Britain's largest tidal mill: House Mill in East London

House Mill, situated on Three Mill Lane, is a former tide mill in East London, England. It stands on the River Lea in Mill Meads, part of the Three Mills complex. The mill, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, boasts a history that spans nearly a millennium. Constructed by Daniel Bisson in 1776, House Mill replaced an earlier mill owned by Stratford Langthorne Abbey until the Reformation of the 16th century. The mill was damaged by fire in 1802 and rebuilt by Philip Metcalfe.

Today, House Mill is Britain's largest operational tide mill. Much of its original machinery remains, including four waterwheels, three of which are 20 feet in diameter and one is 19 feet in diameter. Three of the wheels are 3 feet wide and would have produced around 20 to 25 horsepower, while the one at the western end of the building is 8 feet wide and would have produced around 40 to 45 horsepower, though they are no longer operational.

The building comprises three storeys, with most of it constructed of timber, apart from the floor of the ground floor, which is made of concrete, and some cast iron supporting pillars. The south facade of House Mill displays a coat of arms dated 1776 and the initials 'DSB'. The Miller's House was rebuilt in 1995, featuring a modern interior but retaining the original facade. Adjacent houses on the Miller's House were originally built for the Miller and his family.

A Second World War bomb landed on a nearby bonded warehouse and damaged both houses on 15 October 1940, which were later demolished. House Mill is a Grade I listed building and is open to visitors interested in architecture and design.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons