| Official Name: | Pin Mill |
| Country: | England |
| Region: | East of England |
| Os Grid Reference: | TM2052537997 |
| Coordinates: | 51.9961°N 1.2127°W |
| Post Town: | Ipswich |
| Postcode Area: | IP |
| Postcode District: | IP9 |
| Dial Code: | 01473 |
| Shire District: | Babergh |
| Shire County: | Suffolk |
| Hide Services: | Yes |
| Static Image: | Pin Mill shoreline - geograph.org.uk - 721031.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | The shoreline at Pin Mill, Chelmondiston |
Pin Mill is a hamlet on the south bank of the tidal River Orwell, on the outskirts of the village of Chelmondiston, on the Shotley peninsula in southern Suffolk. It lies within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a designated Conservation Area. It is now generally known for the historic Butt and Oyster public house, and for sailing.
The expression "pin mill" means a pin factory, and also a word for a wheel with projecting pins used in leather production. Neither ofthese activities are known to have taken place at Pin Mill. Pin Mill was once a busy landing point for ship-borne cargo, a centre for the repair of Thames sailing barges and home to many small industries such as sail making, a maltings (now a workshop) and a brickyard. The east coast has a long history of smuggling, in which Pin Mill and the Butt and Oyster pub allegedly played key parts.[1]
During World War II Pin Mill was home to Royal Navy Motor Launches and to a degaussing vessel created from a herring drifter. Pin Mill and Woolverstone were home ports to many tank landing craft used in the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
There were later improvements in the sailing infrastructure, and responsibility for the Hard at Pin Mill was handed over to a new 'community interest' company.[2]
Pin Mill has often been the subject of painting and photography, and is a popular yacht and dinghy sailing destination. During WWII many yachts were placed for storage west of the hamlet in what were then called 'the saltings,' awaiting the cessation of hostilities. The moorings in the river were home to the Royal Harwich One Design Class boats for many years in the 1940s. There are two boatyards, and the Pin Mill Sailing Club has hosted an annual Barge Match since 1962.[3] The Grindle is a small stream that flows alongside Pin Mill Common down to the Pin Mill Hard on the foreshore. It is used by dinghies to ferry sailors ashore.
The Butt and Oyster is a traditional 17th-century public house that serves real ale.[4] It is a listed building with bay windows in the bar and restaurant that offer panoramic views of the Orwell estuary.[5]
Pin Mill lies along the Stour and Orwell walk. There many signposted walks in the immediate area, including through the Cliff Plantation forest owned by the National Trust.[6]