News Archive - The Waterwheel

In a watermill, the waterwheel was the primary source of power to operate the mill. Without a wheel, and an adequate supply of water, the mill could not work. New Hall Mill lost the supply from the Ebrook into the millpond in 1964 during river realignment to reduce flooding in
the Sutton Coldfield area.

(move pointer onto picture to view inside waterwheel)
The date of the wheel is unknown, but it
is most likely between 1840 and 1910. Although it has the name 'T.Price' on the shroud, it is believed to have been made by George Turton of Kidderminster.
The wheel is an external overshot wheel, 11ft (3.35m) in diameter and 6ft (1.83m) wide, fitted with 36 buckets, and supported by two sets of six cast iron arms on an 8" iron shaft. Originally the buckets around the wheel were made of wood but, due to decay, these were replaced by metal in early 1997. The speed of the waterwheel depends upon the water flow from the pentrough, and can be controlled by the miller from inside the mill. After leaving the wheel, the water flows to a collecting tank and is recycled back to the mill pond.