Since before the Norman Conquest, there has been a mill at Houghton.
The current mill dates from the seventeenth century, replacing the previous one that was destroyed by fire. It is one of the most complete mills along the length of the River Ouse.
The mill stopped active work in 1930 and was converted to a youth hostel in 1934.
The Mill and the adjacent caravan and campsite are owned by the National Trust, and in 1998/1999 a £1.2m building programme was completed to refurbish the Mill, install a working water wheel and install an underground turbine.
Part of the cost of this work was funded by a Heritage Lottery Grant of £624,360. The work maintains the Mill's reputation as a popular tourist attraction.
The Mill is open every Saturday and Sunday, from 2.00-5.30p.m. from April to October, and is additionally open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from July to September at the same times. Milling takes place on Sundays (subject to water level), starting at 2.00p.m.; the wholewheat flour produced (from wheat grown at nearby Wimpole Hall) is on sale, and there is a small tea room for light refreshments.
See you there!
Print your own photo of The Mill
In an effort to allow you to make your own photo of the Mill (if you have the necessary equipment, of course), I have a very high resolution photo of Houghton Mill.
To get it, all you have to do is either click the thumbnail on the left and the big version will open in another window, then you can print or save it, OR, if you right click the image left, select "save target as" and it will be downloaded onto your computer. You can then print it when you go to Staples or PC World and get some photo paper.
Beware, the photo is over 3Mb in size and you should only really consider it if you have Broadband.
