Sadler's Mill

This watermill on the River Test at Romsey is one of several in the town which were crucial to the development of the town’s prosperity over the century.
It is known as Sadler’s Mill and is said to be the only one on the main course of the river and over the centuries as one of the principal corn and grist mills, help drive the prosperity of the town.
A plaque records that it was rebuilt in 1748 by the first Lord Palmerston, but there have been mills on this spot since medieval times. The first record of Sadler’s Mill was in the 16th century, and there were a succession of owners, including Lord Palmerston, and it returned to the Broadlands Estate in 1889.  It was still used for milling up until 1932, but then disused became derelict over the years until the estate finally sold it in 2003, subsequently to be restored.
 
Today it is arguably the most picturesque of the mills in the area, and is known locally as the salmon leap and at certain times of the year the fish can be seen leaping clear  of the water as they head upstream from the sea to spawn