NHER 1766 (Building record) - Burnham Overy Watermill

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Summary

A watermill, dating originally to around 1795, with an attached bridge over the river Burn. It was operated by the same Edmund Savory who ran the nearby windmill (NHER1765). The watermill itself is a long building, two storeys high, of red brick with a pantiled roof and a weatherboarded hoist cover. Large granary extensions were added in the mid 19th century, and a steam engine was installed in an adjacent engine house, which powered the mill machinery (replacing water power), and also a maltings in a further building added to the east. The building was gutted by fire in 1959, so the roof and much of the interior date to 1960. What remained of the mill machinery, with the exception of the waterwheel, was removed in 1989. Owned since 1939 by the National Trust, the buildings have now been converted to residential use.

Protected Status/Designation

Listed Building (II) 1239180: WATERMILL, BRIDGE AND PARAPET WALL ATTACHED TO NORTH

Location

Map sheet	TF84SW
Civil Parish	BURNHAM OVERY, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

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Full Description

19 March 1976. Visited.
Watermill. 1757 (S1).
Brick frontage on road of a range of several brick buildings of varying height. Some blank arches. Hoist cover weatherboarded, bearing wind vane. A plaque says the interior was destroyed in 1959 by fire, and rebuilt; already it is in bad condition again. Another plaque attached by clamps bears faded letters and the date 1820; this is possibly an old parish boundary marker (the boundary follows the old stream, not the mill leat).
Owned by National Trust; it is planned to convert the building into a youth hostel.
E. Rose (NAU).

New plans 1979 for restoration for public exhibition.
The rear wing of the building has what appears to be the base of a large chimney, suggesting that steam power was latterly used.
E. Rose (NAU).

(S1) date of 1737 is wrong, a confusion with the Town Mill (site NHER1772) Date of this mill probably 1790 as date on mill bridge, extended in early 19th century.
See (S7).
E. Rose (NAU) 1984.

Full description, plans, and elevations in (S7).
E. Rose (NAU), 22 February 1999.

1792. Potential Built Date.
A Royal Exchange Fire Insurance Policy excerpt (S19) indicates a windmill made of brick and stone in Burnham Overy owned by Mr Savory was extant in 1792. It is unclear if the document refers to NHER 1765 Burnham Overy Windmill, or to this watermill NHER 1766.
A. Henderson (HES), 21 November 2024.

Press cuttings (S10), (S11), (S12), (S14) and (S15) in file. (S8) in file.Press cuttings (S1) to (S4) not in file.

NIAS survey (S6) on fiche. (S17).

Articles, Eastern Daily Press - 1980 and unknown, missing from file [J Yates, 20 July 2010].

The mill is owned by the National Trust who (as of 1989) applied for conversion of use to housing so that the building may be preserved after the fire in 1959.
The mill was built in 1795 and was noted on Walpole estate documents in 1807, 1812 and 1819. The premesis was expanded in 1820 to include a maltings, granary and kiln. The mill changed ownership in 1888 and was then leased to different millers several times up unitil 1939 when the property was passed on to the National Trust.
The mill was damaged by flooding in 1953 and gutted by fire in 1959. The mill was reconstructed after 1960 although much of the interior and machinery were unsalvagable.
NIAS records (S18)
W. Arnold 22/12/2010

Associated Sources (23)

--- SNF11698 Aerial Photograph: TF8343C-E.
--- SNF8808 Fiche: Exists.
--- SNF58211 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1979. Tourist Invasion Fears Over Burnham Overy Plan. 9 February.
--- SNF75762 Newspaper Article: Scenic mill set for new lease of life.
--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
--- SNF57204 Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 84 SW 22.
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1> SNF4215 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. [unknown]. [unknown]. 9 January.
<S10> SNF58212 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1980. [unknown]. 18 December.
<S11> SNF58213 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1989. Old watermill machinery could be on the move. 6 March.
<S12> SNF58214 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1993. [Articles on the restorations and reuse of Burnham Overy Watermill].
<S14> SNF58204 Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1992. Facelift for watermill. 10 July.
<S15> SNF58218 Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1994. Sales of the riverbank. 26 May.
<S16> SNF58205 Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1999. Stunning. 26 November.
<S17> SNF48662 Designation: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1239180.
<S18> SNF57617 Archive: NIAS. Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society Records.
<S19> SNF102828 Documentary Source: 1792. Royal Exchange Fire Insurance Policy. Ms 7253 Vol.25 (130592-140641).
<S2> SNF3726 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1979. [Articles on the proposed restoration of Burnham Overy Windmill and Burnham Overy Watermill].
<S3> SNF269 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1980. Mill repairs close road. 13 December.
<S5> SNF7576 Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, B. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 233.
<S6> SNF2909 Article in Serial: 1989. Burnham Overy Watermill.. NIAS Journal. Vol 4, no 4, p1ff.
<S7> SNF49212 Drawing: Various. Various. Architectural plans.
<S8> SNF58208 Photograph: C55.408.1, 2 &5.

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Burnham Overy (Parish Summary)

Record last edited

Nov 21 2024 2:34PM