# To Harness The Power Of Water, Surrey - June 2017



## Brewtal (Jun 30, 2017)

I first discovered this place about 3 years ago. I drive past it all the time but you would never even notice it was their unless you were silly enough to drive round a corner of a country road scanning the area for potential derps. Well that was me when I started my current job. And still is. Occasionally driving all over Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire down country roads delivering to rural pubs, certain things catch your eye. Now we have bigger vans where you sit much higher up, well I can see over fences and hedges so the list grows! Perks of the job and all that. It is only just visible in winter, but you can just catch it out the corner of your eye this time of year. 

H and I were out doing a long walk, we are doing the West Highland Way soon to raise money for charity and doing it in under 5 days (100 miles just FYI!) so we need to practice doing longer distances than our usual, and we went past and I noticed part of the fence had collapsed next to it. It goes without saying I was there the very next day!

I had thought it was a house, but as soon as I was next to it I thought it was a garage or a work shop. Meh! None the less I made my way inside. I had pissed about for long enough walking back and forth with an OS map in my hand in an attempt to look inconspicuous, one that didn't even cover this area, whilst waiting for a gap in the traffic. Finally I bolted across the road and leaped through the gap.

I made my way to the access point only to find it sealed with wooden boards. Oh great. Oh - they are on hinges, sweet! Once inside, just empty space. But my ear was drawn to what sounded like a waterfall or something, so I followed noise. I had just found an old water powered saw mill!

I don't have any history of this place. I have tried to find out anything I can but no joy. It is a rectangle on the OS map (the correct one that is) and google shows up nothing. The only ways in I had spotted would have annoyed the owners of the estate this is on, or I would have ripped myself to shreds, or gone through a bog that is covered in roots just above the ground. I searched for info before the gap appeared, I wasn't sure if it was worth the punt or not.

For what is an essentially empty building, I was really surprised by what remained. Seeing how the offshoot/tributary of/to the main river had been channeled to power this mill was pretty cool. I got there just before sunset so the added bonus of nice light was a sweet touch.

Anyone who can chime in with any info about the stuff that remains, I would be very grateful, I'm sure everyone else would be too!


































And now the good bit...










Far from spectacular, but I know some of you will get a kick out of the old school engineering. 

Thanks for looking!


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## HughieD (Jul 1, 2017)

Nothing wrong with a bit of old school engineering!


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## oldscrote (Jul 1, 2017)

What an amazing building.

The crawler described

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta.../Ransomes+MG6+Tractor+Brochure.compressed.pdf


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## Brewtal (Jul 1, 2017)

oldscrote said:


> What an amazing building.
> 
> The crawler described
> 
> https://static1.squarespace.com/sta.../Ransomes+MG6+Tractor+Brochure.compressed.pdf



This is exactly why I love this forum so much! Cheers for that mate!


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## krela (Jul 1, 2017)

Love that, cheers Brewtal.


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## smiler (Jul 1, 2017)

You never miss an opportunity to nose about, Thanks Brewtal


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## Brewtal (Jul 1, 2017)

smiler said:


> You never miss an opportunity to nose about, Thanks Brewtal



I have missed out on so many new places recently, they were torched or demolished, so now I don't hang about. Well, I have to find the time first!


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## caiman (Jul 1, 2017)

What an interesting find! The water wheel was made by J J Armfield & Co Ltd of Ringwood, Hants. It could even be a Water Turbine? Amazingly, the company still exists! Armfield miniature-scale Food, Beverage and Ingredients research and development equipment - develop with us


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## Sam Haltin (Jul 1, 2017)

That's a nice find and thanks to Oldscrote for a link to the detailed and interesting PDF about the Ransomes tractor. What you could do to find out some more info is go into the NLS website and click on "Side by Side". This would give you a Google map on the right hand side and an old map on the left. If you zoom in using the mouse wheel you can move around the maps and see what was there on the left and what is now there on the right. You could scroll through different maps through the years and usually the old maps would give a better description. Maybe find and answer to this one.


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## Dirus_Strictus (Jul 1, 2017)

caiman said:


> What an interesting find! The water wheel was made by J J Armfield & Co Ltd of Ringwood, Hants. It could even be a Water Turbine?



It is in fact a turbine, but because the water feed was not completely shut off when the mill closed down, the thinner gauge steel water feed ducting has rusted away. From the size of the remaining line shafting bracket on the wall, this Estate Mill would have been fitted out with some serious circular saws and the like. It is quite feasible that the remaining circular saw was the baby of the set-up. Despite lavish press adverting the Ransomes' Crawler did not do very well in the UK, the little grey Fergie being a far more versatile machine.


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## krela (Jul 1, 2017)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> It is in fact a turbine, but because the water feed was not completely shut off when the mill closed down, the thinner gauge steel water feed ducting has rusted away. From the size of the remaining line shafting bracket on the wall, this Estate Mill would have been fitted out with some serious circular saws and the like. It is quite feasible that the remaining circular saw was the baby of the set-up. Despite lavish press adverting the Ransomes' Crawler did not do very well in the UK, the little grey Fergie being a far more versatile machine.



Evidenced by the fact you can still see a million little fergies rotting away in farmyards, and see virtually no Crawlers. I think this is only the third or fourth I've seen. Wide tracks on a narrow wheelbase is not a good combination for crop efficiency!


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## LittleOz (Jul 1, 2017)

I'm surprised that's still there. This is a shot from June 2013.


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## Rubex (Jul 2, 2017)

I love little places like this - so cute. Nice find and pics Brewtal! That's a perfect end shot!


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## stu8fish (Jul 5, 2017)

Nice find and a great report. Thanks.


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## Ferox (Jul 10, 2017)

Interesting mate and nicely shot. The three water pics are ace


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## prettyvacant71 (Jul 10, 2017)

I admire your nosiness Bretwal

Of course a high up van seat location most definitely assists in the search, I miss a hell of a lot in my tarmac hugging scrapheap challenge


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## BAZNEW (Jul 14, 2017)

This stuff is fantastic I will look forward to more if you do any.


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