Sarehole Mill Museum — Attraction in Birmingham

It is only open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and the first Sunday of the month, by guided tour only at 11.30, 13 and 14.30. It’s a pity. Closed in December and January. Price is 6£

It is a water mill on the River Cole. But it’s famously known for its association with J. R. R. Tolkien, who lived within 300 yards of the mill, at 5 Gracewell, on Wake Green Road, between the ages four and eight, and would have seen it from his house. He himself said became the inspiration for the mill at Hobbiton in his classic work ‘The Hobbit’. In an interview with Guardian journalist, Tolkien said: “It was a kind of lost paradise... There was an old mill that really did grind corn with two millers, a great big pond with swans on it, a sandpit, a wonderful dell with flowers, a few old-fashioned village houses and, further away, a stream with another mill. I always knew it would go – and it did.”

Built in 1542 on the site of a previous pool, it was once known as Bedell's or Biddle's Mill after the name of an early owner. In 1727 it was described as High Wheel Mill. As early as 1755, the mill was leased by Matthew Boulton, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution and leading figure of the Lunar Society for scientific experimentation. It is believed he converted the machinery for use in metal working. As well as milling grain it has been used for grinding bones for fertiliser, metal rolling and wire drawing. The current building dates from 1771 and was in use until 1919. Thereafter it fell into a state of disrepair and dereliction. A local community campaign to save the mill was launched when demolition was mooted, and was finally successful with the mill being restored in 1969. It is now run as a museum and is one of only two working water mills...

My husband and I, being Tolkien fans, were definitely excited about doing this tour as part of our visit to Birmingham! Our initial research into the museum and the mill set us up to expect a nice tour of the mill, an intimate look into the years that Tolkien spent at the mill, and the pizza at the café.

The first two items (the mill and the Tolkien trivia) were an amazing experience! We definitely recommend this tour to anybody who wants to visit a good old run down watermill simply to see the works, or if you're a Tolkien nerd as well! Our tour guide was Ash, and he was marvellous! The tour lasted about an hour, during which he took us through the floors of the mill, explaining in immersive detail what milling was all about back in the day, occasionally treating us to a bit of insight into Tolkien's life back when he lived around the mill.

The third aspect that we were looking forward to (the pizza) was unfortunately a big disappointment. Not only was it mediocre at best, we also had to wait over an hour just for our order to be taken! (No, it wasn't that crowded. They were "backed up" with another order apparently.) So after over an hour of waiting to place an order (during which time we had filled up on tea and cake because we were just sitting there hungry and waiting), and then a wait of about 20 minutes for our pizza to arrive, we were quite disappointed with what we were served.

In summary: definitely do the tour and take your time exploring the park and the trail, and...

A lovely little place to visit. Was totally worth the visit even for a small little place. Just something nice to do for a few hours.

We went in a Sunday morning.

First thing we did was pop into the little cafe they have on site and we grabbed a coffee before we walked around and went on the tour it was really good coffee and nicely priced.

The girl who was our tour guide for the mill was amazing and did a great job. The tour around the Mill was really interesting and we learnt alot and was great to see how things worked back then and how it's changed since Tolkien was alittle boy.

As a big fan of Lord Of The Rings it was really interesting to experience a little bit of Tolkien life as a kid/young man growing up.

After the tour we went and walked around the woods they have on site. We popped back into the cafe to grab a drink and we ordered a pizza each. It was freshly banked on the site and was amazing. A Little bit of wait for it but we did not mind at all. Totally worth the wait it was really good pizza.

Over all the place is small but a beautiful place. I learn about the thoughts and inspirations behind the lord of the rings and how things was back then. Alittle bit of British history and not just about Tolkien. Worth checking out and spending a few hours checking it out.

Will...