Record Details
| NHER Number: | 7902 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Post medieval paper mill |
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Summary
A paper mill was located here since 1700, and it was one of the most important in the county. In 1807 it was fitted with Fourdrinier machines, one of the first mills in Britain to have such machinery. During 1846-90 the mill was powered by eleven steam engines and three water wheels and had one hundred workers. At this time the mill was busy producing paper for the Oxford English Dictionary as well as The Times newspaper. Sadly, by 1899 it was beginning to fail and the mill was finally abandoned in 1900. Now only the mill race remains on site, edged in brick with a clear mark of a waterwheel. In the 1990s a human jawbone and various pieces of post medieval pottery were recovered from the site of the mill.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 1583 1382 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG11SE |
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| Parish: | TAVERHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Watermill.
Built 1836.
Produced paper for 'The Times' from 1846; abandoned in 1900.
1978. Visit.
Only the mill race remains, edged in brick with clear mark of waterwheel.
E. Rose (NAU).
There was however an older mill on the site, see (S1). This was a paper mill since 1700.
See (S2) 'most important (paper) mill in the county' but not recorded from 1711 to 1758.
In 1807 fitted with Fourdrinier machines - among the first in Britain, but these seem to have not worked well.
From 1846-90 worked by eleven steam engines, three water wheels and one hundred workers. Produced paper for Oxford English Dictionary as well as The Times.
In 1890 it changed hands and by 1899 it had failed.
E. Rose (NAU) 1 June 1984.
At some date before 1992. Found at mill on north bank of mill culvert.
Human bone: child's jaw bone.
Identified by source [1]. Not seen by NLA. Information from [2].
E. Rose (NLA) 25 June 1992.
Press cutting in file.
1998. Circumstances and exact location of find uncertain. NCM Enquiry No: E1119.
15th century langerware stoneware.
17th century salt glazed stoneware. Frechen.
K. Hinds (NLA) 6 January 2000.
NGR corrected from original (TG 1585 1379).
M. Horlock (NLA) 20 March 2003.
Taverham mill is listed in the Domesday survey as a corn mill (S3), but later went on to grind bone meal and animal fodder. The earliest record of paper manufacture is in 1701 which it carried on for almost 200 years. At its peak in the late 19th century it produced around 25 tonnes of paper per day which was used in the first revised edition of the Bible, the Oxford English Dictionary and several national newspapers including The Times. It closed in 1899 because fuel and transport were too expensive and the selling price of paper was becoming too low to be viable.
See NIAS records (S4).
W. Arnold (HES), 5 January 2011.
At least one building from the mill complex survives - from the elevations, it may be an engine house.
K. Hamilton (HES), 24 March 2015.
Monument Types
- WATERCOURSE (Medieval to 21st Century - 1086 AD? to 2100 AD)
- WATERMILL (Medieval to 19th Century - 1086 AD to 1899 AD)
- PAPER MILL (17th Century to 19th Century - 1700 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
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. 1998. [Article on the paper mill at Taverham]. 3 June. |
| <S1> | Publication: Faden, W. and Barringer, J. C. 1989. Faden's Map of Norfolk in 1797. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Stoker, D. 1976. The Early History of Paper-making in Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXVI Pt III pp 241-252. p 243. |
| <S3> | Publication: Brown, P (ed.). 1984. Domesday Book: Norfolk. Parts 1 and 2. |
| <S4> | Archive: NIAS. Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society Records. |
Related records - none
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