Buxhall Windmill
Encyclopedia
Buxhall Mill is a tower mill
at Buxhall
, Suffolk
, England
which has been converted to residential accommodation.
. It was marked on Joseph Hodgkinson's map of 1783 and described as "newly erected" in a newspaper report of it burning down as the result of suspected arson
on 9 July 1814.
The second mill was a smock mill
. It was built by Samuel Wright, millwright
of Needham Market
. The account for building the mill reads,
In the 1850s, a steam mill was erected close to the smock mill. It was powered by a beam engine
and drove two pairs of millstones. a third pair was added at a later date, along with other machines for cleaning grain and dressing flour. This proved to be too much for the beam engine with the result that the beam broke and the engine was wrecked. The mill was worked by the Clover family until 1860 when it was dismantled. The machinery, cap and sails from the smock mill were incorporated into the new tower mill. Work started on 8 May 1860 and was completed in February 1861.
Buxhall Mill was built by William Bear, the Sudbury
millwright
at a cost of £506 6s 9d. The lower three storeys formed the base of a smock mill
which stood on the site previously. The mill was worked by wind until November 1929 when the sails were damaged in a storm. The swing-pot neck bearing was removed and sold to John Bryant of Pakenham mill
. It was eventually installed in that mill in 1950 by Amos Clarke, the Ipswich
millwright. In the 1940s Buxhall mill was stripped of its millstones and refitted as an engine driven mill, in which form it worked until 1971. The mill had lost its cap by 1971, with the cap frame remaining on the top of the tower.
in strong winds. The windshaft weighed 38 cwt
(1,930 kg) and cost £38. 0. 0. new in 1860. The cap was winded by an eight bladed fantail. An unusual feature of this mill was the cast iron gutter around the curb, which collected rainwater from the cap and delivered it to the ground via a downpipe on the outside of the mill.
s, a fifth pair being described as "of small size". The upright shaft was in two sections. It carried a 6 in 2 in (1.88 m) cast iron great spur wheel with 96 cogs. The spur wheel weighed 2 tons 13 cwt (2,693 kg) and cost £32. 0 .0 new in 1860.
References for above:-
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 Buxhall
Buxhall
Buxhall is a village and a civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The nearest town is Stowmarket. It is home to public house, Buxhall Windmill, and a village recreation ground with children's play area....
, 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 converted to residential accommodation.
History
There have been three windmills on this site. The first mill was a post millPost 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...
. It was marked on Joseph Hodgkinson's map of 1783 and described as "newly erected" in a newspaper report of it burning down as the result of suspected arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
on 9 July 1814.
The second mill was a smock mill
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
. It was built by Samuel Wright, 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...
of Needham Market
Needham Market
Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...
. The account for building the mill reads,
| Item | £ Pound sterling The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence... |
s. | d. Penny (British pre-decimal coin) The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day.... |
|---|---|---|---|
| To building a smock wind Mill as per agreement | 520. | 15. | 11¾. |
| To extra Studdg & partitions in wheat bin 88 feet 9 in. | 3. | 8. | 9. |
| To large meal hopper contg 48 feet | 2. | 8. | 0. |
| To a pair of pullie Blocks Irond up with Screw Eyes to do. | 1. | 11. | 6. |
| Total | 528. | 3. | 5¾. |
In the 1850s, a steam mill was erected close to the smock mill. It was powered by a beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
and drove two pairs of millstones. a third pair was added at a later date, along with other machines for cleaning grain and dressing flour. This proved to be too much for the beam engine with the result that the beam broke and the engine was wrecked. The mill was worked by the Clover family until 1860 when it was dismantled. The machinery, cap and sails from the smock mill were incorporated into the new tower mill. Work started on 8 May 1860 and was completed in February 1861.
Buxhall Mill was built by William Bear, the Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
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...
at a cost of £506 6s 9d. The lower three storeys formed the base of a smock mill
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
which stood on the site previously. The mill was worked by wind until November 1929 when the sails were damaged in a storm. The swing-pot neck bearing was removed and sold to John Bryant of Pakenham mill
Pakenham Windmill
Pakenham Mill is a Grade II* listed tower mill at Pakenham, Suffolk, England which has been restored and is maintained in working order.-History:...
. It was eventually installed in that mill in 1950 by Amos Clarke, the Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
millwright. In the 1940s Buxhall mill was stripped of its millstones and refitted as an engine driven mill, in which form it worked until 1971. The mill had lost its cap by 1971, with the cap frame remaining on the top of the tower.
Tower
The tower of Buxhall Mill is three storeys, built on a three storey base of a smock mill. It is 17 in 8 in (5.38 m) diameter at curb level. There was a stage at second floor level.Cap, sails and fantail
Buxhall Mill had a domed cap with a gallery. It was 17 in 6 in (5.33 m) diameter and 14 feet (4.27 m) high internally. The four Patent sails had eleven bays of three shutters, and spanned 80 feet (24.38 m). They were carried on stocks of 55 feet (16.76 m) long, 13 inches (330.2 mm) square at the poll end. The sails were 33 in 6 in (10.21 m) long and 8 in 6 in (2.59 m) long. They were fitted with Catchpole's Air Brakes. These provided extra power in light winds, but acted as an effective air brakeAir brake (aircraft)
In aeronautics, air brakes or speedbrakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing....
in strong winds. The windshaft weighed 38 cwt
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
(1,930 kg) and cost £38. 0. 0. new in 1860. The cap was winded by an eight bladed fantail. An unusual feature of this mill was the cast iron gutter around the curb, which collected rainwater from the cap and delivered it to the ground via a downpipe on the outside of the mill.
Machinery
The mill drove four pairs of millstoneMillstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s, a fifth pair being described as "of small size". The upright shaft was in two sections. It carried a 6 in 2 in (1.88 m) cast iron great spur wheel with 96 cogs. The spur wheel weighed 2 tons 13 cwt (2,693 kg) and cost £32. 0 .0 new in 1860.
Millers
- Isaac Clover 1815-44 (smock mill)
- Clover 1860- (tower mill)
- Clover
- J A Clover -1971
References for above:-
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Buxhall Mill.