Arber's Mill, Littleport, CAM

[Steveanorman]

Great post by dochines, continuing from where your post left off up to present day, the mill and later the bungalow that was build on the site is that Ben's sister Rose sold the mill and mill house in 1950 to a Mr Cliff Leonard, he had the mill pulled down around 1952 and the bungalow was build in around 1963, in Jan 1964 my farther bought the mill house and Cliff Leonard moved into the bungalow, this was later sold to Mr and Mrs Harrison, then to Mr Peter Coulson (decessed) his widow Sheila still lives there, Interesting to note that the mill was build around 1840, as the mill house was build in 1836 maybe the mill was built at the same time
Steve

Originally Posted by dochines

this seems to be the detailed history. knowing the area I doubt much has changed Littleport is out on the Fens...... flat fields and long straight roads with dykes rivers and canals everywhere

The History of Arbers Mill
The windmill at Ten Mile Bank, Littleport, which was to become know as 'Arbers Mill' was
originally built in the 1840's for a miller named William Green. It was a corn-grinding brick
tower mill sited just below the river bank. Built on a rather bleak spot, it stood on the Littleport
side of the Black Horse Drove Road which ran alongside the River Ouse. During the harsh
winters the river would freeze and you can find photographs which show the fen skating
matches of the time with Arbers Mill in the background. The mill was put up for sale by
auction in July of 1850, and again in 1856, but it was not bought by Benjamin Arber until
probably around 1860. His will, written in 1869, states that there was still an outstanding
mortgage which was to be paid by his son as a condition of inheriting the mill. The 1851
Census shows Benjamin Arber (1809 - 1870) living at Drove Lane, Wicken with his second
wife Emma as well as his son Benjamin and grand-daughter Mary A Grandfield. In 1858 he
appears in the Waterbeach Directory named as running a 'smock' windmill that stood on the
Cambridge to Ely Road, but by the time of the 1861 census he had moved to the windmill at
Ten Mile Bank, Littleport which was to become 'Arbers Mill. As well as the mill there was a
'dwelling house' which comprised of two floors with four rooms on each, and a Stable,
Cowhouse, Outbuildings, Yard and Garden. The windmill was to remain in the Arber family
until the 1950's. After Benjamin's death in 1870 his only son, also called Benjamin (1841 -
191, took over the running of the business and the 1881 census shows him living there with
his wife and daughter - both called Elizabeth - and employing two men. Ben's only child
Elizabeth died in 1899. When Benjamin himself died in 1918, the mill was already in the
possession of his nephew, yet another Benjamin and the first Benjamin's grandson,
(confusing isn't it) who had run the business from about 1900. It is not known if his nephew
bought, or was gifted Arbers Mill before his uncle's death, but there is no mention of Arbers
Mill in the 1918 will. The last Benjamin ran the mill from about 1900 to 1930's although his
brother James Philip did much of the physical work from about 1918 as both he and his wife
were incapacitated due to arthritis. The mill finally closed around 1929 and at this time the
sails were removed for safety reasons. Benjamin continued to live at the mill after its closure
until his death in 1936 when he left it in his will to his younger sister Roseanna. She lived
there with her companion Maud for a time, and apparently she and her neighbours used the
building as an air raid shelter in the Second World War. About 1950 Rose sold the building
which had fallen into disrepair, and Arbers Mill was subsequently demolished in 1952,
although the mill house was left standing. Arbers Mill was the last working mill in Littleport
and was the last mill to be demolished in December 1952, just over one hundred years after it
had originally been built.


dochines