The Watermills and Landscape of the River Great Ouse, Cambridgeshire
Presenters Bridget Flanagan and Keith Grimwade will share their research on the long history of water milling on the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire, which stretches back to at least the 10th-century CE.
The speakers will analyse why the watermills on the Great Ouse were the most valuable in England in 1086, and demonstrate that many landscape features, previously thought to be natural, are in fact the result of channel engineering for these mills.
Their research drew on a wealth of archival evidence as well as field and map work. They uncovered medieval legal disputes between newly-created boroughs and some of the most powerful estates in the country. The separate interests of millers, navigators and farmers were incompatible in their shared use of the river, and the economic might and influence of the millers prevailed. Navigation on the Great Ouse above St Ives was not restored until the development of locks in the mid 17th century. The research findings have implications for our understanding of the evolution of parish boundaries, and for the re-appraisal of lowland river valley landscapes nationally.
The talk is based on their book The Watermills and Landscape of the River Great Ouse, Cambridgeshire. Modelling the Impact of Watermilling in a Lowland Valley (Oxbow Books, 2025)
Event information
This (in-person) event will take place in the Pye Building at Cambridge Museum of Technology. Entrance to the venue on the night is via the Museum’s upper gate on Cheddars Lane.
There will be free light refreshments courtesy of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE)
Tickets for the event will be available on the door for £5 (£3 for students with ID).
Card-carrying members and volunteers of Cambridge Museum of Technology can attend for free.
E-tickets are also available to purchase in advance: please bring an electronic or printed copy of your receipt:
About the presenters
Bridget Flanagan is a writer and researcher on local history of the old County of Huntingdonshire. As a trustee of the Great Ouse Valley Trust, she is active in promoting greater recognition of this outstanding area, and campaigns for its protection and conservation.
Keith Grimwade is a Past President of the Geographical Association. His research interests are historical geography and landscape history, and the use of geographical information systems to interpret landscapes.
About Cambridge Industrial Archaeology Group
Cambridge Industrial Archaeology group organises a programme of talks on industrial heritage and history at Cambridge Museum of Technology. Talks usually take place at 7.30pm on the second Monday of each month. For further information about Cambridge Industrial Archaeology Group contact Robin Chandler .