Grantham Civic Society remembers Harrowby Mill

In the early part of the 19th Century, there were five water mills within three miles of Grantham, catering for the needs of the growing population.

The earliest mention of the town’s Harrowby Mill was in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Harrowby was called Herigerbi, a manor which was held of the king by Guy of Craon.

Algar had one carucate of land, which was assessed as an area that eight oxen could plough in one season.

He also held the mill, yielding four shillings, with nine acres of meadow.

The whole value of the mill was ten shillings.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the area surrounding the mill was a popular Sunday afternoon destination for families.

Agricultural shows took place there, attended by people from across the county.

At this time, the mill wheel was still in situ, and peacocks roamed the site.

Monkeys were also kept there for a while.

The mill was the property of George Willoughby, proprietor of the Little Dustpan in Westgate, and was known locally as Willoughby’s Mill.

The stone arches and walls were built by Mr Willoughby and were a folly adjacent to the mill, not medieval in origin.