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Drainage mill recorded north of Ludham Bridge
The site is recorded as a small brick drainage mill north of Ludham Bridge.
Site overview
Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill was a small brick drainage mill north of Ludham Bridge. Norfolk Heritage Explorer records the site as the brick tower remains of a small drainage mill, with a World War Two pillbox and spigot mortar base nearby. The mill formed part of the Broads drainage landscape around Ludham Bridge rather than a corn-milling site.
Geograph records later photographed the remains as Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill and described it as one of the derelict mills in the area. The consulted sources do not provide a precise construction date, machinery specification, working ownership sequence or final drainage date. The positive record is therefore limited to its drainage function, brick tower survival, location north of Ludham Bridge and association with later wartime defensive structures.
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 Drainage Mill stood north of Ludham Bridge in the marshland landscape around the River Ant. Norfolk Heritage Explorer records the site as the brick tower remains of a small drainage mill and includes associated World War Two defensive remains: a pillbox and a spigot mortar base. The mill was therefore part of the drainage infrastructure of the Broads rather than a wind-powered corn mill.
The available consulted sources provide only limited detail on the working phase of the mill. No construction date, millwright, sail arrangement, cap form, pumping mechanism or drainage-board ownership sequence was identified in the consulted records. The heritage record nevertheless establishes the positive identification of the site as a drainage mill and confirms the survival of brick tower remains.
The post-working history is represented mainly by the surviving fabric and later recording. A Geograph photograph taken in 2006 identifies the site as Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill and describes it as one of the many derelict mills in the area. The present character of the site is therefore that of a surviving drainage-mill ruin within a landscape that also preserves Second World War defensive features.
Timeline
1939–1945
Wartime defences added near mill
A World War Two pillbox and spigot mortar base are recorded with the drainage mill site.
2006
Derelict drainage mill photographed
The remains were photographed as Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill.
Sources and records
Norfolk Heritage Explorer record: Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill, World War Two pillbox and spigot mortar base
Geograph record: Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill
Geograph record: Ludham Bridge Drainage Mill