Garboldisham Windmill
Encyclopedia
Garboldisham Mill is a Grade II* listed post mill
at Garboldisham
, Norfolk
, England
which has been restored.
, built the surviving mill. The mill was marked on Joseph Hodskinson's map of Suffolk
, 1783 and Faden's map of Norfolk, 1797. Also shown on this map was a smock mill
to the south which had been erected by James Turner in 1788. In 1802, he sold both mills to John Button for £795. A tower mill
was built to the north of the post mill in 1820. A new windshaft was fitted on 8 July 1827. In March 1831, a pair of Patent sails were fitted to the mill. A fantail was also added at this time. It is likely that the mill was re-arranged with both pair of millstones relocated to the breast instead of being arranged head and tail. All three mills were shown on the 1837 Ordnance Survey
map. The smock mill had gone by 1839. The post and tower mills were offered for sale by auction
on 21 November 1839 at the Fox Inn, Garboldisham. The mills were not sold and were offered for sale or to let in February 1840. The smock mill may have burnt down on 22 August 1840. A fire was reported at a tower mill in Garboldisham on that date. Mary Button owned the mill in 1842, with John Button as the miller. William Button was the miller in 1854. The tower mill had been demolished by 1864 when the mill was offered for sale by auction at the King's Head, Diss
. William Alfred Lawrence was the tenant miller at this time. He continued at the mill until he caught frostbite
while tending the sails. This led to his death on 25 December 1871. His widow Emma was left to run the business. She engaged John Nunn from Dickleburgh
to run the mill and farm.
On 3 August 1879, the mill lost two sails in a gale. The mill was repaired, with the width of the driving side of the sails increased from 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) to 6 feet (1.83 m). These were capable of driving both pairs of millstones at once. The mill was extended at the tail to allow space to fit a flour dressing machine. A steam engine
was also installed. This drove a single pair of millstone
s in an outhouse. John Nunn married Mrs Lawrence's daughter in 1892 and left the mill to run Grange Farm, Garboldisham. Mrs Lawrence's son Frederick ran the mill until he got married and moved away. He was replaced by John Tuck. In 1902, Mrs Lawrence retired and the mill was taken by Christopher George Pattinson, who was then employed as a miller at East Harling
windmill
. In 1906, a sail was blown off and its opposite member was removed to restore balance. The mill worked on a single pair of sails until 1914 when William Bennett, who had been engaged as miller, died. Pattinson's lease expired in 1917 and the mill was closed down.
The mill was let to Stephen Brock and in 1944 the Garboldisham Hall Estate, which owned the mill, was sold. The mill was bought by Brock's son. It was offered for sale in 1970. In 1971, emergency repairs were carried out as the mill was in danger of collapsing. These were funded by a grant of £3,050 from the Historic Buildings Council
and a further grant from Norfolk County Council. By 1972 the roof of the roundhouse had gone, and the walls had been reduced in height. The mill was bought in March of that year for £250 by George Colman of Ixworth
, Suffolk. His son Adrian set about the restoration of the mill, which was then the only post mill still standing in Norfolk. By 1975, a mill had been set up in the roundhouse and milling recommenced with power from an electric motor. The mill was gradually restored over the next 25 years. Garboldisham Mill remained the only post mill in Norfolk until 1984 when Thrigby Windmill was rebuilt on the surviving roundhouse of the original mill which had been demolished in 1892.
is formed of two crosstrees, four quarterbars and a main post. The main post is 1 in 11 in (584.2 mm) diameter at the crown tree.
s via 17 inches (431.8 mm) diameter cast iron stone nuts with wooden cogs.
Reference for above:-
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...
at Garboldisham
Garboldisham
Garboldisham is a village and civil parish, part of Guiltcross in the Breckland district, in Norfolk, England, near the boundary with Suffolk. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 721.- Origin of name :...
, 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...
, 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.
History
Although millers were recorded in Garboldisham during the sixteenth century, the first record of a windmill was in 1739 when Ishmael Pizzey left his windmill to his wife. In the 1770s, James Turner, a farmer of Blo' NortonBlo' Norton
Blo' Norton is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England, on the River Little Ouse, not far from Diss. The parish had a population of 270 in approximately 100 households, according to the 2001 census....
, built the surviving mill. The mill was marked on Joseph Hodskinson's map of 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...
, 1783 and Faden's map of Norfolk, 1797. Also shown on this map 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...
to the south which had been erected by James Turner in 1788. In 1802, he sold both mills to John Button for £795. A tower mill
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....
was built to the north of the post mill in 1820. A new windshaft was fitted on 8 July 1827. In March 1831, a pair of Patent sails were fitted to the mill. A fantail was also added at this time. It is likely that the mill was re-arranged with both pair of millstones relocated to the breast instead of being arranged head and tail. All three mills were shown on the 1837 Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map. The smock mill had gone by 1839. The post and tower mills were offered for sale by auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
on 21 November 1839 at the Fox Inn, Garboldisham. The mills were not sold and were offered for sale or to let in February 1840. The smock mill may have burnt down on 22 August 1840. A fire was reported at a tower mill in Garboldisham on that date. Mary Button owned the mill in 1842, with John Button as the miller. William Button was the miller in 1854. The tower mill had been demolished by 1864 when the mill was offered for sale by auction at the King's Head, Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
. William Alfred Lawrence was the tenant miller at this time. He continued at the mill until he caught frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
while tending the sails. This led to his death on 25 December 1871. His widow Emma was left to run the business. She engaged John Nunn from Dickleburgh
Dickleburgh
Dickleburgh is a village in South Norfolk situated six miles north of the Suffolk border. It lies on the old Roman road to Caistor St. Edmund which was the main road until a bypass was built in the early 1990s...
to run the mill and farm.
