1818
Tower mill built
Hickling tower mill was built as an eight-storey tarred brick corn mill.
Site overview
Hickling tower mill was built in 1818 as a corn mill. The eight-storey tarred brick tower was built with unusually thick brickwork at the base and stood 60 feet to the curb and 71 feet to the ridge of the cap. It had a Norfolk boat-shaped cap, four double-shuttered sails, an eight-bladed fantail, and three pairs of French burr stones.
The mill was used for grinding wheat for flour, and by the 1860s a bakery was associated with the site. Wind-powered production ended in 1904, when the sails and fantail were removed. The mill passed into the Forbes family's ownership in 1934, and major cap renovation was carried out in 1989.
The tower remains a rare, largely unrestored survivor retaining much of its main machinery, timber fittings, and millstones.
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
Hickling tower mill was built in 1818 as an eight-storey tarred brick corn mill. Its tower was substantially built, with brickwork reported as 30 inches thick at the base, and it rose 60 feet to the curb and 71 feet to the ridge of the cap. The mill was fitted with a Norfolk boat-shaped cap, gallery, eight-bladed fantail, and four double-shuttered patent sails.
The sails drove three pairs of French burr stones, with associated flour mills, dressing machinery, a cylinder, jumper, and oat crusher. The windows were arranged vertically, and a number of them were false or blocked so that the appearance of regular fenestration did not weaken the tower. The mill worked as a wheat-grinding flour mill, and by the 1860s the site also included a bakery.
Wind-powered milling ceased in 1904, after which the sails and fantail were removed. After later changes of ownership, the mill came into Forbes family ownership in 1934. A major renovation of the cap was undertaken in 1989.
The mill survives as a largely unrestored tower mill retaining much of its principal machinery, timber fittings, and three sets of millstones.
Timeline
1860–1869
Bakery associated with site
By the 1860s the mill site also included a bakery.
1904
Wind-powered milling ceased
Production ceased and the sails and fantail were removed.
1934
Forbes family ownership began
The mill came into the ownership of the Forbes family.
1989
Cap renovated
Major renovation work was carried out on the cap.
Sources and records
Norfolk Mills page: Hickling tower windmill
Wikipedia article: Hickling Mill
WindmillWorld entry: Hickling tower mill
Wikipedia article: Hickling Mill
WindmillWorld entry: Hickling tower mill