Record Details
| NHER Number: | 15706 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Narborough Bone Mill |
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Summary
The remains of a bone mill, built in about 1830. The mill ground up whale bones from a blubber house in King's Lynn. The foundations of the buildings, the large iron waterwheel, and some of the millstones survive.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 7321 1257 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF71SW |
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| Parish: | NARBOROUGH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Site of Bone Mill.
Ground up whale bones from blubber house at Blubber House Creek, Kings Lynn. Mill stood on north bank of River Nar although it was known as Pentney Mill. Still shown on 6 inch map of 1904.
Photographs KLM.
R. Trett (KLM).
Newspaper cutting (S1) in file.
30 July 1980.
Site inaccessible when visited owing to lack of bridges.
However informant stated that when dry weather allows access, there is visible a 'huge iron wheel' (waterwheel?), many large millstones, two iron bars projecting into the river from a block of concrete, and three underground sluices, two blocked.
Slide (S2) of water wheel at KLM.
Detailed report by NIAS (S3); first constructed in about 1830.
The millstones mentioned are Derbyshire Peak.
E. Rose (NAU), 16 September 1981.
Site seen from Nar Valley Path across river 9 July 1995.
Waterwheel remains remarkably complete. The two iron bars mentioned above are girders projecting over the stream, and sawn off.
The stream flows through a brick pound at this point.
E. Rose (NLA), 10 July 1995.
Remains have been cleared of undergrowth. Seen in passing from other side of river by E. Rose (NLA), 25 March 1999.
Monument Types
- BONE MILL (19th Century - 1830 AD to 1900 AD)
- WATERMILL (19th Century - 1830 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2015. Boning up on a fascinating slice of local history. 26 September. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Centre sheds light on mill's grisly history. 30 April. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2015. Mill to be restored in owner’s memory. 27 January. |
| <S1> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1988. Down by the river bank. 27 June. |
| <S2> | Slide: Various. Slide. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: 1981. Narborough Bone Mill. NIAS Journal. Vol III, no 1. |
Related records - none
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