Letheringsett Watermill
Encyclopedia
Letheringsett watermill is situated on the River Glaven
in the village of Letheringsett
within the English
county of Norfolk
.. Letheringsett is in the district of North Norfolk
and is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the town of Holt
. The watermill is the last fully operational watermill in Norfolk that produces flour.
of 1086 were there is a mill mentioned at Leringaseta. The earliest recorded owner of the mill was Thomas de Saxlingham who owned the watermill in 1383. Today’s mill replaced a watermill which had burnt down 1802 although this was not the first occasion the mill had been a victim of fire. Another mill on the site was also burnt to the ground in 1744. By 1941 the mill ceased using water as its main power supply. A Ruston Hornsby diesel engine was installed. In 1984 the miller, Peter Warwick converted the mill from diesel power back to water power for the first time in 40 years. Then in 1987 a full restoration of the watermill was begun by Mike and Marion Thurlow
. The aftermath of that storm provided 200 oak
s that were used to restore 2000 feet (609.6 m) of beams and 10500 feet (3,200.4 m) of flooring in the mill. The roof of the mill was also renewed but the major contract was the realignment of the waterwheel.
In 1990 the watermill opened its doors to the public. The mill produced 2½ tonnes of stone ground wholewheat flour produced every week, which was sold both to the visitors of the watermill and to local businesses. Today this thriving mill produces many types of flour including whole wheat
and spelt
flour. All their products are available for purchase from the Mill shop along with a good selection of dried fruit, nuts, oats
and muesli
and other baking materials. Visiters to the watermill can see regular working demonstrations of milling and there are tours of the mill on most weekday afternoons although there is an admission charge. In 2007 further restoration work was completed with the grain floor and the bin floor being opened to the public. These floors are used as exhibition and education areas with displays of museum artifacts, photographs and video streams. The restored floors were officially opened to the public by North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb
on the 6th October 2007
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River Glaven
The River Glaven is 10½ miles long and flows through picturesque North Norfolk countryside. Rising from a tiny headwater in Bodham the river starts just 2 miles before Selbrigg Pond where three streams combine at the outfall...
in the village of Letheringsett
Letheringsett
Letheringsett is a village in the English county of Norfolk. It forms part of the civil parish of Letheringsett with Glanford, along with the hamlet of Glandford. The village straddles the A148 King’s Lynn to Cromer road. Letheringsett is 1.2 miles west of Holt, 32.2 west north east of King’s Lynn...
within the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.. Letheringsett is in the district of North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
and is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the town of Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
. The watermill is the last fully operational watermill in Norfolk that produces flour.
Description
The present mill was built in 1802, and is constructed of Norfolk red brick with a Norfolk black pantiled roof which over sail the walls at the eves. This large watermill is constructed over four storeys and has three apexes on the gable ends. On the gable end there are bricked window fenestrations.The waterwheel was built with a dual irrigation system and was designed to run as breastshot but could be changed to undershot if water levels fell in times of dry weather. To increase the flow of water to the mill, sometime in the 19th century the height of the mill pond dam was increased by 2 foot (0.6096 m). However this work proved troublesome as some of the fields in the vicinity would flood in severe weather antagonizing the local farmers who owned these fieldsHistory
There has been a watermill on this site going back at least to the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 were there is a mill mentioned at Leringaseta. The earliest recorded owner of the mill was Thomas de Saxlingham who owned the watermill in 1383. Today’s mill replaced a watermill which had burnt down 1802 although this was not the first occasion the mill had been a victim of fire. Another mill on the site was also burnt to the ground in 1744. By 1941 the mill ceased using water as its main power supply. A Ruston Hornsby diesel engine was installed. In 1984 the miller, Peter Warwick converted the mill from diesel power back to water power for the first time in 40 years. Then in 1987 a full restoration of the watermill was begun by Mike and Marion Thurlow
The Watermill Today
Letheringsett watermill benefited from the devastation caused by the hurricane of October 1987Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
. The aftermath of that storm provided 200 oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s that were used to restore 2000 feet (609.6 m) of beams and 10500 feet (3,200.4 m) of flooring in the mill. The roof of the mill was also renewed but the major contract was the realignment of the waterwheel.
In 1990 the watermill opened its doors to the public. The mill produced 2½ tonnes of stone ground wholewheat flour produced every week, which was sold both to the visitors of the watermill and to local businesses. Today this thriving mill produces many types of flour including whole wheat
Whole grain
Whole grains are cereal grains that contain cereal germ, endosperm, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. Whole grains can generally be sprouted while refined grains generally will not sprout. Whole-meal products are made by grinding whole grains in order to make...
and spelt
Spelt
Spelt is a hexaploid species of wheat. Spelt was an important staple in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to medieval times; it now survives as a relict crop in Central Europe and northern Spain and has found a new market as a health food. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the...
flour. All their products are available for purchase from the Mill shop along with a good selection of dried fruit, nuts, oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
and muesli
Muesli
Muesli is a popular breakfast cereal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts. It was developed around 1900 by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital...
and other baking materials. Visiters to the watermill can see regular working demonstrations of milling and there are tours of the mill on most weekday afternoons although there is an admission charge. In 2007 further restoration work was completed with the grain floor and the bin floor being opened to the public. These floors are used as exhibition and education areas with displays of museum artifacts, photographs and video streams. The restored floors were officially opened to the public by North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb
Norman Lamb
Norman Peter Lamb is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk....
on the 6th October 2007