Houghton Mill

Mills have been recorded here since 974. The mill was owned by the nearby Ramsey Abbey from its foundation. The abbey's tenants were under an obligation to have their wheat ground in the mill and part of the flour was withheld as payment by the miller. When in 1500 the Abbot diverted the river water in order to supply the mill with sufficient power, the neighbouring village was flooded. The villagers rose up in protest, and fifteen years later they were granted permission to change the course of the water in case of an emergency. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, ownership of the mill reverted to the Crown. The present mill replaces one burnt down in the 17th century. The best-known…

Although there has been a mill on this site for most of Houghton's history, the original mill site (certainly in the time of the Domesday book) was approximately along the river towards Huntingdon. The original mill pond is still there but now appears to be a natural backwater. The present building was probably built in the 17th century, and extended in the 19th century. It consists of three storeys and attics. the building is part brick, part timber-framed and weather-boarded. In the 1930s, the mill was decommissioned. Local residents bought the building and it was given to the National Trust in 1939. From 1935 to 1983, the mill was in use as a youth hostel, and was one of the few YHA…