The
Wind Mills of Great Yarmouth are a subject of some fascination.
Windmills were recorded here in the time of Edward Ist. As many as ten mills
were on the Denes at once time. Only one mill for sure, that at Fisher's Quay
was within the old town boundary, but many of the others became surrounded by
new building when the town expanded onto the denes in the 19th.century. G.C.
Rye summarised the details of the Yarmouth mills in Norfolk Archaeology. He
gave names, dates and map references, and I will use his numbering to save any
future confusion.
Mill 1, was built in 1770
for William Harley, and burned out it seems, in 1852, the site in due course
acquired by the North Norfolk Railway Company. It was the northern of three
upon what is now the beach coach station site.
Mill 2, was built for Sam
Howes, in 180?, and lasted until 1879. It was the middle one of three upon the
(now) beach coach station.
Mill 3, the "North
Mill", was freehold from at least 1673. It was owned by Sam Truelove in
1757 (Rye gives a succession of owners). The railway company levelled the site
in about 1880. It was one of three on the beach coach station site, the nearest
to Euston Road.
Mill 4, this was the
"North Middle Mill" or "Market Mill". Thomas Cooke was
owner in 1769, when he applied for permission to have a fan-tail. The site was
probably built over shortly after 1850. It would have been in the north-east
corner of Princes and Nelson Roads.
Mill 5, was built in 1779
for T. and R.H. Hammond, and demolished in about 1855. It stood immediately
south of Regent Road, near to Marine Parade.
Mill 6, the "South
Middle Mill", is thought to have been owned by the Church of St. Nicholas
in 1542, assigned by lease to William Steelyarde, carpenter*3. Between Regent
and Albion Roads, opposite the end of Wellesley Road, it was demolished in
about 1882 for the Roman Catholic School Playground. It appears that the mill
was actually moved to this spot by Steelyarde, from a site quite nearby.
Mill 7, was the "South
Mill". This is one of the four mills referred to in Steelyarde's lease and
one of the four shown on the Elizabethan picture map.
It was later known as Hovell's mill, and Chapel Denes mill. It stood east of Nelson
road, and south of Crown Road, where now is Gordon Terrace, and its cellar
still remains.
Hovell’s Mill cellar 1989
The cellar is under a small terraced house, but
the entrance is through a trapdoor in the road.
In 1850, the wooden mill itself was moved to
the North Common, to a site which is now the north-west corner of the junction
of Hamilton Road and Windsor Avenue. It was then known as Greengrass's mill. At
that time, military camps often pitched there on the common around the mill,
prior to the new housing that also displaced the golf course. There was a press
notice for the auction of the mill and its effects, which took place at 11
o'clock on 9th. October, 1907. Included was all the gear, mill stones, and even
a 9 year old, small, quiet, bay pony! (auctioned by Maddison, Miles and
Maddison)*4.
Papworth’s Mill
Mill 8, was built for Philip
Robkins in 1765, on ground leased from the council, and being demolished in
about 1881, was thought to be the last mill operating on the Denes. This mill
stood on the south side of Kent Square. It was at one time known as
"Papworth's Mill".
Mill 9, was built in 1779
for John Palmer. Again a succession of owners is given, the mill ceasing to
operate in about 1855.
Mill 10, was north of Sandown
Road, at the junction with North Denes Road, built for Richard Abergail.
Mill 11, not numbered as such
by Rye, was the "Quay Mill". This was erected on the North Quay in
about 1580, and dismantled in 1799. It is depicted by Corbridge, and at one
time was owned by the Fisher family of 55 North Quay, then being known as
"Fisher's Mill".
GreencapMill
Mill 12 (not in Rye's
treatise), the Greencap Mill, was for sale by auction on Weds. 14th.September
1831 at 12 noon, at the Star Tavern, property of James Jenner, together with a
house, garden with fruit trees, orchard, and three acres of meadow land. It had
been built "some sixteen years previous". Included in the sale were
four of the finest French mill stone, two flour mills. The mill had nine floors,
and patent sails. In the dwelling-house were two parlours, kitchen, wash-house,
and two sleeping rooms. There was a workman's cottage adjoining, a
three-stalled stable, gig house, yard, and cart lodge*5. This mill stood west
of the Lady Haven dyke, in Cobholm, built for Mr.Jenner, it was destroyed by
fire when owned by Press, on Jan.29th, 1898, at about 8 o'clock. The fire
brigade had only one engine, and water from the dyke, and the mill was burned
out by 10 pm. *6
The Greencap Mill the morning after the fire.
High Mill Cobholm
Mill 13, (not mentioned by
Rye), the High Mill of Cobholm, Oak
piles had been driven into the marshy ground, and then a circular oak base laid
on that, some five feet below ground. The tower walls were three feet thick at
the base. and the tower 122 feet high.The revolving cap carried a five ton wind shaft, with sails spanning 84 feet,
and a combined weight for this and the flystage was 15 tons. Black mortar
included Breydon mud and shells. Wholemeal flour was manufactured until 1892,
after which grist only was produced. The then owner, B.H.Press, died in 1904,
and the mill was sold at auction in August for the sum of only £100, for
demolition, it having cost the enormous sum of £10,000 to build in 1812.*7
In this picture we can see two mills on
Cliff Hill.
Mill 14, (also not mentioned
by Rye), Law's Mill of Gorleston, stood on the Cliff Hill. James Law's mill was
demolished in 1887. This was one of the two pictured above. The right hand one
looks to be further West, situated nearer to Bell’s Road.
Mill 15, Southtown mill, on
the west side of the Southtown Road, only a very few yards south of the
junction with High Road, as seen on the 1842 map of Southtown and Gorleston.
(Approximately on the site of no. 46 Beccles Road.)
Mill 16, on the east side of
Church Road, between Priory Road and Cross Road, as seen on the 1842 map. (This
would now be immediately east of Ladysmith Terrace, the latter built 1900.)
Mill 17, another mill in
Cobholm, present at the same time as the High and Greencap mills, seen on the
1842 map, called "Water's Mill", and situated at the very end of Mill
Road.
*3 Gt. Yarmouth Borough Archive C18/61 fo.26,
1-v.
*4 P.G. Trett's notes.
*5
newspaper advertisement
*6
report by Harry B. Johnson.
*7 ref.
East Anglian Magazine, September 1951.
Another mill, pictured by Philip Rumbelow