Hinton Watermill

Brief History of Hinton Mill, Somerset.

Hinton Mill forms part of a farm built in the 18th century. The original mill, for which records date back to the Doomsday Book, had a value of 20s (above average for Somerset 5s) and was located on the river Yeo where the sluice gates are now positioned. As with many mills on the Yeo, it suffered from flash flooding in the winter, mainly because of the huge catchment over the West Dorset Hills. In some years, floods took whole buildings away. One winter at Hinton the wheel cost £13.00 to repair while the rent for the mill totalled £14.14 a year.

The barn was built first in 1776 by the Goodford family, who were major land owners in the area. The estate was inherited by John Goodford’s widow, Maria (Phelips of Montacute), in 1787 and held in trust until their son became 21 in 1805. Maria Goodford was well travelled and educated, and during a period in Bath she may have witnessed William Smith giving a lecture about his work on the Somerset Coal Canal, and his work on fossils, Strata and the Geological map of Great Britain. Possibly due to this encounter, Smith was invited to come to Hinton in 1800 and look at ways of providing power for the newly invented threshing machine (1786 by George Mieckle in Scotland) and a winnowing machine in the barn. William Smith came up with a plan to demolish the old mill on the river and divert the river by a tunnel, dug by coal miners from Poulton in Somerset. Discover this and more on our open day.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 13 September:

1000-1700

Sunday 14 September:

1000-1700

Monday 15 September:

1000-1700

Tuesday 16 September:

1000-1700

Wednesday 17 September:

1000-1700

Thursday 18 September:

1000-1700

Friday 19 September:

1000-1700

Saturday 20 September:

1000-1700

Sunday 21 September:

1000-1700

Location & directions

Hinton Farm, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8BA

Directions:

Look for signs to Red Barn Farm Shop or Curious cow antiques - same location Car park in field next to Farm House

Contact on day:

Stephen Bartlett

Telephone number:

+447974125785

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Book on day

Booking conditions:

None unless large groups over 15 pers

Booking contact name:

Stephen Bartlett

Booking telephone number:

+447974125785

Booking email:

[email protected]

Accessibility details

Old building with uneven floors

Additional information

Farm shop, Antique shop on site Riverside walks Agricultural displays

Max no of people per tour:

10

Est. tour duration:

1 hour(s) 0 minute(s)

Check out our online channels

Back to results