Lowfield Heath Windmill
Encyclopedia
Lowfield Heath Windmill is a grade II listed post mill
at Charlwood
, Surrey
, England
which has been restored to working order.
(TQ 271 398 51.143°N 0.184°W). Its origins are uncertain, a rumour that it was moved from Hookwood in the 1760s is not borne out by the facts. There is no record of a windmill there before 1820. Another rumour is that it was moved from Horsham
, Sussex
in 1738, but again proof is lacking. The mill was marked on maps dated 1762, 1777, 1789, 1823 and the early Ordnance Survey
maps. In 1827 the miller failed to obtain an injunction preventing the enclosure of the common that the mill stood on. The mill was damaged in a storm on 29 November 1835. The mill was last worked by wind in 1880, and was worked until at least 1895 by a portable steam engine.
By the 1930s the mill had been fitted with four dummy sails, much shorter and narrower than the originals. In 1957, the mill was derelict, with the roundhouse roof gone and the rear two-thirds of the roof missing. In January 1964, work was done to protect the mill, with further work being done to the mill between 1965 and 1971. In 1974, the mill temporarily became a Sussex windmill. In 1984, a Trust was formed with the intention of restoring the mill. Problems with access and concerns that the mill was threatened with demolition due to the expansion of Gatwick Airport led to the decision to move the mill to a new site on land adjoining Gatwick Zoo. The dismantling of the mill was started in June 1987 and by September there was nothing to be seen of the mill at Lowfield Heath. The rebuilding of the trestle
and roundhouse started in 1988 and the mill rebuilt during the summer of 1989. The mill was officially opened on 10 April 1990 by Princess Alexandra
. The roundhouse was completed in 1991. In 1997, work was started to put the mill back into full working order. The two bedstones
were in the mill, but the runner stones had been removed to Iford, Sussex after the last miller retired there. The runner stone from the Peak stones was retrieved, and a French Burr stone was salvaged from Winchelsea mill
, which had collapsed in the Great Storm of 1987
. A new sack hoist was constructed, based on that at Reigate Heath windmill. New sails were fitted and the restored mill turned by wind for the first time on 26 June 1998. The Zoo closed in 2001 and houses were built on the site. A 2 acre (0.809372 ha) plot of land that the mill stands on was left undeveloped. In 2003, the sails were damaged in a storm, and a new pair of Common sails were fitted. A new bolter was constructed, based on the one in Keston mill
. In September 2004, the surviving machinery from Jolesfield windmill was acquired by the Trust. The restoration of the mill was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
, Surrey Archaeological Society, Sussex Archaeological Society
, the Science Museum
, the English Tourist Board and Gatwick Airport.
, and was last worked with four Patent sails caried on a cast iron
Windshaft. The mill drives two pairs of millstone
s arranged Head and Tail. The Head Wheel is 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter with 111 cogs and the Tail Wheel is 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter with 100 cogs. The body of the mill is 20 feet (6.1 m) by 11 feet (3.35 m) in plan. The mill now carries one pair of Patent sails and one pair of Common sails.
References 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 Charlwood
Charlwood
Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is immediately northwest of London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, close west of Horley and north of Crawley. The historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex ran to the south of Gatwick Airport...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part 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...
which has been restored to working order.
History
Lowfield Heath Windmill was originally built at Lowfield HeathLowfield Heath
Lowfield Heath is a former village within the boundaries of the Borough of Crawley, a local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. Situated on the main London to Brighton road approximately south of London and north of Crawley, it was gradually rendered uninhabitable by...
(TQ 271 398 51.143°N 0.184°W). Its origins are uncertain, a rumour that it was moved from Hookwood in the 1760s is not borne out by the facts. There is no record of a windmill there before 1820. Another rumour is that it was moved from Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, 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...
in 1738, but again proof is lacking. The mill was marked on maps dated 1762, 1777, 1789, 1823 and the early 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...
maps. In 1827 the miller failed to obtain an injunction preventing the enclosure of the common that the mill stood on. The mill was damaged in a storm on 29 November 1835. The mill was last worked by wind in 1880, and was worked until at least 1895 by a portable steam engine.
By the 1930s the mill had been fitted with four dummy sails, much shorter and narrower than the originals. In 1957, the mill was derelict, with the roundhouse roof gone and the rear two-thirds of the roof missing. In January 1964, work was done to protect the mill, with further work being done to the mill between 1965 and 1971. In 1974, the mill temporarily became a Sussex windmill. In 1984, a Trust was formed with the intention of restoring the mill. Problems with access and concerns that the mill was threatened with demolition due to the expansion of Gatwick Airport led to the decision to move the mill to a new site on land adjoining Gatwick Zoo. The dismantling of the mill was started in June 1987 and by September there was nothing to be seen of the mill at Lowfield Heath. The rebuilding of the trestle
Trestle (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...
and roundhouse started in 1988 and the mill rebuilt during the summer of 1989. The mill was officially opened on 10 April 1990 by Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
. The roundhouse was completed in 1991. In 1997, work was started to put the mill back into full working order. The two bedstones
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,...
were in the mill, but the runner stones had been removed to Iford, Sussex after the last miller retired there. The runner stone from the Peak stones was retrieved, and a French Burr stone was salvaged from Winchelsea mill
St Leonard's Mill, Winchelsea
St Leonard's mill was a post mill at Winchelsea, Sussex, England which was blown down in the Great Storm of 1987.-History:St Leonard's Mill was built in 1760, originally standing in Iham. It was shown at that site on the 1808 Ordnance Survey map, and was still there in 1813. By 1823 the mill had...
, which had collapsed in the Great Storm of 1987
Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
. A new sack hoist was constructed, based on that at Reigate Heath windmill. New sails were fitted and the restored mill turned by wind for the first time on 26 June 1998. The Zoo closed in 2001 and houses were built on the site. A 2 acre (0.809372 ha) plot of land that the mill stands on was left undeveloped. In 2003, the sails were damaged in a storm, and a new pair of Common sails were fitted. A new bolter was constructed, based on the one in Keston mill
Keston Windmill
Keston Windmill is a grade I listed Post mill in Keston, formerly in Kent and now in the London Borough of Bromley. The mill was built in 1716 and is conserved with its machinery intact but not in working order.-History:...
. In September 2004, the surviving machinery from Jolesfield windmill was acquired by the Trust. The restoration of the mill was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, Surrey Archaeological Society, Sussex Archaeological Society
Sussex Archaeological Society
The Sussex Archaeological Society, founded in 1846, is the largest county-based archaeological society in the UK. Its headquarters are in Lewes, Sussex...
, the Science Museum
Science Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
, the English Tourist Board and Gatwick Airport.
Description
Lowfield Heath Windmill is a post mill with a single storey roundhouse. Winding is by tailpole. It originally had four Common sailsWindmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
, and was last worked with four Patent sails caried 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 mill drives two 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 arranged Head and Tail. The Head Wheel is 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter with 111 cogs and the Tail Wheel is 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter with 100 cogs. The body of the mill is 20 feet (6.1 m) by 11 feet (3.35 m) in plan. The mill now carries one pair of Patent sails and one pair of Common sails.
Millers
- Parker 1827
- William and Charles Constable 1842
- Joseph Henry Robinson 1882 - 1895
References for above:-
Public access
The mill is open on the last Sunday of each month, and also National Mills Day and the Heritage Open Weekend.External links
- Windmill World webpage on Lowfield Heath mill.
- Lowfield Heath mill website.
- details of the reconstructed brake wheel.