Ashby's Mill, Brixton
Encyclopedia
Ashby's Mill is a restored grade II* listed tower mill
at Brixton
in the London Borough of Lambeth
. The mill was in Surrey
when built and has been preserved..
at Mitcham
on the River Wandle
. The sails
were removed in 1864 and the windmill was relegated to use as a store. In 1902, the lease on the watermill expired and a steam engine
was installed in the windmill. This was later replaced by a gas engine
. The windmill was worked by engine until 1934, and supplied wholemeal flour to West End hotels and restaurants. After the war, there were proposals to demolish the mill and build a block of flats. The proposal was rejected and it was decided to conserve the mill, which was restored in 1964 by London County Council
. New sails were fitted, and machinery from a derelict windmill at Burgh le Marsh
, Lincolnshire
installed to replace that which had been removed. The work being done by Thompson's, the Alford
millwright
s. Following restoration, the mill was opened to the public at Easter 1968. The mill passed to Lambeth Council in 1971 and remains in their ownership. Further restoration was carried out in 1978 and 1983, but the windmill had been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register in 1995. The Friends of Windmill Gardens had been formed in April 2003 with the aim of restoring the windmill and surrounding area as a public amenity. In September 2004, an archaeological dig was organised, with assistance from the Museum of London
Archaeology Service. A £25,000 grant was given by Lambeth Borough Council towards repairs to the mill and gardens. A £2,000,000 restoration plan has been put together with assistance from the Horniman Museum
and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
. An application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
was submitted.
The Heritage Lottery Fund granted £397,700 towards the restoration. Lambeth Council and the Friends of Windmill Gardens also contributed towards the restoration of the mill, which cost £581,000. The restored mill was officially opened to the public on 2 May 2011 by Chuka Umunna
, MP for Streatham
.
Ashby's Mill is a four storey brick tower mill with a boat shaped cap. It had two Patent sails
and two Common sails. The cap was winded by a hand wheel, no fantail
being fitted. The cast iron windshaft is the only remaining original piece of machinery. The mill is 22 feet (6.71 m) diameter at the base and 39 in 6 in (12.04 m) to the curb, and 49 feet (14.94 m) high overall.
Tower mill
A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....
at Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
. The mill was in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
when built and has been preserved..
History
Ashby's Mill was built in 1816 and worked by wind until 1862, when the business was transferred to a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
at Mitcham
Mitcham
Mitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
on the River Wandle
River Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
. The sails
Windmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
were removed in 1864 and the windmill was relegated to use as a store. In 1902, the lease on the watermill expired and a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
was installed in the windmill. This was later replaced by a gas engine
Gas engine
A gas engine means an engine running on a gas, such as coal gas, producer gas biogas, landfill gas, or natural gas. In the UK, the term is unambiguous...
. The windmill was worked by engine until 1934, and supplied wholemeal flour to West End hotels and restaurants. After the war, there were proposals to demolish the mill and build a block of flats. The proposal was rejected and it was decided to conserve the mill, which was restored in 1964 by London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. New sails were fitted, and machinery from a derelict windmill at Burgh le Marsh
Burgh Le Marsh
Burgh-le-Marsh is a town to the west of Skegness in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The A158 used to run through from west to east but this was rerouted when a new bypass opened in late 2007. The village has a population of 2,016....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
installed to replace that which had been removed. The work being done by Thompson's, the Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
s. Following restoration, the mill was opened to the public at Easter 1968. The mill passed to Lambeth Council in 1971 and remains in their ownership. Further restoration was carried out in 1978 and 1983, but the windmill had been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register in 1995. The Friends of Windmill Gardens had been formed in April 2003 with the aim of restoring the windmill and surrounding area as a public amenity. In September 2004, an archaeological dig was organised, with assistance from the Museum of London
Museum of London
The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
Archaeology Service. A £25,000 grant was given by Lambeth Borough Council towards repairs to the mill and gardens. A £2,000,000 restoration plan has been put together with assistance from the Horniman Museum
Horniman Museum
The Horniman Museum is a museum in Forest Hill, South London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Arts and Crafts style....
and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
. An application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
was submitted.
The Heritage Lottery Fund granted £397,700 towards the restoration. Lambeth Council and the Friends of Windmill Gardens also contributed towards the restoration of the mill, which cost £581,000. The restored mill was officially opened to the public on 2 May 2011 by Chuka Umunna
Chuka Umunna
Chuka Harrison Umunna is a British Labour Party politician and employment lawyer. He has been the Member of Parliament for Streatham since 2010. After less than 18 months in Parliament, he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Business Secretary by Labour Leader Ed Miliband on 7 October 2011...
, MP for Streatham
Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)
Streatham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
.
Description
Windmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
and two Common sails. The cap was winded by a hand wheel, no fantail
Windmill fantail
A Fantail is a small windmill mounted at right angles to the sails, at the rear of the windmill, and which turns the cap automatically to bring it into the wind. The fantail was patented in 1745 by Edmund Lee, a blacksmith working at Brockmill Forge near Wigan, England, and perfected on mills...
being fitted. The cast iron windshaft is the only remaining original piece of machinery. The mill is 22 feet (6.71 m) diameter at the base and 39 in 6 in (12.04 m) to the curb, and 49 feet (14.94 m) high overall.
External links
- Brixton Windmill - official site of Ashby's Mill
- Windmill World webpage on Ashby's mill.