List of watermills in the United Kingdom

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.

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.

Kingsbury Watermill Museum, St Albans

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 edit

Bedfordshire edit

 
Stotfold Mill, Bedfordshire

Berkshire edit

 
Chamberhouse Mill, Berkshire

Buckinghamshire edit

 
Hambleden Mill, Buckinghamshire

Cambridgeshire edit

 
Houghton Mill, Cambridgeshire

Cheshire edit

 
Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire

Cornwall edit

 
Cotehele Mill, Cornwall

Cumbria edit

 
Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Cumbria

Derbyshire edit

 
Stainsby Mill, Derbyshire

Devon edit

 
Otterton mill, Devon

Dorset edit

 
King's Mill, Dorset

Durham edit

 
Killhope Wheel, Durham

East Sussex edit

 
Sheffield Mill, East Sussex

East Yorkshire edit

 
Stamford Bridge Mill, East Yorkshire

Essex edit

 
Bourne Mill, Essex

Gloucestershire edit

 
Egypt Mill, Gloucestershire

Greater London edit

 
Clock Mill, Greater London

Hampshire edit

 
Sadler's Mill, Hampshire

Hertfordshire edit

 
Redbournbury Mill, Hertfordshire

Isle of Wight edit

 
Yafford Mill, Isle of Wight

Kent edit

 
Bradley's Mill, Kent

Lancashire edit

 
Higher Mill, Lancashire

Leicestershire edit

 
Cotes Mill, Leicestershire

Lincolnshire edit

 
Cogglesford Mill, Lincolnshire

Norfolk edit

 
Caley Mill aka Heacham Mill, Norfolk

Northamptonshire edit

 
HardwaterMill, Northamptonshire

North Yorkshire edit

 
Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire

Northumberland edit

 
Ridley Mill, Northumberland

Nottinghamshire edit

 
Warsop, Nottinghamshire

Oxfordshire edit

 
Mapledurham Watermill, Oxfordshire

Shropshire edit

 
Daniel's Mill, Shropshire

Somerset edit

 
Wookey Hole Paper Mill, Somerset

South Yorkshire edit

 
Worsbrough Mill, South Yorkshire

Staffordshire edit

 
Brindley Mill, Staffordshire

Suffolk edit

 
Flatford Mill, Suffolk

Surrey edit

 
Shalford Mill, Surrey

Tyne and Wear edit

 
Path Head Water Mill, Tyne and Wear

Warwickshire edit

 
Wellesbourne Water Mill, Warwickshire

West Midlands edit

 
Sarehole Mill, West Midlands

West Sussex edit

 
Westhampnett Mill, West Sussex

West Yorkshire edit

 
Armley Mills, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Wiltshire edit

 
Blackland Mill, Wiltshire

Worcestershire edit

 
Forge Mill, Worcestershire

Scotland edit

Aberdeenshire edit

 
Mill of Benholm, Aberdeenshire

Angus edit

 
Barry Mill, Angus

Dumfries and Galloway edit

 
Bobbin Mill on the Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway

East Ayrshire edit

 
Aiket Mill, East Ayrshire

East Lothian edit

 
Preston Mill, East Lothian

East Renfrewshire edit

Highlands edit

Click Mill, Kingussie

Lanarkshire edit

 
New Lanark mill buildings

Moray edit

North Ayrshire edit

 
Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire
 
Giffen Mill, North Ayrshire

Orkney edit

 
Dounby Click Mill, Orkney

Perthshire edit

 
Stanley Mills, Perthshire

Renfrewshire edit

 
Meikle Millbank Mill, Renfrewshire

Scottish Borders edit

Robert Small's Printing Works, Innerleithen

Shetland edit

 
Quendale mill, Shetland

South Ayrshire edit

 
Millmannoch Mill in the 18th century, South Ayrshire

Western Isles edit

West Lothian edit

Northern Ireland edit

County Antrim edit

 
Pattersons Spade Mill, County Antrim

County Down edit

 
Coalisland Mill, County Down

County Fermanagh edit

County Tyrone edit

 
Ballynasaggart, County Tyrone

Wales edit

Clwyd edit

 
King's mill, Clwyd

Dyfed edit

 
Y Felin, St Dogmaels, Dyfed

Gwent edit

 
Gelligroes Mill, Gwent

Gwynedd edit

 
Melin Hywel, Gwynedd

Mid Glamorgan edit

Powys edit

 
Penegoes Water Mill, Powys

South Glamorgan edit

 
Esgair Moel, South Glamorgan

West Glamorgan edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Watermills and Windmills". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Eddington Mill". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ Walk Mill Official Website
  4. ^ Boot Mill Official Website
  5. ^ Gleaston Watermill Official Website
  6. ^ Heron Corn Mill Official Website
  7. ^ Little Salkeld Watermill Official Website
  8. ^ "Hembury Mill Cottages". Bridport Holiday Cottages. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  9. ^ Gayle Mill official website
  10. ^ Daniels Mill Official Website
  11. ^ Arrow Millofficial website
  12. ^ Charlecote Mill official website
  13. ^ New Hall Mill official website
  14. ^ Sarehole MillOfficial Website Archived 2010-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Canmore Scottish national database record
  16. ^ Preston Mill Official Website
  17. ^ Talgarth Mill Official Website

Bibliography edit

  • Martin Watts: Watermills, Shire Publications Ltd, UK, 2006
  • Jim Woodward-Nutt & Jenny West: Mills Open, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, UK, 1997
  • Neil Wright (Ed), Lincolnshire's Industrial Heritage, Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, UK 2004, ISBN 0 903582 20 1

External links edit