The Millpond dates back to the 15 th century when it was created by excavations for iron ore. A waterwheel was installed to power the blast furnace and hammer. The iron was used to make cannons for the battle that led up to the Spanish Armada. In 1664 the iron mill was destroyed by Cromwell’s troops during the Civil War.

In the late 1600s a flour mill was built to utilise the power of the waterwheel and remained in use until the 1930s when the advent of electricity made it uneconomical to run. The waterwheel and mill workings are still operable and the grinding stones are on show out front. The mill house itself has been converted into offices. 

The Visitor Centre at the Reserve was previously a cattle-milking parlour and the adjacent houses were for the farm workers.

The poet Shelley (1792 – 1822) was born in Warnham and grew up discovering the local area. It is said that as a young man he learnt to sail on the Millpond and had a favourite picnic spot under a Sweet Chestnut on the edge of the Reserve.

The area now covered by the Reserve, was for a time owned by the poet’s son Sir P F Shelley, but in 1875 was sold to the Lucas family to become part of Warnham Estate. It remained so for over 100 years until the early 1980s when the A24 was upgraded to a dual carriageway, which physically separated it from the main estate. The area of land was then purchased by Horsham District Council to be managed as a nature reserve. In 1988 the reserve was designated a Local Nature Reserve.

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