Sarehole Mill (Birmingham)

 museum, water mill, Grade II Listed (UK)

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Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill (in an area once called Sarehole) on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham Museums Trust. It is known for its association with J. R. R. Tolkien and is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.

The cobbled courtyard and mill pool are a tranquil haven from 21st century life outside, while the buildings and their impressive machinery give a unique insight into the lives of the millers who once inhabited this rural retreat.

More than 70 watermills once occupied the riverbanks around Birmingham and there has been one at Sarehole for at least 460 years. Sarehole was first built as a corn-grinding mill but has also been used for rolling sheet metal, grinding blades and wire rolling. The Mill was once rented to Matthew Boulton before he moved to Handsworth to build his famous Soho Manufactory. The local landscape also provided inspiration for the stories of JRR Tolkien who spent his childhood here.

It is now a public museum, owned and operated by Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The mill is normally closed in the winter months.