Warnham Millpond Weir

The water here flows out of a large lake which forms part of a local nature reserve. Further to the right is the mill itself, which will be the subject of a future picture no doubt! The water level earlier over Christmas was considerably higher than this with water pounding out of both sluices and up to at least the level of the first step on the empty outlet you can see. The force of water vibrated the bridge which carries a main road out of Horsham! The catchment of the stream feeding the lake is considerable as it drains a wide area up to and beyond the county boundary with Surrey. Nevertheless there is still a considerable flow of water coming out after days of endless rain!

The bridges on the road were reconstructed in 1928 and this is a site of an Ironworks in use during the 16th and 17th Centuries. When the reconstruction of the bridge was carried out, a large lump of iron was found along with slag and old timbers blackened with age. As the lump of iron was more than two men could lift, it was left in situ and remains under the road.