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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

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Bedfordshire

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Stotfold Mill, Bedfordshire

Berkshire

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Chamberhouse Mill, Berkshire

Buckinghamshire

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Hambleden Mill, Buckinghamshire

Cambridgeshire

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Houghton Mill, Cambridgeshire

Cheshire

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Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire

Cornwall

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Cotehele Mill, Cornwall

Cumbria

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Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Cumbria

Derbyshire

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Stainsby Mill, Derbyshire

Devon

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Otterton mill, Devon

Dorset

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King's Mill, Dorset

Durham

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Killhope Wheel, Durham

East Sussex

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Sheffield Mill, East Sussex

East Yorkshire

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Stamford Bridge Mill, East Yorkshire

Essex

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Bourne Mill, Essex

Gloucestershire

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Egypt Mill, Gloucestershire

Greater London

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Clock Mill, Greater London

Hampshire

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Sadler's Mill, Hampshire

Hertfordshire

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Redbournbury Mill, Hertfordshire

Isle of Wight

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Yafford Mill, Isle of Wight

Kent

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Bradley's Mill, Kent

Lancashire

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Higher Mill, Lancashire

Leicestershire

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Cotes Mill, Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

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Cogglesford Mill, Lincolnshire

Norfolk

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Caley Mill aka Heacham Mill, Norfolk

Northamptonshire

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HardwaterMill, Northamptonshire

North Yorkshire

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Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire

Northumberland

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Ridley Mill, Northumberland

Nottinghamshire

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Warsop, Nottinghamshire

Oxfordshire

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Mapledurham Watermill, Oxfordshire

Shropshire

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Daniel's Mill, Shropshire

Somerset

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Wookey Hole Paper Mill, Somerset

South Yorkshire

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Worsbrough Mill, South Yorkshire

Staffordshire

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Brindley Mill, Staffordshire

Suffolk

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Flatford Mill, Suffolk

Surrey

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Shalford Mill, Surrey

Tyne and Wear

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Path Head Water Mill, Tyne and Wear

Warwickshire

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Wellesbourne Water Mill, Warwickshire

West Midlands

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Sarehole Mill, West Midlands

West Sussex

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Westhampnett Mill, West Sussex

West Yorkshire

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Armley Mills, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Wiltshire

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Blackland Mill, Wiltshire

Worcestershire

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Forge Mill, Worcestershire

Scotland

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Aberdeenshire

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Mill of Benholm, Aberdeenshire

Angus

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Barry Mill, Angus

Dumfries and Galloway

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Bobbin Mill on the Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway

East Ayrshire

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Aiket Mill, East Ayrshire

East Lothian

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Preston Mill, East Lothian

East Renfrewshire

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Highlands

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Click Mill, Kingussie

Lanarkshire

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New Lanark mill buildings

Moray

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North Ayrshire

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Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire
 
Giffen Mill, North Ayrshire

Orkney

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Dounby Click Mill, Orkney

Perthshire

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Stanley Mills, Perthshire

Renfrewshire

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Meikle Millbank Mill, Renfrewshire

Scottish Borders

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Robert Small's Printing Works, Innerleithen

Shetland

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Quendale mill, Shetland

South Ayrshire

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Millmannoch Mill in the 18th century, South Ayrshire

Western Isles

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West Lothian

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Northern Ireland

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County Antrim

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Pattersons Spade Mill, County Antrim

County Down

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Coalisland Mill, County Down

County Fermanagh

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County Tyrone

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Ballynasaggart, County Tyrone

Wales

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Clwyd

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Rossett Mill, Clwyd

Dyfed

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Y Felin, St Dogmaels, Dyfed

Gwent

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Gelligroes Mill, Gwent

Gwynedd

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Melin Hywel, Gwynedd

Mid Glamorgan

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Powys

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Penegoes Water Mill, Powys

South Glamorgan

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Esgair Moel, South Glamorgan

West Glamorgan

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Aberdulais Tin Works, West Glamorgan

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Boxford Mill". Mills Archive. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Watermills and Windmills". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Eddington Mill". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. ^ Walk Mill Official Website
  5. ^ Boot Mill Official Website
  6. ^ Gleaston Watermill Official Website
  7. ^ Heron Corn Mill Official Website
  8. ^ Little Salkeld Watermill Official Website
  9. ^ "Hembury Mill Cottages". Bridport Holiday Cottages. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  10. ^ Gayle Mill official website
  11. ^ Daniels Mill Official Website
  12. ^ Arrow Millofficial website
  13. ^ Charlecote Mill official website
  14. ^ New Hall Mill official website
  15. ^ Sarehole MillOfficial Website Archived 2010-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Canmore Scottish national database record
  17. ^ Preston Mill Official Website
  18. ^ Talgarth Mill Official Website

Bibliography

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  • 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
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