Sarehole Mill
The 200-year-old mill at Sarehole is one of only two surviving watermills in Birmingham.
The cobbled courtyard and mill pool are a tranquil haven from 21st century life outside, while the buildings and their impressive machinery give a unique insight into the lives of the millers who once inhabited this rural retreat.
More than seventy watermills once occupied the riverbanks around Birmingham and there has been one at Sarehole for at least 460 years. Sarehole was first built as a corn-grinding mill but has also been used for rolling sheet metal, grinding blades and wire rolling.
The Mill was once rented to Matthew Boulton before he moved to Handsworth to build his famous Soho Manufactory. The local landscape also provided inspiration for the stories of JRR Tolkien who spent his childhood here.
What will I see at Sarehole Mill?
Highlights at Sarehole Mill include:
The north waterwheel and the mill gears on the first floor. These can be seen working on demonstration days
The surrounding woodland and Shire Country Park – a haven for birds and all kinds of wildlife
The bakehouse, which houses the original bread oven and a nineteenth-century proving bin where the bread was left to rise
The secluded mill pool – occupied by all kinds of wildlife including moorhens, mallards and herons
The Tolkien displays – Sarehole Mill is part of the Tolkien Trail, which follows the childhood footsteps of the author and the places that influenced his writing
Museums in the Midlands
Sarehole Mill is part of the Tolkien Trail, which follows the childhood footsteps of the author and the places that influenced his writing.
JRR Tolkien's links to Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill was a childhood haunt of celebrated author JRR Tolkien. Born in South Africa in 1892, his family moved to Birmingham in 1896 and lived close to the mill for four years. Tolkien and his brother spent many hours playing around the mill. This and other local settings such as the Moseley Bog provided inspiration for 'Hobbitton' and 'The Shire' in his books The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Tolkien contributed to the restoration of the Mill in the 1960s.
Sarehole Mill Cafe
There are light refreshments - tea, coffee, cold drinks, snacks, delicious fresh cakes and tea cakes available in the cafe located in the miller's house.
The cafe has indoor and outdoor seating in the courtyard - weather permitting.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Admission: Free
Opening Times:
Open from Friday 2nd April to Sunday 31st October 2010
Tuesdays - Sundays, closed Mondays except for Bank Holidays
12pm - 4pm
By Car
Sarehole Mill is located on the B4146, just north of the A4040 in Hall Green and just west of Hall Green train station. There is a visitor car park next to the mill.
History Bus
A free History Bus service will run on the first Sunday of every month beginning on May 2nd and continuing until 3rd October.
It will call at Aston Hall, Aston Manor Transport Museum, Soho House, the Pen Room, Sarehole Mill and Blakesley Hall. There is a small charge for admission to the Aston Manor Transport Museum, all other museums do not have entrance fees. Hop on and off to visit the museums you want to see without having to worry about taking the car or paying for the bus!
The History Bus will start from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery at 11.30am and then at every hour until 3.30pm.
The bus will run on 2nd May, 6th June, 4th July, 1st August, 5th September and 3rd October.
Address:
Sarehole Mill
Cole Bank Road,
Hall Green,
Birmingham,
B13 0BD