Editing Loddon, Norfolk (section)

===Watermill===

There was a mill mentioned at Loddon in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, and a watermill at [[Chedgrave]] in the early 1330s, but there is no evidence for the sites of these mills. The present mill, Loddon watermill near the town centre which is no longer functioning, was built in the 18th century with the river diverted to run underneath it. Loddon watermill was sometimes known as Chedgrave mill and is one of the earliest recorded buildings in the town. It was built of [[Clapboard|weatherboard]] with a [[pantile|pantiled]] roof, and was situated quite close to the centre of the town. The mill pool was never very big, but was apparently a widened and deepened Y-shaped section of river up stream of the mill. This produced adequate power for the miller to meet the needs of the local farmers and villagers. The mill still retains 19th-century milling equipment.

When the mill was built it was found that the best position for it involved diverting the river Chet to the south of its natural course. This involved considerable effort and expense and in times of severe flood the river attempts to revert to its original channel.<ref>[http://www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/loddon.html Loddon Mill], Jonathan Neville</ref>