Letheringsett Watermill

The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions a watermill 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 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 eaves. 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 ft. However this work proved troublesome as some of the fields in the vicinity would flood in severe…