1871
Steam engine plate dated
A Riches & Watts steam engine plate dated 1871 records auxiliary steam equipment used to supplement wind power.
Site overview
Potter Heigham High's Drainage Mill stands on the north side of the River Thurne. It was built around 1875 by the Stalham millwright William Rust for the Drainage Board. The mill used four patent sails to power its drainage pump, with a Norfolk boat-shaped cap, tailpole and six-bladed fantail.
A steam engine dated 1871 supplemented wind power, and later accounts record steam and electric pumping alongside the windmill. The mill was run by Harold High from 1922 and by Bertie High from the early 1940s. Steam pumping was replaced by an electric pump in 1938.
By the early twenty-first century the mill had lost its working sails but retained its cap. It was bought at auction in 2015 and restored privately, with major cap and structural repairs carried out from 2016.
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
High's Drainage Mill at Potter Heigham was built on the north side of the River Thurne as a drainage windpump. It was constructed around 1875 by William Rust of Stalham, a millwright originally from Martham who also built Hunsett and Turf Fen mills. The windpump used four patent sails to drive its pump, and the sails and Norfolk boat-shaped cap were turned to wind by a six-bladed fantail.
The cap also had a tailpole. Wind power was supplemented by a steam drainage pump, represented by a Riches & Watts manufacturer's plate dated 1871. The mill later took its name from the High family.
Harold High took over operation late in 1922, and in the early 1940s the running of the mill passed to his brother Bertie High. The mill and cottage stood on slightly higher ground during the 1938 floods, when surrounding marshes were inundated. In the same year the steam engine was replaced by an electric pump.
Later photographs recorded the changing condition of the structure, including a fan frame and two stocks in 1971 and a cap in 2008. The mill was advertised for auction in May 2015 and bought by Gavin Swain. From 2016 restoration work by Richard Seago included replacement of the cap and significant structural timbers, new windows, interior refitting, rebuilding of the pump house and reinforcement of the millpond wall.
The lean of the structure prevented replacement of the sails, leaving the restored building as a private preserved drainage-mill structure rather than a complete working windpump.
Timeline
1875
High's Drainage Mill built
The drainage mill was built around 1875 by William Rust of Stalham for the Drainage Board.
1922
Harold High took over
Harold High took over operation of the drainage mill late in 1922.
1938
Electric pump replaced steam
The steam engine was replaced by an electric pump.
1942
Bertie High took over
Bertie High took over operation of the mill from the early 1940s.
2015
Mill bought at auction
The mill was advertised for sale by auction and bought by Gavin Swain.
2016–2017
Restoration work undertaken
Richard Seago carried out restoration work including replacement of the cap and significant structural timbers.
2018
Private restoration described
The owners described cap replacement, window renewal, interior refitting, pump-house rebuilding and millpond wall reinforcement.
Sources and records
Norfolk Mills: Potter Heigham High's drainage windmill
Riches & Watts steam engine plate evidence
Ordnance Survey map evidence reproduced by Norfolk Mills
Private restoration account by Gavin Swain
Riches & Watts steam engine plate evidence
Ordnance Survey map evidence reproduced by Norfolk Mills
Private restoration account by Gavin Swain