Burgh Mill

Details

TUTTINGTON

39/3/96 THE STREET 18-NOV-83 BURGH MILL

GV II* Large water mill. Early C18. Greatly enlarged late C18, then again early/mid C19. Late C20 addition. Machinery probably early C19 with further machinery added later for various other applications. MATERIALS. Clapboarded timber frame with some colour-washed brick to lower storey and internally. Pantile and some corrugated iron roofs. 3 storeys and attic. PLAN and BUILDING PHASES. This complex building has a north-south orientation with races to the southern end from west to east. Phase 1 - early C18: a brick building of two storeys of which the former gable can be seen at the north end interior and the side walls form the external wall on the east side, whilst the west wall is within the enlarged building. The wheel in this phase was probably on the outside of the building. Phase 2 - c.1800: the building was heightened in timber frame adding a further storey and attic. Probably at the same time the water wheel was enclosed within brickwork and the machinery extended to the upper floors with the provision of a crown wheel. Phase 3 - early to mid C19: the building was enlarged to the west side yet retaining the earlier roof. The aisle-like addition was covered by a row of attic gables at right angles to the earlier roof: a similar row of attic gables was provided on the east side. Phase 4 (or part of Phase 3)- early to mid C19: the building was almost doubled in length to the north with a full height extension. Phase 5 - 1969-77: a lean-to was added to the south end and a boarded lean-to added to the east side of the later extension and a later steel bin added to the west side. West elevation has four attic gables with an additional gabled lucam at its southern end. The gables have distinctive windows, each of two lights, one glazed and the other shuttered. The lucam is supported with straight braces. The rest of the elevation has scattered openings of five windows with glazing bars and two vents with slats. There is a boarded door with cat hole at first floor level beneath an arched head, another similar door at ground floor level and further double doors. The southernmost bay of the main block has a lean-to roof and a further steep lean-to was added after 1969.

East elevation has a brick ground floor in large part belonging to the original mill. The clear break between the original block can be seen to the right between the galvanised water tower and the gabled doorway, whilst a break can be seen to the left corresponding to the right jamb of the low doorway beside the waterwheel. The openings in the brickwork are, from the left, the semicircular arch over the tail race corresponding to the wheel, a low boarded door beneath a segmental arch, a stable door beneath a gabled hood on brackets and finally, beyond the C20 steel tank, a fixed window of sixteen panes beneath a segmental arch. Directly above this window is a 2-light window, one light with glazing bars and the other shuttered and then, to the right, a 2-light casement window with glazing bars, a projecting iron pulley wheel providing for a belt from an engine, and a 3-light window of which 2 are glazed and one shuttered. The 2nd floor has 5 windows at varying levels and, above, a row of 6 attic gables, each with the characteristic 2-light window, half glazed and half shuttered.

Gable ends. The north elevation has a central lucam on straight braces with a raised boarded door directly below and flanked by 2-light windows. The south elevation, obscured by the C20 lean-to, has unpainted brickwork and central blocked opening in line with the bearings of the waterwheel and flanked by a pair of staged buttresses.

INTERIOR. The character of the mill machinery is generally consistent with a date of c.1810-20: machinery was referred to as new in sale particulars of 1828. It consists of a cast-iron wheelshaft carrying a cast-iron low breastshot waterwheel of 12ft diameter with timber floats fixed to three rings of integrally-cast iron starts on three sets of spokes. 8-armed cast-iron mortice pitwheel with wood cogs drives cast-iron wallower on lower section of 2-part cast-iron upright shaft. Cast-iron mortice great spur wheel formerly driving four pairs of stones from below (stones and tuns removed). Only one disconnected stone nut is left in situ. The governor and sack hoist remain operational and the machinery continues to run an alternator and other machines via belt drives from the upper section of the upright shaft and layshafts driven from the crownwheel, which also accepted the former drive from a portable engine. The floor where the stones used to be is supported by three iron stanchions, the remains of the gable of the original mill building can be seen on this floor and the return of the original south wall can be seen next to the great spur wheel on the floor below. The timber frame is of light scantling with typical tension braces which cut through the studs. The roof structure is of principal rafters with three tiers of butt purlins, queen struts and ridge pieces. The purlins and common rafters have been cut away in order to provide unimpeded access to the compartments formed by the attic gables (the principal rafters on the west side are supported on the original brick wall). The northern extension has re-used wherry masts supporting the first floor. At the south-east corner of the stone floor C19 timber partitions enclose a single-seater privy discharging into the tailrace.

The mill forms a group with the dovecot and boundary wall approx 30m. NNE (q.v.).

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE This mill is an outstanding example of a watermill which has been adapted to rapidly changing demands whilst maintaining its original source of power and complete early C19 machinery including the wheel: only the stones have gone. Remarkably it survived in commercial use until c.1980 and it is the only remaining timber-framed working watermill in Norfolk.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

228055

Legacy System:

LBS

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