On 3 August 1879, the mill lost two sails in a gale. The mill was repaired, with the width of the driving side of the sails increased from 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) to 6 feet (1.83 m). These were capable of driving both pairs of millstones at once. The mill was extended at the tail to allow space to fit a flour dressing machine. 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 also installed. This drove a single pair 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 in an outhouse. John Nunn married Mrs Lawrence's daughter in 1892 and left the mill to run Grange Farm, Garboldisham. Mrs Lawrence's son Frederick ran the mill until he got married and moved away. He was replaced by John Tuck. In 1902, Mrs Lawrence retired and the mill was taken by Christopher George Pattinson, who was then employed as a miller at East Harling
East Harling
East Harling is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village forms the principal settlement in the civil parish of Harling, and is located some 8 miles east of the town of Thetford and 25 miles south-west of the city of Norwich.The village is served by Harling Road railway...
windmill
Kenninghall Road Mill, East Harling
Kenninghall Road Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill at East Harling, Norfolk, England which has been converted to residential accommodation.-History:...
. In 1906, a sail was blown off and its opposite member was removed to restore balance. The mill worked on a single pair of sails until 1914 when William Bennett, who had been engaged as miller, died. Pattinson's lease expired in 1917 and the mill was closed down.
The mill was let to Stephen Brock and in 1944 the Garboldisham Hall Estate, which owned the mill, was sold. The mill was bought by Brock's son. It was offered for sale in 1970. In 1971, emergency repairs were carried out as the mill was in danger of collapsing. These were funded by a grant of £3,050 from the Historic Buildings Council
Historic Buildings Council
Three separate Historic Buildings Councils were created by the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953, one for each of England, Scotland and Wales...
and a further grant from Norfolk County Council. By 1972 the roof of the roundhouse had gone, and the walls had been reduced in height. The mill was bought in March of that year for £250 by George Colman of Ixworth
Ixworth
Ixworth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of St Edmundsbury in Suffolk, United Kingdom. It is some northeast of Bury St Edmunds, on the A143 road to Diss and has a population of 2,177. Retrieved 2009-09-28]-Earthworks:...
, Suffolk. His son Adrian set about the restoration of the mill, which was then the only post mill still standing in Norfolk. By 1975, a mill had been set up in the roundhouse and milling recommenced with power from an electric motor. The mill was gradually restored over the next 25 years. Garboldisham Mill remained the only post mill in Norfolk until 1984 when Thrigby Windmill was rebuilt on the surviving roundhouse of the original mill which had been demolished in 1892.
Description
Garboldisham Mill is a post mill with a two storey roundhouse. The mill is winded by an eight bladed fantail.Trestle and roundhouse
The trestleTrestle (mill)
The Trestle of a Post mill is the arrangement of the Main post, crosstrees and quarterbars that form the substructure of this type of windmill. It may or may not be surrounded by a roundhouse...
is formed of two crosstrees, four quarterbars and a main post. The main post is 1 in 11 in (584.2 mm) diameter at the crown tree.
Body
The body of Garboldisham Mill measures 21 feet (6.4 m) by 9 in 9 in (2.97 m) in plan.Sails and windshaft
As originally built, the mill had a wooden windshaft and Common sails. These were later replaced by Patent sails and a cast iron windshaft. The windshaft is 10 inches (254 mm) diameter at the brake wheel and 6 inches (152.4 mm) diameter at the tail. The mill was probably built with the millstones arranged "head and tail". The millstones are now located in the breast, driven by spur gearing.Machinery
The windshaft carries an 8 in 6 in (2.59 m) diameter clasp arm brake wheel with iron segment teeth. This drives a 2 feet (609.6 mm) diameter cast iron wallower carried at the top of the cast iron upright shaft which is 4 inches (101.6 mm) diameter. At the lower end the 3 in 10 in (1.17 m) diameter great spur wheel drives two pairs of underdrift 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 via 17 inches (431.8 mm) diameter cast iron stone nuts with wooden cogs.
Millers
- James Turner 1788-1802
- John Button 1802-42
- William Button 1854
- William Alfred Lawrence 1862-71
- Emma Lawrence 1871-1902
- John Nunn 1871-92
- Frederick Lawrence 1892-
- John Tuck -1902
- Christopher George Pattinson 1902-1917
- William Bennett -1914
- Adrian Colman 1975 to date
Reference for above:-
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Garboldisham Mill.