Tide Mills of Southern England

Author: Alex Vincent

A tide mill or tidal mill is worked by harnessing the ebb and tlow ot the sea. They were situated on tidal river estuaries, away trom the waves but near to the sea, and comprised ot a mill, outbuildings, a dyke, dam or causeway and millpond beyond. Tide mills date trom Saxon times, or even the Roman period. Most are now gone, but some can still be traced today as ruins, scanty remains and earthworks. Some are in use as homes, while in some cases only the millpond survives, otten in use as a nature reserve, marina or yacht basin. lt is said that Chichester Harbour has the largest concentration ot tide mills in the country and at Eling, near Southampton, in Hampshire, a tide mill survives in working order to produce Flour today. The old Flood Mill at Depttord was rebuilt as a steam Flour mill, where only the Mumlord’s Mill still stands. That at Faversham became Twymans Mill, which still stands today and is now a block of Flats.

ln Tide Mills of Southern England author Alex Vincent surveys the lost tide mills and their remains in the southern counties ot Hampshire, the Isle ot Wight, Sussex and Kent, including parts at London that were originally Kent such as Greenwich and Depttord. This tascinating picture at an important but otten torgotten part ot the industrial heritage ot southern England will be at interest to all those who live in this corner ot the country or have known it well over the years, as well as those interested in the uses ot renewable technology in centuries past.

95  pages. Softback, 234 x 165 mm. First published 2024