Church End Mill, Great Dunmow
Encyclopedia
Church End Mill is a grade II listed Tower mill
at Great Dunmow
, Essex
, England
which has been converted to residential use.
in 1822 for John Fuller. It incorporated second-hand machinery from a smock mill
from an unknown location and the total cost of the mill was £564 10s 6d. In 1840, a new cast iron
windshaft and Patent sails
were fitted, but the windshaft snapped shortly afterwards and the sails landed on the outbuildings connected with the mill. The mill remained in the ownership of John Fuller until his death in 1887.
The mill did little trade after 1894, and ceased work c1902, the sails being removed then. By 1907 it was being used as a studio and during World War II
was used as an obsevation post, the cap having been removed by then. A new cap was fitted in 1974 by millwright
Philip Barrett-Lennard. The mill has been house converted, with no machinery remaining inside.
towards the end of the mill’s working life.
As originally built, the mill had an oak
windshaft, 23 inches (584.2 mm) square at the poll end and 14 in 6 in (4.42 m) long carrying four Common sails with cloths 30 feet (9.14 m) long by 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) wide. The windshaft carried an elm
brake wheel 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter with 80 cogs, which drove an elm wallower 4 in 8 in (1.42 m) diameter with 46 cogs, carried on an oak upright shaft 21 in 6 in (6.55 m) long and 15 inches (381 mm) square. The clasp arm elm great spur wheel was 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter, with 105 cogs. It drove two elm stone nuts of 28 inches (711.2 mm) diameter, each having 28 cogs.
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 Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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 use.
History
Church End Mill was built by William Redington, a miller from HarlowHarlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
in 1822 for John Fuller. It incorporated second-hand machinery from 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...
from an unknown location and the total cost of the mill was £564 10s 6d. In 1840, a new cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
windshaft and Patent 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 fitted, but the windshaft snapped shortly afterwards and the sails landed on the outbuildings connected with the mill. The mill remained in the ownership of John Fuller until his death in 1887.
The mill did little trade after 1894, and ceased work c1902, the sails being removed then. By 1907 it was being used as a studio and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was used as an obsevation post, the cap having been removed by then. A new cap was fitted in 1974 by 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...
Philip Barrett-Lennard. The mill has been house converted, with no machinery remaining inside.
Description
Church End Mill is a four storey tower mill with a conical cap with a ball finial. The mill had four single Patent sails carried on a cast iron windshaft and was winded by a six bladed fantail. The tower is 40 feet (12.19 m) high to curb level, 20 feet (6.1 m) diameter at base level and 10 feet (3.05 m) diameter at the curb. The brickwork is 2 in 3 in (685.8 mm) thick at base level. There was a stage at first floor level. Two pairs of French Burr millstones were driven by wind, with a third pair by steam engineSteam 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...
towards the end of the mill’s working life.
As originally built, the mill had an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
windshaft, 23 inches (584.2 mm) square at the poll end and 14 in 6 in (4.42 m) long carrying four Common sails with cloths 30 feet (9.14 m) long by 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) wide. The windshaft carried an elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
brake wheel 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter with 80 cogs, which drove an elm wallower 4 in 8 in (1.42 m) diameter with 46 cogs, carried on an oak upright shaft 21 in 6 in (6.55 m) long and 15 inches (381 mm) square. The clasp arm elm great spur wheel was 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter, with 105 cogs. It drove two elm stone nuts of 28 inches (711.2 mm) diameter, each having 28 cogs.
Millers
- Richard Hitching 1834–1840
- Harvey 1874 -
- William Henry Harvey 1882 - 1894
References for above:-
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Church End Mill