The water wheel has been mentioned in historical documents as far back as 200BC. They are used to generate power by having water flow over the top of them or below them.
This water wheel was built in 1860 for Ramsgill timber saw mill in Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales. The water wheel powered a circular saw at the mill until 1910.
In 1923 the water wheel was moved to another timber mill in Nidderdale, Gouthwaite Ghyll, and carried on running until 1947. It then lay derelict until 1972 where it was given as a gift to Bradford Industrial Museum. It has since been restored and runs daily in the Motive Power Gallery.
The Bradford Water Wheel
Contributed by Bradford Industrial Museum
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Bradford
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1860
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