Tasburgh watermill was probably once a paper mill but in 1896 it became Duffields' first roller mill. It had an auxiliary steam engine and was capable of producing two sacks an hour. This was a typical Norfolk white weatherboarded mill with a Norfolk pantile roof. The adjoining mill house under the same roof was built of Norfolk red brick.

The decorative brick chimney came from Tharston and the Mill House door came from Norwich.

For many years the mill was worked in conjunction with the nearby windmill.

Royal Exchange Fire Insurance policy 77407

Zachary George was the son of King George, miller at Costessey, who died in 1813.

Capital Water Mill, Wind Mill & Land at Tasburgh, Norfolk.
To be Sold by Auction By CLEMENTS & RACKHAM On Saturday 26 October 1816 At 3 o'c At the Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich. The following Valuable Estates in 4 Lots.
Lot 1. A Very desirable ESTATE at Tasburgh in Norfolk consisting of a Windmill, a most excellent Water Mill, a substantial convenient Dwelling house, a well planted garden, a barn, a cow house, stables & other convenient outbuildings, all in good repair & also 9a. 3r. 5p. of most excellent meadow land adjoining the premises with about 360 trees thereon.
The Mills & buildings with 4 acres of this Lot are copyhold of the Manor of Tasburgh, the remainder is freehold; the quit rent is £4 & the land tax £2. 16s. per annum & the whole is under a lease to Mr. James REEVE, the occupier for a term of which 18 years are now unexpired, at a rental of £45 per annum.
Apply to Messrs. SEWELL & BLAKE, or to Messrs. BIGNOLD & BRIGHTWELL Solrs. Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 12th October 1816

Capital Water Mill, Wind_ Mill & Land at Tasburgh, Norfolk.
To be Sold by Auction By CLEMENTS & RACKHAM On Saturday 26 October 1816 At 3 o'c At the Rampant Horse Inn, Norwich. The following Valuable Estates in 4 Lots.
Lot 1. A Very desirable ESTATE at Tasburgh in Norfolk consisting of a Windmill, a most excellent Water Mill, a substantial convenient Dwelling house, a well planted garden, a barn, a cow house, stables & other convenient outbuildings, all in good repair & also 9a. 3r. 5p. of most excellent meadow land adjoining the premises with about 360 trees thereon.
The Mills and buildings of this Lot are copyhold of the Manor of TASBOROW UPHALL with BOYLANDS & HUNTS on the part of BOYLANDS & HUNTS, fine arbitrary, 4 acres of the land are Copyhold of the Manor of TASBOROW UPHALL with BOYLANDS & HUNTS on the part of UPHALL, fine arbitrary, the remainder is freehold. The quit rent is £4 & the land tax £2. 16s. per annum & the whole is under a lease to Mr. James REEVE, the occupier for a term of which 18 years are now unexpired, at a rental of £45 per annum.
Apply to Messrs. SEWELL & BLAKE, or to Messrs. BIGNOLD & BRIGHTWELL Solrs. Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 19th & 26th October 1816

To Millers
To be Sold
A Very Desirable ESTATE at Tasburgh in Norfolk consisting of a very complete water mill and , wind_mill, a substantial dwelling house and other convenient outbuildings, all in good repair, a well planted garden and about 10 acres of most excellent meadow land adjoining the premises.
The estate may be viewed by application to Mr. James Reeve, the proprietor, who will yield up possession thereof at any time most suitable to a purchaser.
The premises are partly freehold and part copyhold and a moiety of the purchase money may remain on mortgage if required.
Apply to SEWELL & BLAKE, Solrs. Norwich.
Norfolk Chronicle - 8th & 15th February 1817

William Lant Duffield had been an apprentice at Tasburgh watermill before becoming an employee at Mulbarton_smockmill. In 1893 he started his own business by leasing Mattishall_Mill_St_towermill for four years. In 1896 William Duffield went back to Tasburgh watermill and in 1906 took over the running of Saxlingham_Thorpe_watermill thus founding the firm of W. L. Duffield & Son, Ltd.

Norwich Bankrupts.
... public examinations before Mr. Registrar Cooke at the Norwich Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday (14th) The examinations were conducted by the Official Receiver, Mr. H. P. Gould.
William Lant Duffield, miller and farmer of Tasburgh Mill and Saxlingham_Thorpe. Gross Liabilities £1697. 4s. 2d: deficiency £632. 2s. 2d.
Replying to questions, he said that in 1893 he commenced trading as a miller at Mattishall with a capital of about £130. When he removed to Tasburgh three years later he was worth about £300. In 1897 he took over Flordon_mill with 36 acres of land and at Michaelmas 1906 he hired the Saxlingham_mill with 20 acres. Three years afterwards he hired the windmill at Topcroft and a year ago he gave up the Flordon_mill and land ...
... last year a distress was issued for rent ...
... His insolvency was due to want of capital and losses occasioned by the flood of 1912.
Dereham & Fakenham Times - 18th March 1916 (Saturday)

