Halnaker Windmill
Encyclopedia
Halnaker Windmill is a tower mill
which stands on Halnaker Hill, northeast of Chichester
, Sussex
, England
. The Mill is reached by a public footpath from the north end of Halnaker
, where a track follows the line of Stane Street before turning west to the hilltop. There is no machinery in the brick tower which can be used for shelter.
as the feudal mill of the Goodwood
Estate. The surviving mill is thought to date from the 1740s and is known to have been standing c.1780. Halnaker Mill was working until struck by lightning
in 1905, damaging the sails and windshaft. The derelict mill was restored in 1934 by Neve's, the Heathfield
millwright
s as a memorial to the wife of Sir William Bird. Further repair work was done in 1954 by E Hole and Sons, The Burgess Hill
millwrights. The mill was again restored in 2004. The mill is owned by West Sussex County Council.
with a sixteen sided beehive cap. The mill was originally hand winded, and later fitted with a Fantail
, which was not replicated when the mill was restored. The four Common Sails
were originally carried on a wooden windshaft, which was damaged by the lightning strike in 1905. A cast iron
windshaft and wooden Brake Wheel from a wind saw mill at Punnetts Town were fitted. The windshaft is cast in two pieces, bolted together and was too short for Halnaker Mill. Neve's inserted a spacer to lengthen it. The mill worked two pairs of overdrift millstone
s. The mill is currently undergoing restoration work.
Reference for above:-
in which the collapse of the Mill is used as a metaphor for the tragic decay of the prevailing moral and social system.
Ha'nacker Mill
SALLY is gone that was so kindly,
Sally is gone from Ha'nacker Hill
And the Briar grows ever since then so blindly;
And ever since then the clapper is still...
And the sweeps have fallen from Ha'nacker Mill.
Ha'nacker Hill is in Desolation:
Ruin a-top and a field unploughed.
And Spirits that call on a fallen nation,
Spirits that loved her calling aloud,
Spirits abroad in a windy cloud.
Spirits that call and no one answers --
Ha'nacker's down and England's done.
Wind and Thistle for pipe and dancers,
And never a ploughman under the Sun:
Never a ploughman. Never a one.
There are musical settings of this poem by Peter Warlock
and Ivor Gurney
amongst others.
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....
which stands on Halnaker Hill, northeast of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into 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...
. The Mill is reached by a public footpath from the north end of Halnaker
Halnaker
Halnaker is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A285 road 3.5 miles northeast of Chichester, where it follows the line of the Roman road to London called Stane Street. There is a traditional pub, The Anglesey Arms and a blacksmiths shop. Goodwood House is...
, where a track follows the line of Stane Street before turning west to the hilltop. There is no machinery in the brick tower which can be used for shelter.
History
Halnaker Mill was first mentioned in 1540 as belonging to the manor of "Halfnaked". It was built for the Duke of RichmondDuke of Richmond and Lennox
Since 1623 the same person has usually held the dukedoms of Richmond and of Lennox. Since 1734 he has held the dukedom of Aubigny. Since 1876 he has also held the dukedom of Gordon.See:*Duke of Richmond*Duke of Lennox*Duke of Aubigny*Duke of Gordon...
as the feudal mill of the Goodwood
Goodwood House
Goodwood House is a country house in West Sussex in southern England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Richmond. Several architects have contributed to the design of the house, including James Wyatt. It was the intention to build the house to a unique octagonal layout, but only three of the eight...
Estate. The surviving mill is thought to date from the 1740s and is known to have been standing c.1780. Halnaker Mill was working until struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
in 1905, damaging the sails and windshaft. The derelict mill was restored in 1934 by Neve's, the Heathfield
Heathfield, East Sussex
Heathfield is a small market town, and the principal settlement in the civil parish of Heathfield and Waldron in the Wealden District of East Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, England.-Location:...
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...
s as a memorial to the wife of Sir William Bird. Further repair work was done in 1954 by E Hole and Sons, The Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park...
millwrights. The mill was again restored in 2004. The mill is owned by West Sussex County Council.
Description
Halnaker Mill is a four storey tower millTower 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....
with a sixteen sided beehive cap. The mill was originally hand winded, and later fitted with a Fantail
Windmill 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...
, which was not replicated when the mill was restored. The four Common 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 originally carried on a wooden windshaft, which was damaged by the lightning strike in 1905. 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 and wooden Brake Wheel from a wind saw mill at Punnetts Town were fitted. The windshaft is cast in two pieces, bolted together and was too short for Halnaker Mill. Neve's inserted a spacer to lengthen it. The mill worked two pairs of overdrift 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 mill is currently undergoing restoration work.
Millers
- John Hervey 1810
- Charles Adams 1839 - 1870
- G R Watkins 1868 - 1905
Reference for above:-
Hilaire Belloc
Halnaker Mill (or Ha'nacker Mill, reflecting the true pronunciation) is the subject of a famous poem by the English writer Hilaire BellocHilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters and political activist...
in which the collapse of the Mill is used as a metaphor for the tragic decay of the prevailing moral and social system.
Ha'nacker Mill
SALLY is gone that was so kindly,
Sally is gone from Ha'nacker Hill
And the Briar grows ever since then so blindly;
And ever since then the clapper is still...
And the sweeps have fallen from Ha'nacker Mill.
Ha'nacker Hill is in Desolation:
Ruin a-top and a field unploughed.
And Spirits that call on a fallen nation,
Spirits that loved her calling aloud,
Spirits abroad in a windy cloud.
Spirits that call and no one answers --
Ha'nacker's down and England's done.
Wind and Thistle for pipe and dancers,
And never a ploughman under the Sun:
Never a ploughman. Never a one.
There are musical settings of this poem by Peter Warlock
Peter Warlock
Peter Warlock was a pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine , an Anglo-Welsh composer and music critic. He used the pseudonym when composing, and is now better known by this name....
and Ivor Gurney
Ivor Gurney
Ivor Bertie Gurney was an English composer and poet.-Life:Born at 3 Queen Street, Gloucester in 1890, the second of four children of David Gurney, a tailor, and his wife Florence, a seamstress, Gurney showed musical ability early...
amongst others.