House Mill

The House Mill from the mill basin.

House Mill as seen from Sugar House Island
The House Mill interior.

The House Mill is a major Grade I listed building[1] on the River Lea in Mill Meads, and part of the Three Mills complex. The original tidal mills at this site date back to the Domesday book of 1086, and the present structure of the House Mill was built in 1776 by Daniel Bisson. It was damaged by fire in 1802, and then rebuilt by Philip Metcalfe.[2]

It is one of only four Grade I listed buildings[3] in the London Borough of Newham. The House Mill remains the "largest tidal mill standing in Britain",[4] although the water wheels are not in operation.

The south facade of the House Mill displays a coat of arms dated 1776 and the initials "D S B" (which could be Daniel and Sarah Bisson), with forty cast iron wall plates which tie the ends of the floor beams.

The Miller's House was rebuilt in 1995 with a modern interior, but retaining the original facade. The Miller's House and a house on the other side of the House Mill were originally built for the Miller and his family. A Second World War bomb landed on a nearby bonded warehouse and damaged both houses on 15 October 1940 which were later demolished. The Mill stopped operating and was used as a warehouse.[5]

Publications

House Mill facade on Three Mill Lane

The following are research papers published by the House Mill (River Lea Tidal Mill Trust Ltd).

  • The Three Mills Distillery in the Georgian era by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0-9544094-4-2
  • The LeFevre family and distilling along the Lower Lea by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0-9544094-5-0
  • Owners of the Three Mills (1539–1728) by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0-9544094-3-4
  • Philip Metcalfe (1733–1818), the MP and industrialist who built the Clock Mill by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0-9544094-7-7
  • The Bisson Family of Three Mills by Keith Fairclough and Brian Strong (2003) ISBN 0-9544094-6-9

Notes

  1. ^ "Historic Buildings in Newham". Archived from the original on 31 August 2005. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
  2. ^ Philip Metcalfe (1733–1818), the MP and industrialist who built the Clock Mill by Keith Fairclough (2003)
  3. ^ Listed Buildings of Local and National Importance Archived 17 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine London Borough of Newham
  4. ^ Three Mills Island Archived 22 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
  5. ^ House Mill Tour guide notes
House Mill on a sunny day at low tide
The House Mill is the world's oldest surviving tidal mill
Wikimedia Commons has media related to House Mill.

51°31′39″N 0°00′28″W / 51.5274°N 0.0079°W / 51.5274; -0.0079