Combe Mill Industrial Museum

The current mill was constructed in 1852 to serve as a workshop for the Blenheim Palace Estate. It replaced an early 17th-century flour mill that had been sold to George Spencer, the 4th Duke of Marlborough, in 1766.

A beam engine and a Cornish boiler were installed in 1886 to provide power when the flow of the adjacent River Evenlode was insufficient to operate the waterwheel.

During World War I, the mill was commandeered by the War Office to produce props and duck-boards for use in the battlefield trenches. Auxiliary stationary steam engines were installed by the government to support this production.

The original wood waterwheel was replaced with a metal one in 1934. During this process, the shaft was also replaced with the timber one currently present at the mill.

Following a survey in 1969 by the City and County Museum, the beam engine was restored and successfully returned to steam in September 1972 after remaining idle for sixty years.

Following the formation of the Combe Mill Society, the site officially opened to the public as a museum in 1975.

The site was formally designated as a Grade II* listed building on 29 June 1988, reflecting its status as an important historical industrial site.