What's on in the area

Winchester City Mill

Mar - Dec 2009 (annual)

Cost: £3.40; children £1.70

Hours: Varies according to season

Rebuilt in 1744 on an earlier medieval site, the National Trust-owned Winchester City Mill, today a working watermill with a delightful island garden, spans the River Itchen in the centre of Winchester.

The first record of the mill appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086. After a 12-year restoration programme and a break in activity of at least 90 years while the mill served as a laundry and a hostel, the water wheels began to turn once again in 2004, milling flour by water power. Today the mill offers regular flour-milling demonstrations along with mill races, quiz trails and an exhibition on the building's history.

An exciting new addition is the Otter's Holt Activity Room, which features CCTV footage of nocturnal otter activity in the Itchen river. Before you leave, pay a visit to the mill shop, which offers a wide range of National Trust and local goods, including stoneground flour. Please check website for opening hours and dates as these vary according to season. the Mill is sometimes shut on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Winchester City Mill