Hindringham Lower Green tower mill was a 5 storey red brick mill that was located to the north of the village along with a farm. It was built c.1844 to replace a postmill on the same site.

The 5 storey towermill was built of Norfolk red brick with a Norfolk boat shaped cap holding a 6 bladed fan and a gallery. The 4 double shuttered sails each had 8 bays of 3 shutters and powered 3 pairs of stones, the largest of which was 5 feet in diameter. Other machinery included a flour mill and a sifter. By 1862 a bakehouse had been installed and was operating from the site along with a Garwood 10hp steam engine for auxliiary power after the mill had been badly damaged in a gale. The above photo shows that the inner stocks have weakened and have started to bend.

THE LATE HURRICANE

To Let With Immediate Possession

HINDRINGHAM
In Bankruptcy. Re WILLIAMS
To Millers, Farmers & others.
Messrs. CUTTEN DAVIS will Sell by Auction on the Premises, Hindringham, near Walsingham, Norfolk on Tuesday 9 December at 11 for 12 o’c, the excellent Live & Dead FARMING STOCK … Flour, Utensils of a Mill & a POWERFUL TEN-HORSE POWER PORTABLE STEAM ENGINE by GARWOOD.
May be viewed & Catalogues had on the Premises & of the Auctioneers 9 & 10 Basinghall St. London.
Norfolk News - 6th December 1862

William Williamson's farming stock, a Garwood 10h.p. portable steam engine and mill utensils were sold by auction on 9th December 1862.

John Lake ran the mill for about a year before leaving and allowing the mill to be let from Old Michaelmas day in 1864. John Lake later bought the Upper towermill.

Lower Green Windmill

Round and round a spiral staircase.
At the base, a column strong.
A ‘top the rail, a twist of iron.
Bars in spaces, mill and throng.

Through the lifts of brick and mortar.
Wind through floors of weathered oak
Without workings, turning never.
Bereft of toil, or sweat, or smoke.

Upon the crest, like clinker built.
An upturned boat,.. Inverted mast.
Navigating time and distance.
Shadow cross the land, was cast.

Set among the fields and flat.
Between the hedgerow, ditch and fen.
A treasure waiting, buried deep.
Inspiring poet, paint and pen.

Like a pill the dream of owning.
Ruptured mill, all angst would cure.
Cleaning brick and flint, lime dusty.
Painted white. A Virgin. Pure.

Sentry standing, for Centuries firm.
From use, to used, and cast aside.
Once more the life inside is busy.
A Joy but more, a sense of pride.

Children running up and down.
A carousel of fun and games.
Family holidays, with pleasure.
Replacing function, graft and pains.

Touch the Soul, of all who stay.
A breath of air, a silent thrill.
To live a while inside the tower.
Of . “The Lower Green, Windmill“

Terrence Charles Pilgrim - 11th October 2006

A couple who bought an old mill in Norfolk as their family holiday home have restored it using parts of its original fantail found buried underground - and now guests can stay in it too.
In 2004, Kate Chadwick and her husband were reading the Eastern Daily Press when they found an advertisement for a mill for sale in north Norfolk.  
They used to holiday nearby so knew the area well, she says. “We went to go and see it and fell in love with it - and the grounds and the countryside.”  
The mill near Binham - known as Hindringham Lower Green tower mill and now as the Old Mill -  was originally part of a farm and built in 1844 to replace a postmill on the same site.  
In its heyday, it was five storeys tall and built of red brick, with a Norfolk boat-shaped cap on the top and double-shuttered sails which powered three pairs of millstones - the largest which stretched to five feet across. According to norfolkmills.co.uk, other machinery on the site included a flour mill and sifter, and by 1862 a bakehouse had also been installed. It operated from the site alongside a 10hp steam engine, which helped to power it after the mill was badly damaged by a gale - or a ‘hurricane’ as some local records described it.  
Over the years the mill was worked by several tenant millers and bakers before being bought by the Gunthorpe Estate in 1878. It ceased working completely in 1908, and in 1920 it was sold again - this time at an auction by Salter, Simpson & Sons, which took place at the Royal Hotel in Norwich. But by the mid-1930s the mill, like so many others across Norfolk, had become almost derelict. That was until a London architect called Mr Forrest bought it and converted it into a holiday home - which is how it was when Kate came to buy it.