Water Mill House

This is a rare opportunity to buy a Grade II listed country house with an adjoining water mill conversion situated in an estate close to Norwich extending to approximately 14 acres.
Included in the entire sale is Water Mill House, Water Mill Cottage, Mill View, river frontage onto the River Tas, formal gardens, a swimming pool and water meadows. So, the surprise is that you are in Tasburgh, close to the city and yet you come through the front gate and you are in your own mini paradise.
The most quirky feature is the fact most of the original mill workings are still evident with the mill race going right under the property, beneath the hallway.
So, as you walk in, you come up to a glazed panel in the floor where you can watch the water gushing through. Standing in the hall, you can hear the sound of the water and it’s a really lovely, relaxing sound.
You can shut yourself off from it, however, if you wish! It is believed there has been some kind of mill on this site since the 15th century and it ceased in operation in 1935 when it was adapted for residential use.
The property is vast inside - Water Mill House extends to just over 7,000 square feet of accommodation and offers an entrance hall leading to a family/games room with a central fireplace and there is also a sitting room.
There is a most impressive staircase that leads to the first floor reception landing and also a dining room with views over and French doors on to the west facing terrace, a fitted kitchen/breakfast room, walk-in pantry, boot room, pool room and access into the integral double garage. I absolutely loved the first floor salon, a formal drawing room.
Upstairs there is a master bedroom suite with a dual aspect bedroom, en-suite bathroom and dressing room. There are two further bedrooms and a shower room on this floor. The top floor offers incredible space with three further bedrooms, two of which are en-suite. Outside, you have those private gardens looking out over the water which feeds into the river Tas.
This property is for sale in four Lots - Lot 1 which includes the main house and garden of 3.08 acres for £1.85 million and you can also buy a separate property, Lot 2 – Water Mill Cottage for £400,000, Lot 3 is Mill View for £125,000 and Lot 4 is the Water Meadows of 13.71 acres for £125,000.
Water Mill House, Lower Tasburgh, is for sale with Savills on 01603 229229 jointly with Sowerbys on 01603 761441.
Eastern Daily Press Property - 25th March 2016

Couple sell 'amazing' converted water mill after two-year renovation

A couple who renovated a historic water mill in an idyllic Norfolk village have put it on the market for £1,600,000.
Water Mill House in Tasburgh is believed to date back to the 15-16th century but was converted into a residential property in the 1930s. When Rebecca Garner and her family moved in in 2019, they decided to completely renovate it.
"It hadn't had a lot of work done to it," admits Rebecca. "It had stood in time and was a bit of a can of worms. There was just so much to do."
Rebecca says her passion for history, and the fact that it is Grade II listed, meant that the family were careful to retain many of its original features, including exposing as many floors as they could and making sure that the decoration remained in keeping with the period. 
"We were very careful that what we added didn't make it too modern," she explains, "and we really wanted to make a feature of the features, as it's predominantly an industrial property."

The mill's original workings can still be seen in a glazed off room on the ground floor, and you can still hear the sound of water, as the River Tas runs directly underneath. "You can hear the river all the time," Rebecca says - although she's keen to point out that you can also shut it off, closing doors to create privacy within the house.
Ground-floor accommodation includes two good-sized reception rooms, a study, kitchen/breakfast room and plenty of storage space. Despite extensive renovation work, uncovering floors and repainting in period colours, Rebecca says it's definitely not a show home: "It's very functional, with more comfortable rooms upstairs."
There are three bedrooms and a games room on the first floor, including the master which has an en suite and separate dressing room, and three further bedrooms on the second floor. There's also plenty of loft space, which could be further converted. 
The property itself is nestled in 16 acres which, for Rebecca, has only added to its sense of magic.
"There are many separate areas of the gardens, and it's been the best place in the world to live in during lockdown," she says. It's also teeming with wildlife, with roe and muntjac deer regular visitors, as well as kingfishers, herons, geese and even white egrets."
Although Rebecca admits that the grounds were quite daunting at first, she says she's learnt through trying. "The river looks quite intimidating," she says, "but there's an island where we have a picnic in the summer or read a book - it's such an amazing property, it's just magic."
Even accessing the property is picturesque, as its tucked the other side of a private cobbled bridge, behind a private stretch of the River Tas.
There's also a heated swimming pool, which Rebecca says offers "much more potential", as well as a sun terrace, two natural ponds and beautiful formal gardens. Several meadows have also recently been planted with cricket bat willows.
"It really has got everything," Rebecca says, "especially if you're hands on. There's no way you could get bored because there's just so much to do."
Rebecca MacNaughton, Eastern Daily Press Property - 12th April 2021

Tasburgh index of wills 1559: Robert Carre, miller

Tasburgh index of wills 1640: William Rysinge, miller

September 1763: Mr. Nickless listed as a contact re the sale of Bedingham smockmill

Tasburgh poll book 1780: John Nickless

February 1780: John Nickless insured the mill for £800 with Royal Exchange Fire Insurance

Tasburgh poll book 1784: John Nickless

Tasburgh poll book 1799: Robert Buck

1803: James Reeve, miller

1808: James Reeve, miller

1816: James Reeve, miller & at watermill, tenant miller at £45 per annum

October 1816: Mill & watermill advertised for sale by auction

1817: James Reeve, miller & at watermill, tenant miller at £45 per annum

February 1817: Mill and windmill advertised for sale

Bryant's map 1826: Mill

White's 1836: Zachariah George, corn miller

White's 1845: Zachariah George, corn miller

White's 1854: Zachary George, corn miller & farmer