Frettenham Windmill

Frettenham Mill is a Grade II listed^[1] tower mill at Frettenham, Norfolk, England which has been converted to residential accommodation.

Frettenham Windmill
The mill under conversion
Origin
Mill name	Frettenham Mill
Mill location	TG 24591 776
Coordinates	52°42′39.28″N 1°19′24.37″E
Operator(s)	Private
Year built	c.1880
Information
Purpose	Corn
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Five storeys
No. of sails	Four sails
Winding	Fantail
No. of pairs of millstones	Two pairs
Size of millstones	One pair 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m)

History

Frettenham Mill was built c1880 for Joshua Harper. He died in 1891 and the mill was offered for sale by auction at the Royal Hotel, Norwich on 18 July 1891. It was bought by Alfred Herne, who worked it until c.1900.^[2]

The mill had lost its sails and fantail by c.1910.^[3] The mill was derelict by 1937, but at that time retained the cap frame.^[2] By 2004, the mill and associated outbuildings had been converted to residential accommodation. A new boat shaped cap was fitted to the mill tower.^[3]

Graham Cottrell and wife Suzanne Cottrell owned the mill between 2011 and 2016, during that time the fourth mill stone (two still in place, one incorporated into the village sign) was returned to the site and mounted as a water feature in the garden, additionally a modern single door on the first floor was replaced with a pair of doors matching the oldest photos of the mill that are available.

Description

For an explanation of the various pieces of machinery, see Mill machinery.

Frettenham Mill is a five storey tower mill which had a stage at second floor level. The cap was winded by a fantail. The mill had four sails. The tower is 47 feet (14.33 m) to the curb.^[2] Much of the machinery survives in the converted mill, including the wooden upright shaft, wooden clasp-arm great spur wheel, cast iron crown wheel with wooden teeth and two pairs of underdrift French Burr millstones.^[1] One of the millstones was incorporated into the village sign.^[3]

Millers

The village sign, incorporating a millstone from Frettenham Mill

The mill was operated by miller Joshua Harper from 1880-91, before the role passed to Alfred Edward Sutton Herne in 1891, who held the position until the year 1900.^[2]