Winchester City Mill – The National Trust

Over the Easter weekend we were invited to Winchester City Mill, a National Trust property.

A working watermill in the heart of Winchester

The City Mill is one of the oldest working watermills in the country. A rare surviving example of an urban working corn Mill, which is powered by the fast-flowing River Itchen.

The Mill has historical connections to King Alfred the Great, Queen Mary Tudor and JMW Turner.  It was rebuilt in 1743 on a medieval Mill site and remained in use until the early 20th century. The National Trust undertook an ambitious restoration project, resulting in the Mill resuming to grind flour in March 2004.

The Mill now produces flour for sale and offers hands-on activities for families, plus audio-visual displays about milling and the local wildlife.  There are also baking demonstrations using their own flour.

Baby really enjoyed looking round and playing in their beautiful garden.  She was fascinated by the river, especially when we went downstairs and we could see the water rushing by under our feet.

There were a few things to capture her attention, like these pullies, which she loved.  There was a baking demonstration on when we were there and such gorgeous smells were enveloping the Mill.  Baby was a little too young to appreciate the Easter Egg trail that was running, but she has a great time exploring.

It is much smaller than other National Trust properties we have been to previously, but this is reflected in the entry fee, £4.40 per adult and £2.20 per child.

 Disclosure: We were given complimentary entry to experience the Mill, all opinions are my own.

I would love it if you could spare the time to vote for me in the BIB awards (‘Family’ probably fits my blog best)