Sarehole Mill

Sarehole Mill is one of only two surviving working watermills in Birmingham. The existing building was constructed around 1750, although there was known to be a mill here as early as the Tudor period. Today the mill is best know for its association with the author JRR Tolkien who spent part of his childhood nearby and who used the site and its surroundings as the inspiration for the Shire in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Although now surrounded by the Birmingham suburbs, the mill retains a tranquil rural atmosphere and the millpond provides a haven for wildlife including kingfishers, herons and a range of other species.

Sarehole Mill is available for pre-booked school visits throughout the year, a wide variety of cross curricular activities and study sessions are available to schoolchildren at all Key Stages. This includes work involving history, science, geography and literacy.

Please contact the Education Bookings Team to make a booking.

Our taught sessions incur a charge, visit our charges page for more details.

Visit the Schools Liaison website for more information about Birmingham Museums' offer to schools and to explore our online resources.

Highlights at Sarehole Mill include:

• The original main waterwheel, mill gears and grinding stones which visitors can see in action most days
• The bakehouse with the original breadoven from the 1850s, large enough to hold 60 loaves of bread.
• Signposts to Middle-Earth – this family-friendly exhibition explores the connections of JRR Tolkien with Sarehole Mill and the surrounding area. The Mill is part of the Tolkien Trail, which follows the childhood footsteps of the author and the places that influenced his writing. Download the Tolkien Trail leaflet.
• The mill pool – newly de-silted and returned to its original size. This tranquil pond is a haven for wildlife including herons, mallards and moorhens - and if you are lucky you might spot our resident kingfisher! We now have a pond-dipping platform and visitors can hire nets and see what mini-beasts they can catch (Subject to availability. Children must be supervised by adults).