Gainsford End Mill, Toppesfield
Encyclopedia
Gainsford End Mill is a grade II listed Tower mill
at Gainsford End
, near Toppesfield
, Essex
, England
which has been converted to a residence.
which had stood on the site since the late eighteenth century. The mill was working until c1928 and afterwards became derelict. The windshaft was installed in Duck End Mill, Finchingfield
when that mill was restored in 1958 although it was removed when a new wooden windshaft was fitted to that mill in 1986. It was converted to residential use in 2007.
. When built it had four Patent sails
carried on a cast iron
windshaft. The Brake Wheel drove a cast iron Wallower carried on a 5 inches (127 mm) diameter cast iron Upright Shaft. The 6 in 4 in (1.93 m) diameter Great Spur Wheel drove three pairs of millstone
s. The tower is 20 feet (6.1 m) diameter at the base with walls 2 feet (609.6 mm)thick The tower is 40 feet (12.19 m) high and the mill was 50 feet (15.24 m) to the top of the cap. The mill drove three pairs of millstone
s, two pairs were 4 in 4 in (1.32 m) diameter and the third pair were 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) diameter.
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 Gainsford End
Gainsford End
Gainsford End is a hamlet near the village of Toppesfield, in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. Gainsford End has a mill called Gainsford End Mill.- External links :*...
, near Toppesfield
Toppesfield
Toppesfield is a small village, historically associated with arable farming, in north Essex, England.-Inhabitants:Toppesfield has approximately three-hundred inhabitants...
, 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 a residence.
History
Gainsford End Mill was built in 1869 at a cost of £2000. It replaced 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...
which had stood on the site since the late eighteenth century. The mill was working until c1928 and afterwards became derelict. The windshaft was installed in Duck End Mill, Finchingfield
Duck End Mill, Finchingfield
Duck End Mill or Letch's Mill is a grade II listed Post mill at Finchingfield, Essex, England which has been restored.-History:Duck End Mill was built in the mid eighteenth century, dates of 1756, 1760 1773 and 1777 being recorded in the mill. It was originally built as an open trestle mill, the...
when that mill was restored in 1958 although it was removed when a new wooden windshaft was fitted to that mill in 1986. It was converted to residential use in 2007.
Description
Gainsford End Mill is a five storey brick tower mill with a domed cap winded by an eight bladed FantailWindmill 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...
. When built it had four 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:...
carried on a 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. The Brake Wheel drove a cast iron Wallower carried on a 5 inches (127 mm) diameter cast iron Upright Shaft. The 6 in 4 in (1.93 m) diameter Great Spur Wheel drove three pairs of millstone
Millstone
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. The tower is 20 feet (6.1 m) diameter at the base with walls 2 feet (609.6 mm)thick The tower is 40 feet (12.19 m) high and the mill was 50 feet (15.24 m) to the top of the cap. The mill drove three pairs of millstone
Millstone
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, two pairs were 4 in 4 in (1.32 m) diameter and the third pair were 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) diameter.