Ringstead towermill was a six storey tarred brick that once had six sails, which was quite unusual for Norfolk. The mill was built between 1837-1842 and had a boat shaped cap with a deep petticoat and a stage on the second floor. It stood at the end of a track some ¾ mile north of the village along with a cottage and outbuildings, having been built on the site of the earlier southern_postmill. When first built the mill had four single shuttered patent sails but two additional sails were added soon afterwards. The sails drove 3 pairs of French burr stones, a flour cloth machine and a jumper. The brake wheel and wallower were made of wood, as was the upright shaft. The dust floor was 17 ft. in diameter. A brick keystone on the first floor had the Le Strange rampant lion carved on it.

The other known six sail mills in Norfolk were at: Sculthorpe, Terrington St Clement Balsam Fields,
Terrington St Clement Orange Farm, Walsoken West Walton Highway and West Walton Ingleborough.

Both Faden's and Greenwood's maps show two adjacent postmills at Ringstead, the northern_mill and the southern_mill, the latter was advertised for sale and removal before Henry L'Strange Styleman le Strange built a towermill on the same site c.1840. It was reputed that the southern_postmill was moved about 2 miles east to Beacon Hill in Thornham, although up until 1863 the Rate Book in Thornham only records John Crane as owning one mill in Staithe Road even though both mills were known to be there in that year, thus the Ringstead_southern_postmill may have been assembled there during the course of that year, becoming Thornham_composite_mill.

RINGSTEAD
To Let at Michaelmas next for a term of years
A superior Water Corn Mill at Heacham ...
Also at Great Ringstead, Norfolk
A capital TOWER WINDMILL with six patent sails, Flour Cloth Machine, Jumper etc. driving three pair of French stones, with Cottage, Gardens, Granary, Stable etc. and about an acre and a quarter of arable land.
Apply to Mr. William Norgate, Heacham.
Norfolk Chronicle - 22nd & 29th July 1854

Notice to Debtors and Creditors of William Norgate. Dated 25 July.
Relates to a Deed of Assignment for the benefit of his Creditors.
L. W. Jarvis & Son, Solrs.
Norfolk Chronicle - 29th July 1854

WANTED, a good pair of second hand 4 ft. French Burr Millstones.
Apply to John Crane, Ringstead, Lynn.
Lynn Advertiser - 1st January 1887

The mill was converted to domestic use in 1927 and in 1981 still contained the windshaft and the six armed cross canister. The cap was removed in 1927 and the stones were removed later.

On 16th March 1974, Mrs. Clare Chapman wrote to Philip Unwin to say that her parents, Prof. & Mrs. Cornford, bought the mill in 1927. It was derelict and had no sails. It was converted to residential use by architect Hugh Hughes of Granchester near Cambridge, who also converted Burnham Overy towermill and still owned it.

Re conversion to dwelling:-
At Ringstead Mill, Norfolk, the oak machinery has been preserved and gives a robustious air to the round rooms.
Old Watermills & Windmills, R. Thurston Hopkins - 1830

Ringstead towermill

Tower windmill. Early C19. Header bond gault brick partly blackened, temporary C20 asbestos roofing. 6 storey tower, cap forming further storey. South face with ground floor C20 door in origianl opening under gault brick flat arch with central keystone. 4 of the 5 floors above with one 2-light casement windows under flat arches with keystones, on first floor with rampant lion crest. West face with 4 openings, the 3rd floor opening formerly a loft door, north face with 5 openings, east with one boarded 2-leaf loft door and one casement. Brick eaves cornice, wooden shuttered skirt perhaps original. To north face the surviving metal canister for 6 sails. C20 asbestos covering of cap. c.1920 house attached at east is not of special interest.
British Listed Buildings website - 12th December 1982

Tower windmill. Early C19. Header bond gault brick partly blackened, temporary C20 asbestos roofing. 6 storey tower, cap forming further storey. South face with ground floor C20 door in origianl opening under gault brick flat arch with central keystone. 4 of the 5 floors above with one 2-light casement windows under flat arches with keystones, on first floor with rampant lion crest. West face with 4 openings, the 3rd floor opening formerly a loft door, north face with 5 openings, east with one boarded 2-leaf loft door and one casement. Brick eaves cornice, wooden shuttered skirt perhaps original. To north face the surviving metal canister for 6 sails. C20 asbestos covering of cap. c.1920 house attached at east is not of special interest.
British Listed Buildings website - 12th December 1982

In September 1939 my brother and I were evacuated to old Hunstanton billeted with a Mrs Wyn who took us to visit an elderly man at the old mill at Ringstead I understood he was related to her in some way, in conversation he said he had spent a long time at sea  He gave me a secret opening wooden box that he had made by hand during his quiet time whilst at sea. His presence doesnt seem to fit in with the history of the Mill, could he perhaps have been the caretaker of the Mill at that time?
PS Mrs Wyns Mother, Mrs Finbow also lived with us. It remains a minor mystery to me.
Cyril Webb - 13th February 2015

Ringstead Mill has also been immortalised in a poem of that name. The subject of the poem is the now legendary son of the Cornfords, who bought the place in the 1920’s, John. He was a poet and a communist who fought in the Spanish Civil War where he was killed on or around his 21st birthday. One of his most well known poems, just called Poem, was written to Margot Heinemann just before he died. He and Margot stayed at Ringstead Mill shortly before he went to Spain. Decades later, and just or year or so before she died, Margot wrote Ringstead Mill. I regard it as one of the great poems of the 20c, although to my knowledge it’s never been officially published. However I understand there's a biography of Margot in the pipeline.
Professor Jonathan Dollimore - 28th May 2020

1837 - 1842: Mill built for Henry Le Strange

1842: William Norgate, miller

White's 1845: Robert Powell, mill manager

1850: William Norgate, miller

1854: William Norgate, miller

1854: William Norgate, miller, insolvent

July 1854: Mill advertised to be let

1863: John Crane, miller & farmer

Admiralty chart 1871: Windmill

Kelly's 1879: John Crane, farmer & miller

O.S. map 1880: Windmill

White's 1883: John Crane, corn miller & farmer

White's 1890: John Crane, corn miller & farmer

1892: John Crane jnr (son) miller & farmer, advertised Thornham composite mill for sale

1897: Mill ceased working

1927: Mill bought by Prof. Francis Macdonald Cornford

1927: Mill converted to residential with corrugated asbestos cap by architect Hugh Hughes for Prof. Cornford

Karl Wood painting 1934: Mill with cap, sail canister, fanstage and stage

1936: Mill used as the meeting place for the Theoretical Biology Club

1937: Mill used as the meeting place for the Theoretical Biology Club

1939: Mill tower with cap, fanstage and windshaft

1956: Mill bought from Prof. Cornford by Dr. Myer Head Salaman

1981: Mill owned by Dr. Myer Head Salaman, also of Highgate, London; later conveyed mill to his daughters

c.2009: Cap rebuilt and covered in aluminium

Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2004