Tidal Operation
Information board on the ground floor of the mill.
Taken during London Open House 2018
House Mill
The Worlds largest tidal mill. 5-storey, timber-framed, brick-clad timber watermill with four waterwheels, originally built 1776 to mill grain for distillery trade. Operational until 1940. On historic 3 Mills Site.
History
The House Mill was built in 1776 by Daniel Bisson, on the site of an earlier mill and between two houses occupied by the miller and his family, hence its name. The Clock Mill opposite was rebuilt in 1817. There was also a third mill, a windmill, which survived until about 1840. The House Mill continued to operate until 1941 and the Clock Mill until 1952.
Restoration
In 1989 work began on the House Mill and the fabric of the Mill has been fully restored. As part of the work to restore the site, the Miller’s House, which had been demolished in the late 1950s, was reconstructed in 1993/4. The façade was rebuilt to the 1763 design with reused 18th century bricks. Using many of the original materials recovered from the bombed site, the ground floor of the Miller’s House has been reconstructed as original, whilst the rest of the building is a new structure.
The Miller’s House provides a visitor, information, and education centre, with meeting rooms for hire and a small cafe. It was funded by the European Union. In 1996 it won a Civic Trust Commendation for outstanding architecture.
The garden was laid out to include a combination of design suggestions by pupils of Sarah Bonnell School, and includes original kitchen garden plants and a herb garden.
[Open House website]
The area known as Three Mills Island is a stretch of land surrounded by three channels of the ancient River Lea. There have been mills in this area for many centuries – according to the Domesday Survey, there were at least eight mills here at that point in time. Over time, wind power was used to drive mills with the addition of windmills. But, this area remains, perhaps, best known for its tidal mills. It was to become the home of the biggest tidal mill in the world.
The mills on this site were historically able to take advantage of the tidal flow of the river up to the Thames Estuary and the local Bow Creek. During its heyday, the mills here could work for up to eight hours in each tide, allowing them to become major producers in London.
In medieval times, Three Mills was the main producer of flour for local bakers who baked bread for the city. The mills here also had other uses, however, and at least one was a gunpowder mill. The site was largely developed in the 1720s when it was purchased by a group of local residents, including Peter Lefevre, a Huguenot refugee from France.
In the 1770s, the owners built the current House Mill building. Its name was derived from its location between two houses for staff who worked on the site as millers. The second of the mills, the Clock Mill, was constructed in 1817 and the third was a windmill. This site was a thriving concern in the 18th century. As well as the mills that worked on site, the owners also ran a distillery and piggery and employed many local people.
The House Mill was damaged by a fire in 1802 and needed to be partly rebuilt. Bombing during the Second World War effectively closed the site down in terms of milling production. The last of the mills to be in operation was the House Mill itself, which was ultimately shut down in 1941. This building now has a Grade I listing.
[EastLondonHistory website]
Tidal Operation
Information board on the ground floor of the mill.
Taken during London Open House 2018
House Mill
The Worlds largest tidal mill. 5-storey, timber-framed, brick-clad timber watermill with four waterwheels, originally built 1776 to mill grain for distillery trade. Operational until 1940. On historic 3 Mills Site.
History
The House Mill was built in 1776 by Daniel Bisson, on the site of an earlier mill and between two houses occupied by the miller and his family, hence its name. The Clock Mill opposite was rebuilt in 1817. There was also a third mill, a windmill, which survived until about 1840. The House Mill continued to operate until 1941 and the Clock Mill until 1952.
Restoration
In 1989 work began on the House Mill and the fabric of the Mill has been fully restored. As part of the work to restore the site, the Miller’s House, which had been demolished in the late 1950s, was reconstructed in 1993/4. The façade was rebuilt to the 1763 design with reused 18th century bricks. Using many of the original materials recovered from the bombed site, the ground floor of the Miller’s House has been reconstructed as original, whilst the rest of the building is a new structure.
The Miller’s House provides a visitor, information, and education centre, with meeting rooms for hire and a small cafe. It was funded by the European Union. In 1996 it won a Civic Trust Commendation for outstanding architecture.
The garden was laid out to include a combination of design suggestions by pupils of Sarah Bonnell School, and includes original kitchen garden plants and a herb garden.
[Open House website]
The area known as Three Mills Island is a stretch of land surrounded by three channels of the ancient River Lea. There have been mills in this area for many centuries – according to the Domesday Survey, there were at least eight mills here at that point in time. Over time, wind power was used to drive mills with the addition of windmills. But, this area remains, perhaps, best known for its tidal mills. It was to become the home of the biggest tidal mill in the world.
The mills on this site were historically able to take advantage of the tidal flow of the river up to the Thames Estuary and the local Bow Creek. During its heyday, the mills here could work for up to eight hours in each tide, allowing them to become major producers in London.
In medieval times, Three Mills was the main producer of flour for local bakers who baked bread for the city. The mills here also had other uses, however, and at least one was a gunpowder mill. The site was largely developed in the 1720s when it was purchased by a group of local residents, including Peter Lefevre, a Huguenot refugee from France.
In the 1770s, the owners built the current House Mill building. Its name was derived from its location between two houses for staff who worked on the site as millers. The second of the mills, the Clock Mill, was constructed in 1817 and the third was a windmill. This site was a thriving concern in the 18th century. As well as the mills that worked on site, the owners also ran a distillery and piggery and employed many local people.
The House Mill was damaged by a fire in 1802 and needed to be partly rebuilt. Bombing during the Second World War effectively closed the site down in terms of milling production. The last of the mills to be in operation was the House Mill itself, which was ultimately shut down in 1941. This building now has a Grade I listing.
[EastLondonHistory website]