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Newsletter 150 Autumn 2025 © Hampshire Mills Group |
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Visit to Hartley Mill Hydro Installation
Amy Cheung
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On Thursday 7 August, a group of 14 members of
Hampshire Mills Group visited Hartley Mill, at
Hartley Wespall near Hook, for an interesting visit
hosted by Sam Maitland, managing director, and me,
his work colleague, from the Fish Friendly
Hydropower Company. The visit combined the history
of waterpower at the mill (where Sam lives with his
family) with a look at its exciting future.
The sun shone as we were welcomed and we all met up
on the patio admiring the garden, and once coffees
were drunk and few biscuits consumed, Sam began his
presentation with a fascinating look on the mill’s
past. The mill was first mentioned in the Doomsday
book in 1086. Although it sounds old, it was one of
5624 watermills in England mentioned in the book.
It really shows how reliant the country was on
waterpower almost 1000 years ago!
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Ruth Andrews
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The talk by Sam
Maitland
Ruth Andrews
(left), Amy Cheung (above) |
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After a few maps of the site through the ages, some
satellite images, and some historic photos (thanks
to The Mills Archive), Sam moved on to the real
reason we were at the mill.
In a room overlooking the original millrace, we
could see the future of waterpower: the Picostream
Floating Turbine slowly spinning round – a
small-scale, modern hydropower system powering Sam's
house.
Ruth Andrews
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Unlike traditional hydropower schemes that so many
people have looked into, it needs no large
construction works, no digging, and no licences from
the Environment Agency; such licences for
abstraction, impoundment, or transfer can take over
4-5 years and cost over £15,000. This truly takes
the hassle out of hydropower. It uses the natural
flow of water to generate electricity, with little
to no impact on the landscape.
The turbine in Sam's house produces over 9000 kWh in
a year which is enough to power 3 households! (based
on OFGEM's average electricity usage per household).
The system is compact, quiet, and works 24/7 with
generation linked to household usage with more power
generated by stronger flows in winter. It fits into
existing features like sluices or mill races,
meaning it can produce clean energy without harming
the ecological or heritage value of the site. The
Picostream makes national waterpower possible again
– for local communities and mill house owners. It’s
a small system with a big idea: to help power
Britain by bringing old mills back into use in a
clean, sustainable way.
And the cost? Sam explained that an average site
would pay back the investment around the same time,
or more quickly, than solar panels.
The visit sparked lively and thoughtful discussions
about the potential for this low-impact technology
to be implemented at mills across Hampshire and the
wider country – unlocking cheap, clean energy
opportunities while preserving our heritage. These
'Made in Britain' turbines really could be the
future.
Sheila Viner |
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Keith Andrews writes:
A huge thank you to the Fish Friendly Hydropower
team for hosting such an informative visit. It was
a brilliant showcase of how history and innovation
can come together to create a sustainable future.
Amy didn’t mention it in her report, but the
picostream floating turbine was invented by Henry
Reily-Collins, and developed with Sam, and the
support of various universities and other
institutions.
If you're interested
in learning more, please contact Amy at
AmyC@fishfriendlyhydro.co
or
visit www.fishfriendlyhydro.co
for further
information.
Thanks also to Peter Mobbs for arranging the visit.
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