Combe Mill

Combe Mill is the restored sawmill and workshop built for the Blenheim Palace estate, run as a hands-on working museum by a volunteer society. Families can watch the steam beam engine and the restored waterwheel driving old woodworking machinery on steaming days, and on some of those days have a go at blacksmithing at the forge. The upstairs pattern shop holds collections of trade tools used for demonstrations, and there is a working collection of historic tower clocks. Younger visitors can follow a mill cat trail around the building. A riverside tea room and picnic meadow on the banks of the River Evenlode make it easy to stay for a relaxed afternoon, and dogs are welcome in the mill and picnic area. The mill suits families who enjoy industrial history, machinery and an unhurried day in the countryside.