Bourne Mill

Enjoy your day with us: try bug-hunting or the pedal powered fulling stocks. You could take a walk following our downloadable trail. You may want to tuck in to a scone or cake with your picnic. There's plenty of fun to be had at the mill. Check out the events too. Last admission time to the mill is 30 minutes before published closing.

An outdoor adventure is just around the next tree here at Bourne Mill. Pond dip, find a bug or fly a kite. How many you can tick off the '50 Things To do' list?

With a history dating back over 1,000 years, through the dissolution of the monasteries and peaceful pursuits of fishing and smelly industry of fulling and dusty milling, our special Mill has something to interest everyone.

The tale of how a small, spring-fed stream helped power the cloth and flour trade of Colchester.

Colchester was associated with the production of woollen textile fabrics between the 16th and 18th Centuries. Bourne Mill was at various times the site for spinning wool yarns and Fulling woven woollen cloths (production of wool felts). These fabrics became so well known that they carried a trademarked Seal of quality. The Colchester wool trade began to decline midway through the 18th century as it moved north to Yorkshire.

Sir Thomas Lucas was out to impress when he built Bourne Mill in 1591 having held a number of offices at court. He was a formidable figure in Colchester and known to have an 'imperious and violent temper.'

A day in the life of Sir Thomas Lucas. 21 June 1599 to be precise. Read this account from Sir Thomas' Diary of a typical day entertaining his guests.

Make a donation today and support our ongoing conservation work at Bourne Mill. Old buildings, their collections and the water wheel take a lot of care, so help secure their future today for all to enjoy.

If you have an existing membership, we’ve made it easier and quicker to renew online. So you can enjoy another year of membership in minutes.