1905
Drainage pump mapped
The 1905 Ordnance Survey map recorded the site as a draining pump.
Site overview
Ludham Bridge north drainage mill stood just north of Ludham Bridge on the north bank of the River Ant. It was a small three-storey red-brick drainage tower, about 20 feet high to its iron curb, with a base diameter of 12 ft 4 in including 18 in thick walls. The 1905 Ordnance Survey map recorded it as a draining pump.
By 1934 the sails and fantail had gone, though the cap and gallery remained. Around 1942 the cap and gallery were removed and the tower was adapted for Home Guard use as a pillbox, with gun loopholes cut into the tower and a circular concrete mortar mounting block nearby. By 1986 it was derelict with a few floor beams remaining.
Later photographs recorded its distinctive lean and continuing survival.
Map
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.
No site photograph is currently available. Images will be added as field visits are carried out.
History
Ludham Bridge north drainage mill was a small red-brick tower drainage pump standing just north of Ludham Bridge on the north bank of the River Ant. Norfolk Mills describes it as a three-storey tower, around 20 feet high to its iron curb, with a base diameter of 12 ft 4 in including walls 18 inches thick. The Ordnance Survey map of 1905 marked the site as a draining pump.
By 1934 the mill had already lost its sails and fantail, although its cap and gallery were still in position. Around 1942, during the Second World War, the cap and gallery were removed and the tower was taken over by the Home Guard as a pillbox. Gun loopholes were built into the tower and remain visible, while a circular concrete mounting block for a mortar stood close to the tower.
By May 1986 the mill was derelict with only a few floor beams remaining. In the 1980s a wooden frame had been set on the top, and Norfolk Mills records that the tower had developed a slight lean which increased over the years. Later photographs from 2006, 2008, 2018 and 2023 document the surviving tower, including its leaning condition and loose curb.
Timeline
1934
Sails and fantail gone
By 1934 the sails and fantail had gone, though the cap and gallery were still in place.
1942
Tower adapted as pillbox
Around 1942 the cap and gallery were removed and the tower was taken over by the Home Guard as a pillbox.
1986
Derelict tower recorded
The mill was recorded as derelict with a few floor beams remaining.
2008
Leaning tower photographed
Photographs recorded the surviving tower with its distinctive lean and loose curb.
Sources and records
Norfolk Mills page: Ludham Bridge north drainage pump
Windmill World gazetteer entry: Ludham Bridge tower mill
Norfolk Mills Ordnance Survey map notes
Windmill World gazetteer entry: Ludham Bridge tower mill
Norfolk Mills Ordnance Survey map notes