Tidal mill shows how water works

THE LARGEST and most powerful tidal mill built in Britain will be opened to the public this weekend as part of a national celebration of water and windmill power.

The House Mill, built in 1776 over the river Lea in Bromley-by- Bow, east London, boasts four wheels which turned 12 pairs of stones. It is part of a site known as Three Mills Island that dates back to the Domesday Book as an industrial heritage area.

Restoration of House Mill, which is still in progress, started in 1988. The complex also includes a visitors' centre on the former site of the miller's house, which was destroyed in the war.

The opening has been timed to mark National Mills Day on Sunday, when nearly 300 mills will be open around the country to promote the merits of an older, greener technology.

(Photograph omitted)