“It had been used as a holiday home for many years after being lovingly restored in the late 1960s,” Kate explains. “ Mr Forrest had renovated it himself and used it as a family holiday place. Before that, it was used as a barn - without a roof or any floors.” 
By the time Kate viewed it, it did have floors, as well as a huge spiral staircase which led all the way to the top. “64 steps!” she says. “It was quite a work out.”
Kate used the mill and cottage as a holiday home before deciding, in 2015, to renovate it. “When we bought it, it was lovely, but it only had storage heaters, so it needed a bit of a revamp. We did a complete overhaul: new roof, windows, central heating, rewiring - the works!”
They enlisted the help of local experts, architect James Henman, based in Fakenham, and builders Michael and Daryl from Buntings & Sons. “They were just brilliant,” Kate says. “Michael and Daryl had previously renovated Cley Windmill and Weybourne Mill”. 
As part of the works, they decided to add a modern extension, to create more usable lateral space, and put a new kitchen in on the first floor, to enjoy the “wonderful” views.
They chose period paints for the roof and the windows, in keeping with its Grade II listing, but perhaps the biggest surprise was what they found buried in the grounds.
“When Buntings dug the foundations for the new extension, Daryl miraculously found the fantail, which had been buried underground for over 100 years,” says Kate. “They managed to salvage some parts from it and make a new one, which was just amazing.”    

Along with the fantail they also discovered some millstones, which are now placed beside the old front door.
Kate says that future-proofing the building was also important, and as part of the work they installed ground source heating. “It was important to us to be as energy-efficient and self-sufficient as possible,” she says.    “Our builders and our architect were keen to do that as well. We thought if we were going to go through this process, we needed to do that as well, and the ground source heating is brilliant because we’ve got underfloor heating, so it’s comfortable, year-round.” 
The mill looks very different now to how it did even twenty years ago, with the tower joined to a modern extension, to maximise the space. But it still offers a real sense of its history and place, featuring circular rooms, lots of exposed brick and big windows, which make you feel a part of the countryside.  
Recently, Kate decided to let it out to others as a holiday home.
There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor, plus a good-sized sitting room which also doubles as a cinema room. It is circular in shape, featuring exposed brick walls and shutters for all the windows, plus a large screen and projector.  
On the first floor there is a modern and open-plan kitchen and dining area, which offers breathtaking views across the countryside and has large glazed doors which can be opened to bring the outside in.   
A few steps lead across into the original mill, featuring another circular sitting room with exposed brick and flint walls, tastefully furnished in a mid-century style. It has two sofas, occasional chairs, a piano and a lovely spiral staircase which makes a great focal point. The second floor is home to a unique circular bedroom with a king-size bed, and in the bathroom above there is a free-standing claw-foot bath. 
For safety reasons, the fourth floor is now the highest you can reach in the mill, and has been made into a unique bedroom with white-washed walls and twin beds.  
As well as the mill itself, guests can also enjoy a stay in the luxurious single-storey cottage, which is available to rent only with the mill, and includes an open-plan living area, well-equipped kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.
Rebecca MacNaughton, Eastern Daily Press - 20th August 2022

Kelly's 1912: Robert John Sands, farmer

c.1844: Mill built by William Cooke to replace a postmill on the same site at Mill Farm

White's 1845: Robert Wall, miller

1853-1856: Robert Sands, miller

White's 1854: Robert Sands, corn miller

1860: William Williams, miller

Tuesday 28th February 1860: Mill severely damaged due to tailwinding in a storm

1862: Garwood 10hp steam engine in use

1862: William Williams bankrupt

December 1862: Farming & milling stock of William Williams advertised for sale by auction

22nd December 1862: Mill advertised to be let by William Cooke of Glandford watermill

1863: John Lake snr

White's 1864: John Lake snr, miller & farmer

May 1864: Mill advertised to be let

June 1867: Mill let

1868: Robert John Sands, miller

April 1871: Mill advertised to be let

April 1871: Mill let to William Sands, miller, formerley of Upper towermill

May 1871: Mill advertised to be let from Michaelmas

1871: William Sands, tenant miller

August 1871: Mill advertised to be let from Michaelmas

1878: Mill bought by Gunthorpe Estate owned by the Sparke family

White's 1883: Robert John Sands, miller & baker

O.S. Map 1891: Windmill (Corn)

Kelly's 1892: Robert Sands, miller (wind) & farmer

Kelly's 1896: Robert Sands, miller (wind) & farmer

Kelly's 1900: Robert Sands, miller (wind) & farmer, Lower mill

Kelly's 1904: Robert J. Sands, miller (wind) & farmer, Lower mill

1907: Robert John Sands

Kelly's 1908: Robert J. Sands, miller (wind) & farmer, Lower mill

c.1908: Mill ceased working

1920: Gunthorpe Estate sold mill at auction to Harcourt Thomas David Daplyn

1930s: Harcourt Thomas David Daplyn, owner

1937: Mill derelict with cap framework, windshaft, brakewheel and parts of petticoat

1948: Mill and adjoining field sold by Harcourt Daplyn's daughter

October 1970: Mill under renovation by Peter Forrest for conversion to residential use, mock cap fitted

1985: Mill renovated with new boat shaped cap containing a window and gallery

c.2005: Mill and small cottage advertised for sale by Sowerbys in the region of £465,000

August 2022: Mill full converted and renovated in use as a holiday let

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2004