Lower Mill, Woodchurch
Encyclopedia
Lower mill is a smock mill
in Woodchurch
, Kent
, England
that was built in 1820. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
at Brenzett
. The mill may have been moved from Susan's Hill Farm, Woodchurch in 1852, although two windmills were marked on the current site on the 1838 Tithe Map of Woodchurch. During its working life, the mill was fitted with second hand millstone
s from the smock mill at Dymchurch
and the post mill at Kennington
. The sails on the mill when it stopped working in 1926 had previously been on High Halden
post mill
and before that Aldington
smock mill. A 7 hp steam engine provided auxiliary power at one time. In 1946, the owner of the mill, Sir Sydney Nicholson
, had the mill made weatherproof but plans for further repair and restoration were thwarted by his death the next year. Local villagers raised money for two new sails in 1957, but the cap was found to be unsafe shortly after and the sails had to be removed. By the late 1970s the mill was on the point of collapse, but a restoration programme was put in place and the mill was fully restored, and fitted with patent sails
as the windshaft was found to be suitable for these. During its working life, the mill had spring sails. A complete new smock tower was built, and restoration completed in 1986. In May 2010, a new stage was made and fitted to the mill.
. There is a stage at first floor level. It has four patent sails carried on a cast iron
windshaft. The Brake wheel drives a wooden Wallower mounted on a wooden Upright Shaft. The Great Spur Wheel also survives. The mill drove three pairs of millstone
s overdrift.
References for above:-
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...
in Woodchurch
Woodchurch, Kent
Woodchurch is a village and civil parish, 7 miles from the market town of Ashford and from the Cinque Ports town of Tenterden, in Kent, South East England....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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...
that was built in 1820. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
History
Lower Mill was built in 1820, one of a pair of smock mills, the other being the Upper Mill. It may have had common sails when built as the sale of a pair of sails is recorded in 1848, possibly indicating the fitting of a pair of spring sails. These sails were bought by the owner of the 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...
at Brenzett
Brenzett
Brenzett is a village and civil parish in the Shepway District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Romney Marsh, three miles west of New Romney....
. The mill may have been moved from Susan's Hill Farm, Woodchurch in 1852, although two windmills were marked on the current site on the 1838 Tithe Map of Woodchurch. During its working life, the mill was fitted with second hand 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 from the smock mill at Dymchurch
Dymchurch
Dymchurch is a village and civil parish in the Shepway District of Kent, England. The village is located on the coast five miles south-west of Hythe, and on the Romney Marsh. It is typical of this part of the coast, having been a village which became larger during the 1930s...
and the post mill at Kennington
Kennington, Kent
Kennington is a suburb of Ashford in Kent, England. It is about a mile northeast of the town centre and north of the M20 motorway, and contains the 12th century church, St Mary's. The main A28 Canterbury Road and A251 Faversham Road run through the village...
. The sails on the mill when it stopped working in 1926 had previously been on High Halden
High Halden
High Halden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A28 road between Ashford town and Tenterden, 3miles north of the latter.-History:...
post mill
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...
and before that Aldington
Aldington, Kent
Aldington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is eight miles south-east of the town of Ashford...
smock mill. A 7 hp steam engine provided auxiliary power at one time. In 1946, the owner of the mill, Sir Sydney Nicholson
Sydney Nicholson
Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson was an English choir director, organist and composer, now chiefly remembered as the founder of the Royal School of Church Music . He was born in London and educated at Rugby School, New College, Oxford and the Royal College of Music...
, had the mill made weatherproof but plans for further repair and restoration were thwarted by his death the next year. Local villagers raised money for two new sails in 1957, but the cap was found to be unsafe shortly after and the sails had to be removed. By the late 1970s the mill was on the point of collapse, but a restoration programme was put in place and the mill was fully restored, and fitted with 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:...
as the windshaft was found to be suitable for these. During its working life, the mill had spring sails. A complete new smock tower was built, and restoration completed in 1986. In May 2010, a new stage was made and fitted to the mill.
Description
Lower mill is a four storey smock mill on a single storey brick base. It has a Kentish style cap and is winded by a 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...
. There is a stage at first floor level. It has four patent 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 drives a wooden Wallower mounted on a wooden Upright Shaft. The Great Spur Wheel also survives. 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 overdrift.
Millers
- Peter Davis 1820
- John Parton Sr. - 1831
- John Parton Jr. - 1852
- W & J Rayner 1852 - 1867
- J Tanton 1867 - 1899
- Albert Tanton 1899 - 1926
References for above:-
External links
- Friends of Woodchurch Mill
- Windmill World page on the mill.