I had read about this mill at The Norfolk Mills Site, and at its British Listed Buildings entry. The mill dates back to Domesday times (recorded in 1085) and was a working mill right up until the 1980s, so I was keen to see whether an explore might be possible.
Unfortunately, upon investigation it transpired that the mill is privately owned and the owner lives in the Mill House which is part of the site, and literally next door to the mill. In the circumstances a non-permission attempt at gaining access would have been morally wrong, so I instead knocked on the owner’s door one Sunday afternoon to see whether he might let me have a quick look around. Unfortunately I was told that the mill is now in such a state of disrepair that it was unsafe to allow anyone (owner included) inside. The “it’s too dangerous guvnor” card wouldn’t normally deter me, but I felt that it was only right to respect his wishes.
We had a short chat about the mill, and the owner has apparently been engaged in a “lengthy dialogue” with English Heritage over a number of years to try and secure the necessary funded to restore it to a working museum. Unfortunately I suspect that that won’t happen for many more years, if at all.
Here’s the one photo which I did manage to take during my brief recce, taken from the public footpath on the other side of the river Bure.
Burgh Mill, Burgh Next Aylsham, Norfolk
Thanks for looking.