High Mill

Today was the last day of Heritage Week. This morning I had booked onto a tour of High Mill, just to the east of the town. The mill is now a private house but was opened this morning for a few small pre-booked tours as part of Heritage Week. I was lucky enough to be booked on to one of them. I wasn't disappointed.

The Mill is tucked away in a corner of Farnham I hadn't visited before and as I walked in, my breath was taken away by the beautiful mill pond that stands in front of the mill itself. It was so interesting to hear some of the history. At various times the mill had been used for milling corn and for fulling wool to make felt.

I learnt the difference between an overshot and undershot mill (High Mill being an undershot); the difference being whether the flow of water drives the wheel from above or below. That in turn dictates whether the mill pond is behind or in front of the mill. It was all new to me and I was fascinated.

The extra shows some close-ups of the wheel, the drive system, one of the millstones and some measurements on the wall. What I find amazing is that the main waterwheel could be used to drive a variety of ancillary machinery in addition to the millstones. And all, of course, without any recourse to burning fossil fuel.

Mr Flossmo had dropped me off at the mill and promised to pick me up again but when our guide pointed out a path through the trees back to the centre of Farnham I decided to explore some more. It was a beautiful walk under blue skies. However, I was a bit puffed by the time I got to Hickley's Corner so I did call Mr Flossmo's chauffeur service for a lift up the hill back home. 

This afternoon we both went to the Farnham Pottery for one last talk; another fascinating romp through Farnham's industrial history, this time the history of a small family owned pottery business.

It's been a really interesting week. Hat's off to all the organisers, the people who have opened up their homes and, most of all, to the unsung heroes who work hard to preserve the town's unique historical treasures. I will never look at Farnham in quite the same way again.