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External scoop wheel driven
The mill drove a 12-foot external scoop wheel and used a wooden common pole to transmit power.
Site overview
High's Drainage Mill stands on Halvergate Marshes and has also been known as Gilbert's Mill or Lubbock's Mill. It is one of the older drainage mills on the marshes and contains reused eighteenth-century material. The two-storey tower stood by itself on a cut north of Fleet Dyke and had only one upper-floor window.
It drove a 12-foot external scoop wheel and was one of only two Norfolk pumps known to have used a wooden common pole to drive the scoop wheel. In 1988 the mill was owned by the Norfolk Windmills Trust, had been weatherproofed with a temporary aluminium cap, and retained the windshaft, brake wheel, canister and external scoop wheel. By 2023 it was recorded in good preserved condition.
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 was one of several wind-powered pumps on Halvergate Marshes. It was also known as Gilbert's Mill and Lubbock's Mill, and later took the High name from the marshman Bertie High and his family. The mill dates from the nineteenth century and contains reused material from the eighteenth century.
It was a relatively primitive drainage windpump compared with later Halvergate examples. The two-storey tower stood alone on a cut north of Fleet Dyke, had only one upper-floor window, and drove a 12-foot diameter external scoop wheel. It had common sails that had to be set by hand and no fantail, so the cap had to be turned physically to face the wind.
The mill was unusual in using a wooden common pole to drive the scoop wheel, a feature shared in Norfolk only with Haddiscoe Pettingill's Mill. In July 1988 it was owned by the Norfolk Windmills Trust and had been weatherproofed with a temporary aluminium cap. Some machinery remained inside, including the windshaft with brake wheel and canister, and the external scoop wheel was still in place.
In 2023 the tower was recorded in good preserved condition.
Timeline
1800–1899
High's Mill built
The two-storey drainage mill was built on Halvergate Marshes in the nineteenth century using some reused eighteenth-century material.
1988
Preserved machinery recorded
The tower had been weatherproofed and retained the windshaft, brake wheel, canister and external scoop wheel.
2023
Good preserved condition recorded
The mill was recorded in good preserved condition.
Sources and records
Norfolk Mills: Halvergate High's drainage windmill
Norfolk County Council: High's Drainage Mill
Norfolk drainage windmill listing references
Norfolk County Council: High's Drainage Mill
Norfolk drainage windmill listing references