Calbourne Water Mill and Rural Museum
Working water mill recorded in the Domesday Book, with a small war museum, rural displays, tea rooms and adventure golf in 20 acres of countryside.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Calbourne Water Mill is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as one of two mills at Calbourne, and corn has been ground on the site for around 1,000 years. It was later described as two corn mills under one roof, a wheat mill and a malt mill known as Mylplace Mill, with a dwelling house and a malthouse. The mill passed through several families, and it was bought by J. A. Long in 1869 and by George Weeks in 1878. The present owners, the Chaucer family, bought it in March 2000.
The oldest part, the stone mill, is driven only by a waterwheel and still produces flour with grit and burr stones, up to sixty tons of flour and oats a year. Flours, oats and muesli are sold in the gift shop, in island shops and online. The site also has a small museum that includes a war museum and displays of rural life, with a kitchen, dairy, laundry and bakery.
The site covers 20 acres of countryside with an ancient oak woodland, a mill stream where visitors can feed the fish and birds, a licensed tea room, a gift shop and adventure golf. School groups are welcome, and there are holiday cottages and eco lodges on the estate.
Highlights
- Working water mill recorded in the Domesday Book, driven by a waterwheel
- Small war museum and displays of rural life
- Flour, oats and muesli milled on site and sold in the shop
- Licensed tea room with cream teas and home-cooked food
- Feeding the peacocks, ducks and fish in the mill stream; adventure golf
Permanent exhibitions
- Working water mill – A stone mill driven by a waterwheel that grinds flour and oats with grit and burr stones.
- War museum and rural displays – A small war museum and displays of rural life in the mill buildings.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups | –School visits (2025 prices): £3 per student for a basic visit, £7 for a guided mill tour and £10 for a guided tour with a milling talk, a visit to the war museum and a small gift bag. Teachers and adults are free, and the minimum group size is 10 students. Coach parties are welcome and should book through the contact form. |
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Entry and parking are free and no booking is needed. Adventure golf is charged separately; the website gives no price for visitors, and school groups pay an extra £2.50 per student.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Visitors can feed the peacocks, geese and ducks, buy fish food for the mill stream and use the Lego tables. There is a children’s selection in the tea room and an adventure golf course.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The website refers visitors to the Southern Vectis bus timetables.
By car
Free parking
The mill is on the B3401 Newport to Freshwater road, half a mile west of Calbourne village, and parking is free. The cycling route follows the same road.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
The licensed tea room serves sandwiches, homemade soup, a ploughman’s lunch, a children’s selection, cakes, scones and cream teas. The gift shop sells the mill’s flours, oats and muesli, jams, chutneys and gifts.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Weddings / ceremonies
The mill offers a tailored wedding reception service, and guests can stay in the eco lodges on the estate. No room capacities are published.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| School programs | yes |
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| Good to know | Schools can choose a basic visit or a guided mill tour adapted to the age group, with links to the curriculum from key stage 1 to sixth form. Groups of at least 10 students can book, and school parties may picnic in the grounds. |
