The House Mill is a major Grade I listed building on the River Lea in Bromley by Bow, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Although the Three Mills

Three Mills

The Three Mills are former working mills on the River Lea in the East End of London, one of London’s oldest extant industrial centres. The largest and most powerful of the four remaining tidal mills is possibly the largest tidal mill in the world...

 date back to the Domesday book, the present house mill was rebuilt in 1776 by Daniel Bisson. It was damaged by fire in 1802, and then rebuilt by Philip Metcalfe

Philip Metcalfe

Philip Metcalfe was a distiller in London, UK and member of Parliament from Horsham from 1784. He representedPlympton Erle, Devon from 1790 to 1796 and Malmesbury Wiltshire from 1796....

.

It is one of only four grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Newham

London Borough of Newham

The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...

. The House Mill remains the "largest tidal mill

Tide mill

A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide...

 left standing in Britain", although the water wheels are not in operation.

The south facade

Facade

A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

 of the House Mill displays a coat of arms dated 1776 and the initials "D S B" (which could be Daniel and Sarah Bisson), with forty cast iron wall plates, which tie the ends of the floor beams.

The Miller's House was rebuilt in 1995 with a modern interior, but retaining the original facade. The Miller's House and a house on the other side of the House Mill were originally built for the Miller and his family. A Second World War bomb landed on a nearby bonded warehouse

Bonded warehouse

A Bonded warehouse is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the latter case a customs bond must be posted with the government...

and damaged both houses in 15 October 1940 which were later demolished. The Mill stopped operating and was used as a warehouse.

Publications

The following are research papers published by the House Mill (River Lea Tidal Mill Trust Ltd).

• The Three Mills Distillery in the Georgian era by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0954409442
• The LeFevre family and distilling along the Lower Lea by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0954409450
• Owners of the Three Mills (1539 - 1728) by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0954409434
• Philip Metcalfe (1733 - 1818), the MP and industrialist who built the Clock Mill by Keith Fairclough (2003) ISBN 0954409477
• The Bisson Family of Three Mills by Keith Fairclough and Brian Strong (2003) ISBN 0954409469

External links

• House Mill website