Sarehole Mill and millpond

Sarehole Mill

A 250 year old watermill famous for its association with author J.R.R Tolkien.

Special events

  1. Two mini yellow chickens on top of a wooden post

    The Great Easter Chick Hunt at Sarehole Mill , at Sarehole Mill.

    –
    How many Easter chicks can you find?
    DetailsDrop in
  2. Sarehole Mill and millpond

    City Nature Challenge at Sarehole Mill , at Sarehole Mill.

    Friday 25th April
    Join us to explore and record the wildlife of Sarehole Mill
    DetailsDrop in
  3. A tour guide is telling a story and the visitors are standing listening to him. They are inside the mill and above them are the wooden beams and boards that make up the ceiling.

    Sarehole Sundays Guided Tour , at Sarehole Mill.

    Sundays
    Guided tour of Sarehole Mill
    DetailsBook now
See all events
Two brick-built buildings meet to from a corner of a brick-paved courtyard.

About

Walk in the footsteps of one of the most famous authors of all time and discover the inspiration behind the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. JRR Tolkien grew up across the road from Sarehole Mill and in later life he would draw on its rural surroundings to create Middle-earth.

There are also connections with another Birmingham son. Matthew Boulton, manufacturer and business partner of engineer James Watt, leased the building between 1756 and 1761 and used it as a ‘flatting mill’ to producing sheet metal to make buttons.

More info

What to see

Interior of mill showing close up of the millstones

The Mill

Find out more about the history of this historic mill.
Two sculptures of tall thin towers in the gardens surrounded by tress and bushes, a small building is in the background

Middle Earth

Discover Sarehole Mill's links with J.R.R Tolkien.
Two children outside, one is pointing to a wooden sign in the ground. The sign reads 'Woodland Realm' and is surrounded by plants.

Woodland Realm

Little ones will love exploring the Woodland Realm.
A group of people in the cobbled courtyard with Sarehole Mill building behind.

Ticket prices

Path to brick-built water mill building surrounded by plants and trees.

Plan your visit

A two storey brick building with single storey outbuilding opposite across a cobbled courtyard.

How to get here

Sarehole Mill Opening Times

Open Friday - Sunday, 11am – 4pm.

  • Admission charges apply to enter the Mill.
  • Last entry to Mill 3.30pm.
  • Grounds are free to visit.*

Pre-booking advised. 

*Charges apply to enter the grounds on 3 May due to our May Day Celebrations.

Timber-beamed interior workings of a mill, showing the millstones
Ticket prices

Our blogs and stories

  1. A bee with gingery-brown hairs. The front legs are extended to show a fringe of long dark hairs.

    Spotting Spring Bees

    20 March 2025
  2. A microscopic view of an organisms that is brown and translucent.

    Microscopic water life at Sarehole Mill

    18 June 2024

Address: Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Road, Birmingham, B13 0BD.