Lannock Mill is a Grade II listed 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....

 at Weston

Weston, Hertfordshire

Weston is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England.It is located between Stevenage, Letchworth and Baldock. just east of the A1 junction 9. The Baldock bypass passes through the Weston Hills between Weston and Baldock in a cut-and-cover tunnel...

, Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

, 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 is derelict.

History

Lannock Mill was built in 1860. A windmill had previously been shown on Warburton's map dated 1720 and Thomas Kitchin

Thomas Kitchin

Thomas Kitchin was an English engraver and map-maker, who became hydrographer to the king.-Life:He was born in Southwark, and was apprenticed to Emanuel Bowen in 1732. Originally based in Clerkenwell, by late 1755 Kitchin was established on Holborn Hill. From 1773 Kitchin was royal hydrographer...

's map dated 1749. The mill was built by Richard Christy, who worked it until his son Richard took over in 1868. In 1882, Richard Christy Jr emigrated to America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and the mill was taken over by Thomas Sanderson. He installed a steam engine as auxiliary power. The mill was badly damaged in a storm in the late 1880s. Repairs including new sails and cap were carried out by Course's, the Biggleswade

Biggleswade

Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...

 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. The steam engine was eventually replaced by a gas engine. The mill was working by wind into the early 1920s and by engine until 1929. The mill was stripped of machinery over the years, leaving the empty tower standing today.

Description

Lannock Mill is a five storey tower mill. The tower is 21 feet (6.4 m) internal diameter at the base with walls 2 feet (609.6 mm) thick. It is 15 feet (4.57 m) diameter at curb level with walls 1 in 4 in (406.4 mm) thick. The tower is 48 feet (14.63 m) to the curb. The mill stood over 60 feet (18.29 m) high to the top of the cap finial. It had an ogee cap winded by an eight bladed fantail. There were four Single Patent sails. The mill drove four pairs of millstones. The great spur wheel was of cast iron.

Millers

• Richard Christy 1860-68
• Richard Christy Jr 1868-82
• Thomas Sanderson 1868-88
• Charles T Stratton 1888-1929

Reference for above:-

External links

• Windmill World webpage on Lannock Mill.