Stock Windmill
Encyclopedia
Stock Windmill is a grade II* listed Tower mill
at Stock
, Essex
, England
which has been restored.
. In 1845, a second post mill was moved to a site close by. By 1862, the mill had four shuttered sails. The two post mills were demolished c1890, about which time the millstone
s were moved down a floor and the drive converted from underdrift to overdrift. A steam engine
was added in 1902 and the mill was working by wind until 1930 and afterwards by an internal combustion engine until c1936. The mill was bought by Essex County Council in 1945 and although preserved, by 1977 it was without the fantail and associated supporting timbers. and down to only one pair of sails. Major repairs were started in 1991 by Vincent Pargeter. A grant from English Heritage
part-funded the work. The Friends of Stock Mill were formed in 1993 on completion of the restoration.
It has a boat shaped cap winded by a six bladed fantail
. The tower is 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) internal diameter at ground level and 12 in 6 in (3.81 m) internal diameter at curb level. The walls are 22 inches (558.8 mm) thick to first floor level and 18 inches (457.2 mm) thick above that. The tower is 40 feet (12.19 m) high overall and the mill is 52 feet (15.85 m) to the top of the cap.
As built, the mill had a stage at first floor level, four Common sails and was winded by hand. It originally drove two pairs of overdrift millstones.
The cast iron
windshaft was probably not made for the mill originally. It carries a 9 in 4 in (2.84 m) diameter composite brake wheel with 81 cogs which has been converted from clasp arm construction. This drives a cast iron wallower with 25 teeth. The cast iron upright shaft is 5 inches (127 mm) diameter and in three parts, with dog clutches at the fourth and fifth floor. The cast iron great spur wheel is 5 feet (1.52 m) diameter with 76 cogs. It drove three pairs of underdrift millstones of 5 feet (1.52 m), 4 in 7 in (1.4 m) and 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter.
References for above:-
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 Stock
Stock, Essex
Stock is a village and civil parish in south Essex, England. It is located approximately south of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon.-Facilities:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south 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...
which has been restored.
History
Stock Windmill was built c1816 joining an existing 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...
. In 1845, a second post mill was moved to a site close by. By 1862, the mill had four shuttered sails. The two post mills were demolished c1890, about which time the 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 were moved down a floor and the drive converted from underdrift to overdrift. 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 added in 1902 and the mill was working by wind until 1930 and afterwards by an internal combustion engine until c1936. The mill was bought by Essex County Council in 1945 and although preserved, by 1977 it was without the fantail and associated supporting timbers. and down to only one pair of sails. Major repairs were started in 1991 by Vincent Pargeter. A grant from English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
part-funded the work. The Friends of Stock Mill were formed in 1993 on completion of the restoration.
Description
Stock Windmill is a five storey tower mill with four single Patent 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:...
It has a boat shaped cap winded by a six bladed 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...
. The tower is 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) internal diameter at ground level and 12 in 6 in (3.81 m) internal diameter at curb level. The walls are 22 inches (558.8 mm) thick to first floor level and 18 inches (457.2 mm) thick above that. The tower is 40 feet (12.19 m) high overall and the mill is 52 feet (15.85 m) to the top of the cap.
As built, the mill had a stage at first floor level, four Common sails and was winded by hand. It originally drove two pairs of overdrift millstones.
The 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 was probably not made for the mill originally. It carries a 9 in 4 in (2.84 m) diameter composite brake wheel with 81 cogs which has been converted from clasp arm construction. This drives a cast iron wallower with 25 teeth. The cast iron upright shaft is 5 inches (127 mm) diameter and in three parts, with dog clutches at the fourth and fifth floor. The cast iron great spur wheel is 5 feet (1.52 m) diameter with 76 cogs. It drove three pairs of underdrift millstones of 5 feet (1.52 m), 4 in 7 in (1.4 m) and 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter.
Millers
- William Moss Sr 1816 –
- William (Jr) & John Moss – 1838
- William Moss Jr – 1853
- John Pertwee 1863–1866
- Joseph Clover 1870–1890
- Mary Clover 1894–1898
- William Mayes 1902–1917
- Frank Semmens 1926–1929
References for above:-
Public access
Stock Windmill is open on the second Sunday of the month between April and September.External links
- Windmill World webpage on Stock Mill