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Fritton Marsh drainage mill built
The small three-storey tarred tower drainage mill was built beside the River Waveney.
Site overview
Fritton Marsh drainage mill, also known as Farman's Mill, stands beside the River Waveney. It was a small three-storey black-tarred tower mill with a Norfolk boat-shaped cap. The mill stood by the river with wooden sheds and worked as a drainage pump for the marshes rather than as a corn mill.
Photographic records show the mill in working order in the twentieth century, including views from 1975, and later views from 2008 and 2009 record the surviving tower structure. The available evidence identifies the mill type, drainage purpose, riverside setting, alternative name and survival, but gives little detail on its construction date, machinery or final working date. The site is therefore a surviving drainage-mill structure with limited published operating history.
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
Fritton Marsh drainage mill was built beside the River Waveney and was also known as Farman's Mill. It was a small three-storey tower drainage pump, black tarred and fitted with a Norfolk boat-shaped cap. The mill stood along the river with wooden sheds nearby.
Its function was marsh drainage rather than corn milling, placing it within the group of Broadland and Waveney drainage windpumps used to manage low-lying grazing marshes. The published record gives only a limited working history, but photographic evidence records the mill in working order and later surviving as a riverside drainage-mill structure. A photograph dated 5 May 1975 shows the mill, and further photographs from 2008 and 2009 record the surviving structure after its working life.
The tower remains the principal evidenced survival. No secure construction date, named millwright, full machinery description or final working date has been identified in the available sources, so the account is confined to the positively recorded structure, setting and drainage function.
Timeline
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Drainage pump operated
The mill worked as a wind-powered drainage pump for Fritton Marsh.
1975
Tower photographed
The drainage mill was photographed beside the River Waveney.
2008
Surviving mill recorded
The surviving Fritton Marshes tower mill was recorded in later photographic views.
Sources and records
Norfolk Mills: Fritton Marsh drainage windmill
Mills Archive entry: Tower mill, Fritton Marshes
Windmill World entry: Fritton Marshes windmill
Archives Hub photographic record: Tower mill, Fritton Marshes, in working order
Mills Archive entry: Tower mill, Fritton Marshes
Windmill World entry: Fritton Marshes windmill
Archives Hub photographic record: Tower mill, Fritton Marshes, in working order