Mills

An introduction to mills, the two main types are defined by their power sources; water and wind.

Watermills were simpler to construct than windmills and were developed at an earlier date. This guide deals only with the archaeological evidence for mills. Mills that remain as standing buildings, normally designated as listed buildings, are treated in the Industrial Buildings selection guide.

Descriptions of watermills and windmills and their development and a brief chronology are included.

There does not appear to be a common factor among the associations of the few known Romano-British watermills. Anglo-Saxon watermills were frequently associated with high status sites. Medieval watermills were associated with a wide range of contemporary sites. Windmills, like watermills, needed good road access.