At the beginning of World War II there were just nine working tide mills recorded in Britain, but by the early 1950s Woodbridge Tide Mill was the sole survivor. The process of grinding by tidal power was relatively simple, and would ensure that the machinery could operate for about four hours twice a day - with the tides. As the tide comes in the salt water flows into a mill pond and is trapped, and when the tide goes out the water is released to flow under the huge water wheel to turning the machinery.

There has been a mill on this site since the 12th century and, during the Middle Ages, the Augustinian monks of Woodbridge Priory owned it. Following the Dissolution it became Crown property, eventually being granted by Queen Elizabeth I to one of her courtiers, Thomas Seckford, and it remained in the same family until 1672. A succession of owners over the next century resulted in Woodbridge Tide Mill becoming quite dilapidated, and when the Cutting family purchased it in 1792 they immediately set about reconstructing the building.

Improvements to the quay, and additional warehouse space, were made at the same time. Less than twenty years later, the new mill had been sold on to George Edwards, and his descendants continued to maintain it for the next 150 years. By the 1870s business was flourishing, and a nearby granary was refurbished, and a steam mill was built near the tide mill. Towards the end of the century, the beautiful white weather-boarding on the three-storey mill was covered by corrugated iron sheeting. Although this action caused some outrage at the time, it ultimately saved the building from extinction.

Signs of deterioration were becoming apparent by the 1920s, the water wheel seeming worse affected. Despite the concerns, Woodbridge Tide Mill continued to work at full capacity but in 1932 a new wheel was constructed and bolted to the original shaft. Regular repairs were carried out at the mill, and a new diesel-driven hammermill was installed when a new owner took over Woodbridge in 1954. As the water wheel was only employed on occasions, it failed to work properly and in 1957 the inevitable happened - the oak shaft of the wheel broke preventing any further operation. Tidal powered milling on the River Deben had finally come to an end.

The importance of Woodbridge Tide Mill as part of Britain's heritage was highlighted, and local groups were determined to apply pressure in relevant quarters to try and save the mill. Purchasing the mill and granary in 1968, Mrs Jean Gardner was keen to restore it for posterity and had soon founded The Woodbridge Tide Mill Trust to co-ordinate the restoration and continued preservation of the site. Within five years sufficient funds had been raised to restore the mill back to its late 18th century appearance, clad in new white weather-boarding. A riverside outhouse was subsequently built, and in 1976 all the main machinery of the mill was restored. When the new water wheel was installed it was given the protection of a solidly-constructed wheel house. Finally, in 1981, a small mill pond was created to power the wheel, the original 7-acre pond having long since become the new yacht marina.

Officially opened to the public in 1982 by the Duke of Grafton, the Woodbridge Tide Mill is a wonderful example of the ingenuity of rural craftsmanship from a bygone age. Harnessing the power of natural resources is simplistically impressive, but the sight of the splendid building housing the machinery, makes a delightful picture.