Hough Mill Swannington · Leicestershire · England

Hough Mill, historically known as Thringstone Smock Mill, is a restored brick tower mill at Swannington. The name reflects a complicated local history. Earlier mills stood on high ground north of Swannington and were worked by milling families including the Griffins, Chesters, and Kirbys. These early mills included post mills, and one collapsed in the early nineteenth century.

The present tower mill was built after John Griffin purchased land from the Enclosure Commissioners in 1804. From the late eighteenth century until the 1870s the Griffin family owned and operated the mill. By 1874 it was leased to James Kirby, who was connected to the Griffin family through marriage. James Kirby was listed as miller on the 1877 auction poster. In that year the mill was sold to John Hough, steward to the Beaumonts of Coleorton, while the Kirby family continued in the milling trade. Walter Chester was later the last commercial tenant.

The mill closed early in the twentieth century as traditional wind milling became obsolete. The derelict mill was listed in the 1980s and was compulsorily purchased by North West Leicestershire District Council. Swannington Heritage Trust bought Hough Mill on 23 August 1994 and began a major restoration programme with support from the Midland Mills Group, the SPAB Mills Group, and Lottery funding. Structural restoration was completed in 1999, and the mill opened to the public in 2000.

Later restoration continued the technical reconstruction of the mill. A flour dresser was refurbished and installed in 2005. In 2009 the static cap was removed and remounted with windshaft and fantail. A brake wheel was constructed and installed in 2012. Framework sails were fitted in September 2019, returning the tower to a recognisable windmill profile, although the sails are not intended for normal wind-powered operation. Hough Mill now combines restored mill fabric with displays on milling, mining, and railway history within the Swannington heritage landscape.