Buttrum's Mill, Woodbridge
Encyclopedia
Buttrum's Mill or Trott's Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill
at Woodbridge
, Suffolk
, England
which has been restored to working order.
millwright
, replacing an earlier post mill
. The mill was run for many years by the Trott family, for whom it was built, and later by the Buttrum family.
It worked by wind until 11 October 1928. The shutters were removed from the sails in 1934 and stored in the mill. The mill was bought at auction in 1937 by Mr Kenney, a mill enthusiast. The fantail was blown off in the 1940s, damaging the cap. A lease
on the mill was granted to East Suffolk County Council in 1950. The council aimed to preserve an example of each main type of windmill. The derelict mill was restored from 1952 by Thomas Smithdale and Sons, the Acle
, Norfolk
millwrights for East Suffolk County Council. The work, costing £4,000 was completed in 1954. It was part funded by the Pilgrim Trust
. The wrought iron gallery round the cap was replaced with a wooden one. A new cap and fantail was built. The fantail was damaged in a gale in December 1966 and in 1973 a new stock and sail were fitted. In the late 1970s, further restoration work was carried out by Millwrights International Ltd. A new cap was craned onto the mill in 1982 and new sails were fitted in 1984.
. The mill is unusual in having a speaking tube
connecting the floors. One of the pairs of sails is shorter than the other pair.
.
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 Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which has been restored to working order.
History
Buttrum's Mill was built in 1836 by John Whitmore, the Wickham MarketWickham Market
Wickham Market is a large village situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.It is on the A12 trunk road thirteen miles north-east of the county town of Ipswich, five miles north-east of Woodbridge. Its railway station is located approximately...
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...
, replacing an earlier post mill
Post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have...
. The mill was run for many years by the Trott family, for whom it was built, and later by the Buttrum family.
It worked by wind until 11 October 1928. The shutters were removed from the sails in 1934 and stored in the mill. The mill was bought at auction in 1937 by Mr Kenney, a mill enthusiast. The fantail was blown off in the 1940s, damaging the cap. A lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
on the mill was granted to East Suffolk County Council in 1950. The council aimed to preserve an example of each main type of windmill. The derelict mill was restored from 1952 by Thomas Smithdale and Sons, the Acle
Acle
Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth. There is a high school Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
millwrights for East Suffolk County Council. The work, costing £4,000 was completed in 1954. It was part funded by the Pilgrim Trust
Pilgrim Trust
The Pilgrim Trust is a London-based charitable trust. It was founded in 1930 by a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. The trust's first secretary was former civil servant, Thomas Jones....
. The wrought iron gallery round the cap was replaced with a wooden one. A new cap and fantail was built. The fantail was damaged in a gale in December 1966 and in 1973 a new stock and sail were fitted. In the late 1970s, further restoration work was carried out by Millwrights International Ltd. A new cap was craned onto the mill in 1982 and new sails were fitted in 1984.
Description
Buttrum's Mill is a six storey tower mill with an ogee cap with a gallery. The tower is 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) diameter internally at the base and 11 feet (3.35 m) diameter at curb level. It is 48 feet (14.63 m) high to the curb. The brickwork is 23 inches (584.2 mm) thick at the base. The mill stands 61 feet (18.59 m) to the finial, the tallest surviving mill in Suffolk. The cap is winded by a six bladed fantail. The four Patent sails of 70 feet (21.34 m) span are carried on a cast iron windshaft as is the cast iron brake wheel with wooden cogs. This drives a cast iron wallower carried on the cast iron upright shaft. The wallower can be disengaged from the brake wheek to allow the mill to be driven by auxiliary power. Lower down the upright shaft a cast iron crown wheel drives auxiliary machinery via layshafts. The cast iron great spur wheel drives four pairs of 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter overdrift millstones. Two of the four pairs of millstones are controlled by a single governorCentrifugal governor
A centrifugal governor is a specific type of governor that controls the speed of an engine by regulating the amount of fuel admitted, so as to maintain a near constant speed whatever the load or fuel supply conditions...
. The mill is unusual in having a speaking tube
Speaking tube
A speaking tube or voicepipe is a device based on two cones connected by an air pipe through which speech can be transmitted over an extended distance. While its most common use was in intra-ship communications, the principle was also used in fine homes and offices of the 19th century, as well as...
connecting the floors. One of the pairs of sails is shorter than the other pair.
Millers
- George Trott 1836-46
- Pierce Trott 1846-61
- William Benns 1861-68
- John Buttrum 1869-84
- Mary Ann Buttrum 1885-1908
- George Buttrum 1908-28
Public access
Buttrum's Mill is open between 14:00 and 17:30 over Easter, and Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday from May to September. It is open from 11:00 to 17:00 on National Mills WeekendNational Mills Day
National Mills Day is an event in the United Kingdom and occurs annually on the second Sunday in May. It started off as a single day event but in recent years has expanded to Saturday as well as Sunday, and is now promoted as National Mills Weekend. The event is coordinated by the Wind and...
.
See also
Other mills in, or strongly connected with Woodbridge:-- Tricker's Mill, WoodbridgeTricker's Mill, WoodbridgeTricker's Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill at Woodbridge, Suffolk, England which has been incorporated to a sheltered housing scheme.-History:...
- Woodbridge Tide MillWoodbridge Tide MillWoodbridge Tide Mill in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England is a rare example of a tide mill whose water wheel still turns.The mill has been preserved and is open to the public, its machinery reflects the skills and achievements of the early Industrial Revolution. The mill is a three storey building...
- Ramsey Windmill, EssexRamsey Windmill, EssexRamsey Windmill is a grade II* listed Post mill at Ramsey, Essex, England which has been restored.-History:Ramsey Windmill was originally built in Woodbridge, Suffolk. It was the north westerly one of four mills on the Mill Hills shown on the 1838 tithe map. The mill was moved to Ramsey in 1842 by...
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Buttrum's Mill.