Josephine Mill

Cape Town's only surviving water mill, built in 1818, still grinding flour

Address Boundary Road, Newlands
Phone ++27 (0)21 686 4939.

Josephine Mill is the only surviving water mill in Cape Town, built in 1818 on the Liesbeek River in what is now Newlands. The enormous cast-iron wheel was added in 1840, cast by Jacob Letterstedt, and still turns. The mill ground flour for the growing Cape colony and is a rare piece of intact industrial heritage from the early nineteenth century.

Guided tours run most weekdays and include a demonstration of the mill in operation. Freshly ground flour and biscuits are sold on site. It is a small, quiet attraction — worth an hour if you are in the southern suburbs, especially for children.

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