Howsham Mill is a Grade II listed 18th century

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

located on the River Derwent in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

Howsham Mill dates back to and is attributed to John Carr of York. It was built in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style both as a working

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

to grind

grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legume ...

into

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

and as an ''eyecatcher'' or

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

within the formal parkscape of nearby Howsham Hall. The mill was powered by a breastshot

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...

connected by a gear wheel to

millstones Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

that grind the grain into flour. Milling of flour ceased in 1947 and the building fell into decay by the 1960s.

Restoration

Archimedean Screw Turbine at Howsham Mill

In 2004 the Renewable Heritage Trust was formed by local residents with the intention of preserving and restoring the mill. Fund raising, volunteer labour and grant funding, totalling £450,000 has enabled the installation of a new waterwheel and a

screw turbine A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to f ...

based on the

Archimedean screw The Archimedes screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest hydraulic machines. Using Archimedes screws as water pumps (Archimedes screw pump (ASP) or screw pump) dates back ...

principle to generate electricity and help fund the project in the long term. The first phase of the restoration was completed in 2007 and involved installing the new waterwheel and Archimedean screw as well as rebuilding the walls and roof of the granary to the north of the main building, allowing the installation of a kitchen and toilets as well as housing the control equipment for the hydro generation. Howsham Mill 04

The Mill was connected to the National Grid in 2010, allowing electricity generated to be sold. Restoration of the main part of the building was completed in 2013 providing facilities as an environmental study/community centre. A second, larger screw was commissioned in 2018 to provide additional hydro-electric generating capacity.

''Restoration Village''

In 2006 Howsham Mill was featured on the BBC television programme '' Restoration Village'' presented by

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...

. It won the North regional heat and was featured in the live National Final on Sunday 17 September 2006. Although Howsham Mill did not win, a £50,000 Project Planning grant was won by reaching the final.

References

External links

Howsham Mill Official WebsiteHowsham Mill on the BBC Restoration WebsiteRenewable Heritage Trust Website
* {{coord, 54.0560, -0.8862, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in North Yorkshire Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Watermills in North Yorkshire Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire River Derwent, Yorkshire