. Boulton was also a key member of the Lunar Society, a group of thinkers who met to discuss science. It's thought that he changed the mill's machinery to work with metal.
Over the years, Sarehole Mill did many different jobs:
- Grinding grain to make flour.
- Grinding bones to create fertiliser for farms.
- Rolling metal, which Matthew Boulton did.
- Sharpening tools.
- Drawing wire.
Restoration and Modern Use
The building you see today was constructed in 1771. It was used as a working mill until 1919. After that, it slowly fell apart. Local people started a campaign to save the mill when there was talk of tearing it down. They succeeded, and the mill was restored in 1969.
In 2012, the mill pond was drained to fix the sluice gates. These gates control the water flow. The pond was also cleaned out in the winter of 2012–13.
From 2012 to 2013, Sarehole Mill had a big renovation. This project cost £375,000. The roof, chimney, millpond, water wheel, and machinery were all repaired. Now, the mill can grind flour again! There's also a new outdoor oven. It's used regularly to bake bread with the flour made right there.
Sarehole Mill relies on many volunteers. About 10 people volunteer as millers. Another 15 help with the gardens. Eight more volunteers work as guides. In 2019, over 14,000 people visited the site.
In 2019, floods caused some damage. This stopped the mill from grinding flour for a while. Repairs started soon after.
In February 2020, the mill's old Victorian bakery was fixed up. A new, modern bakery was also added. You can now buy baked goods in the Millers Tea Room. The original bakery is used to show how people used to bake bread.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mill closed temporarily. It has since reopened to visitors. You can visit the mill by taking a guided tour. There are also special tours called "Origins of Middle Earth." These tours explore the area around the mill and its connections to J. R. R. Tolkien.
Steam Engine at Sarehole Mill
In 1852, a steam engine was added to Sarehole Mill. It helped the water wheels power the mill. Water was the main power source. However, the steam engine made sure the mill could keep working even when there wasn't enough water.
The original steam engine is no longer there. The current engine is similar in size. It's a single-cylinder table engine that produces 16 horsepower. It's not currently working, and its maker is unknown.
This engine was installed during the mill's restoration in 1975. It used to belong to a sweet company called Smith Kendon Ltd. They used it in their factories until 1948. In 1952, it was given to the Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry. Later, it was moved to Sarehole Mill.
Sarehole Mill and J. R. R. Tolkien
The famous writer J. R. R. Tolkien lived very close to Sarehole Mill when he was a child. He lived there between the ages of four and eight. He could even see the mill from his house. At that time, the area was mostly countryside and farmland.
Tolkien later said that he used Sarehole Mill as inspiration for the Mill in Hobbiton. This is a place in his famous book, The Lord of the Rings. In an interview in 1966, before the mill was restored, Tolkien described the area:
It was a kind of lost paradise... There was an old mill that really did grind corn with two millers, a great big pond with swans on it, a sandpit, a wonderful dell with flowers, a few old-fashioned village houses and, further away, a stream with another mill. I always knew it would go – and it did.
Today, Sarehole Mill is part of the Shire Country Park.
See also
In Spanish: Molino de Sarehole para niños
