Lockgate Mill also referred to locally and historically as Freethorpe Mill, 'Banham's Black Mill' and 'Duffel's Mill' is a

windpump A windpump is a type of windmill which is used for pumping water. Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of wind pumps became widespread across the Muslim world an ...

located on the

Halvergate Marshes The Halvergate Marshes are an area of grazing marsh in the east of the English county of Norfolk. They form part of the area of The Broads and lie between the River Bure and the River Yare, bordering Breydon Water on the east. The marshes cover a ...

in the detached parish of

Freethorpe Freethorpe is a village and civil parish in the English of Norfolk. The village is located south-west of Great Yarmouth and south-east of Great Yarmouth, located within the Norfolk Broads. History The origin of Freethorpe's name is uncertain ...

within

The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly us ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

. It is approximately west of

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of ...

, and north-east of

Berney Arms Berney Arms is a settlement on the north bank of the River Yare, close to Breydon Water in the English county of Norfolk. It is part of the civil parish of Reedham, in the district of Broadland, and lies within The Broads. It comprises a r ...

on the northern edge of

Breydon Water Breydon Water is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It is a Local Nature Reserve, a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is part of the Berney Marshes and Breydon Water nature reserve, which ...

. The structure is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

History

The current mill at this location was built somewhere between 1800 and 1825 under the name 'Freethorpe Mill', it is four stories high and built of red brick tarred black. The structure stands at 35 feet to the curb and the diameter of the base is 24 feet, housing two doors and 4 windows. A farm once stood next to the mill, it was known as Lockgate Farm and was demolished in 1981 after many years of being derelict. When operational, the mill was driven by four patent sails that turned in a clockwise direction, these drove a 19 ft diameter external scoopwheel with 7 inch paddles. Unusually for a mill on the halvergate marshes it didn't drain into the

Halvergate Fleet Halvergate is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, north of Reedham, between the Rivers Bure and Yare, within The Broads. To the east of the village is the hamlet of Wickhampton and the Halvergate Marshes, an area of dra ...

even though it is only 800 yards from the connection of the fleet with Breydon water. Instead it drained

Acle Acle ( ) is a market town on the River Bure on the Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS Explorer ...

marshes that lie to the north of the mill. The earliest recorded marshman of the mill was a Mr Dan Banham, followed subsequently by Mr Bob Banham. The Banham family ceased working the mill in the early 1920s and was taken over for a short period by Mr Gordon Addison, who lived in the nearby Lockgate Farm. The final marshman that worked the mill was Mr Leonard Carter, who left the mill in the mid-1940s. After Leonard Carter left the mill, it began to fall into disrepair. In 1953 the sails were blown off the mill in a gale and was left to deteriorate until a temporary aluminium cap was fitted in 1988 to protect the remains of the mill.

Today

In 2001 a fire started by vandals damaged the inside of the mill and has blackened some of the external and internal brickwork. The mill can be reached on the

Weavers' Way The Weavers' Way is a long-distance footpath in Norfolk, England. Much of the Weavers’ Way footpath follows the old trackbed of the Aylsham to Great Yarmouth railway line, which was operated by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway a ...

and

Wherryman's Way Wherryman's Way is a long-distance footpath in the English county of Norfolk. Route Wherryman's Way is long, running between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It follows the course of the River Yare where possible, with some significant stretches a ...

footpaths between Yarmout and Berney Arms. Access to the mill is prohibited and a fence blocks access due to the unsafe state the structure is in.

References

{{Windmills and Windpumps of East Anglia Buildings and structures completed in the 19th century Windmills in Norfolk Windmills of the Norfolk Broads Tower mills in the United Kingdom Borough of Great Yarmouth Grade II listed buildings in Norfolk Grade II listed windmills