Day 29 - This is a National Trust property, who have just completed a major conservation project on the mill, wheel and float ensuring the mill can keep on turning and producing wholemeal flour, which they sell in the shop.
A watermill probably stood on the site of Lode Mill at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. The Mill which stands here today is likely to have been built in the 18th century. In about 1900 the mill was converted from corn grinding to cement grinding. The cement was generally made by firing a mixture of clay and lime or natural chalk at about 400°C and grinding the resulting clinker into a powder. An engine may have been installed at this time, as inside the mill today there are some shafts, gears and a chain drive that are unusual in a watermill. Unfortunately, the Bottisham Lode Cement and Brick Company was a victim of competition and the business closed down by about 1920, leaving the mill to become derelict. In 1934 Lord Fairhaven acquired the mill and restored it to its original corn milling condition. This was completed in 1935-36, after removal of the mining and cement making equipment. In 1978 the Cambridgeshire Wind and Watermill Society restored the mill to working order and in 1982 it was once again milling corn.
