Building record MLI89188 - Ellis Mill, Mill Road, Lincoln

Summary

Tower mill constructed in 1798, and restored between 1977 and 1980.

Type and Period (3)

  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1798 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1798 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1798 AD to 2050 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

This small, hill-top tower mill was built in 1798, and was equipped with four patent sails. It worked until 1941, when one of the pairs of sails was lost during high winds. Following this accident, the cap was removed in the 1940s, with much of the internal machinery also benig removed at this time. The tower then stood disused until 1975, when it was set on fire and completely gutted. The damage prompted restoration works, conducted by the Lincoln Civic Trust between 1977-1980, and flour was once again ground in the mill in 1981, for the first time in 40 years. The restored mill has been open to visitors since then, and at the moment (1986) forms part of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. The restoration was made possible by re-using machinery salvaged from the mills at Toynton All Saints and Sturton by Stow. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5} Tower mill constructed in 1798, and restored between 1977 and 1980. It is constructed of brick, tarred on the outside, and has an ogee domed wooden cap and finial. It now sits on a concrete plinth, and has a cap with cogged eaves, four patent sails, and a fantail. The battered round tower has three stages, with a pair of doors to the eastern and western sides of the ground floor. The northern and southern sides have two-light sliding sash windows on each floor. All of the openings have segmental heads. The interior has machinery assembled from various windmills. The mill is the only survivor of a line of nine windmills which formerly extended along The Cliff in Lincoln. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate entry in the National Heritage List for England. {6}{7}{8} The mill is known locally as Ellis Mill, after the family who worked the mill in the early 20th century. Frank Ellis was the miller from 1894 until his death in 1920, at which point his wife Eliza continued the business. The mill had already lost one pair of its sails at some point prior to the 1930s, with the loss of the remaining pair in 1941 stopped its working then. Due to safety concerns regarding nearby properties, the restoration of 1977-1980 rebuilt the mill with a slightly reduced width, and with shorter sails. {9} An archaeological watching brief was conducted in March 2006, during groundworks associated with the construction of a new car park and paved area on land adjacent to the mill. The works exposed the remains of three foundations walls, thought to be remnants of ancilliary buildings associated with the earlier windmill complex. One of the foundation walls was constructed of roughly faced limestone fragments, with the others being of brick. Ash deposits from the burning of the mill were also noted. {10}{11}

Sources/Archives (11)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Rex Wailes. 1953. Lincolnshire Windmills. part.2, p.106.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Neil R. Wright. 1983. A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Lincolnshire Including South Humberside. no.23, p.24.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Peter Dolman. 1986. Lincolnshire Windmills: A Contemporary Survey. no.72, pp.20-1, 49.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: A.A. Bryan. 1998. Windmill Gazetteer for England. p.14.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Neil R. Wright. 2004. Lincolnshire's Industrial Heritage - A Guide. LN34, p.39.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). p.512.
  •  Index: Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Dec 1999. Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1941-1/6/218.
  •  Website: Historic England (formerly English Heritage). 2011->. The National Heritage List for England. http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. 1388647.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: David Jager. 2007. Windmills of Lincolnshire Surviving into the 21st Century. A7, pp.34-5.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2006. Ellis' Mill, Mill Road, Lincoln. PCA site code: ELML06.
  •  Archive: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2006. Ellis' Mill, Mill Road, Lincoln. LCNCC 2006.147.

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Location

Grid reference Centred SK 97093 72222 (6m by 7m) Surveyed
Civil Parish CARHOLME, LINCOLN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Nov 12 2026 11:20AM

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