Upthorpe Mill, Stanton
Encyclopedia
Upthorpe Mill is a Grade II* listed post mill
and Scheduled Ancient Monument at Stanton
, Suffolk
, England
which has been restored to working order.
post mill. In 1818 it was moved to its present site. At some point in time the Common sails
were replaced by Double Patent sails, a roundhouse later being added and a fantail
fitted to turn the mill into wind automatically. The mill ended its commercial working life on a single pair of sails. It was disused by 1918 and in 1937 was becoming derelict. Rex Wailes
inspected the mill on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
and an appeal for funds to restore the mill was launched in 1938. In 1939, millwright
Amos Clarke, along with Messrs Hunts of Soham
commenced repairs which cost £600. A new side girt was fitted to the left side of the mill and the roundhouse roof was repaired. The tailstones were removed at this time. The intention was to fit the cast iron
windshaft from Great Mill, Wickhambrook
in place of the existing wooden windshaft and to add a new pair of sails but this work was not done owing to the outbreak of war
. The mill was painted grey to reduce its conspicuity as a landmark as it was close to RAF Shepherds Grove
. The mill was worked during the war, but ceased to be used in 1946 as it was unprofitable. By the late 1960s, the mill was again becoming derelict, and the fantail was carefully dismantled by Chris Hullcoop and Philip Lennard. In 1979, emergency repairs were carried out by Suffolk Mills Group and in 1986 the mill was bought by Richard Duke. Restoration work was carried out and the mill was able to grind again in 1990. In 1993, the mill was bought by Peter Dolman and further restoration work was carried out.
carried on a wooden windshaft with a cast iron poll end. This carries a wooden brake wheel with iron segment teeth, driving a cast iron wallower mounted on a wooden upright shaft. The cast iron great spur wheel drives two pairs of underdrift millstone
s. The tail stones were driven by belt. The tail of the mill has been extended to provide room for a wire machine. The eight bladed Fantail
is mounted on the rear ladder in the Suffolk style and drove both wheels by means of gears and shafts. The main post
carries the inscription R Rix 1807.
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...
and Scheduled Ancient Monument at Stanton
Stanton, Suffolk
Stanton is village situated in north Suffolk, about nine miles north-east of Bury St. Edmunds, on the A143 road to Diss. Close to the village lies the former WW II airfield RAF Shepherds Grove, where American forces were based. One of the main landmarks in the village is the fine restored windmill...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, 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
Upthorpe Mill was built in 1751. It was originally built as an open trestleTrestle (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...
post mill. In 1818 it was moved to its present site. At some point in time the 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 replaced by Double Patent sails, a roundhouse later being added and 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...
fitted to turn the mill into wind automatically. The mill ended its commercial working life on a single pair of sails. It was disused by 1918 and in 1937 was becoming derelict. Rex Wailes
Rex Wailes
Rex Wailes OBE, FSA, F I Mech E was an English engineer and historian who published widely on aspects of engineering history and industrial archaeology, particularly on windmills and watermills....
inspected the mill on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
and an appeal for funds to restore the mill was launched in 1938. In 1939, 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...
Amos Clarke, along with Messrs Hunts of Soham
Soham
Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
commenced repairs which cost £600. A new side girt was fitted to the left side of the mill and the roundhouse roof was repaired. The tailstones were removed at this time. The intention was to fit 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 from Great Mill, Wickhambrook
Wickhambrook
Wickhambrook is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England.Located around ten miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, halfway to Haverhill off the A143.The village was recorded in Domesday as "Wicham"....
in place of the existing wooden windshaft and to add a new pair of sails but this work was not done owing to the outbreak of war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The mill was painted grey to reduce its conspicuity as a landmark as it was close to RAF Shepherds Grove
RAF Shepherds Grove
RAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force base in Suffolk England 9 miles NE of Bury St Edmunds.The base was built for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force during World War II. However the facility was not used by the USAAF and was opened by 3 Group, RAF on 3 April 1944...
. The mill was worked during the war, but ceased to be used in 1946 as it was unprofitable. By the late 1960s, the mill was again becoming derelict, and the fantail was carefully dismantled by Chris Hullcoop and Philip Lennard. In 1979, emergency repairs were carried out by Suffolk Mills Group and in 1986 the mill was bought by Richard Duke. Restoration work was carried out and the mill was able to grind again in 1990. In 1993, the mill was bought by Peter Dolman and further restoration work was carried out.
Description
Upthorpe Mill is a Post mill on a single storey roundhouse. It has two pairs of Double 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:...
carried on a wooden windshaft with a cast iron poll end. This carries a wooden brake wheel with iron segment teeth, driving a cast iron wallower mounted on a wooden upright shaft. The cast iron great spur wheel drives two pairs of underdrift 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 tail stones were driven by belt. The tail of the mill has been extended to provide room for a wire machine. The eight 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...
is mounted on the rear ladder in the Suffolk style and drove both wheels by means of gears and shafts. The main post
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...
carries the inscription R Rix 1807.
Millers
- William Bryant 1939-46
- Richard Duke 1990-93
- Peter Dolman 1993-2002
- Dominic Grixti from 2004
References for above:-
Public access
Upthorpe Mill is open to the public between midday and 6pm on the first and third Sunday of each month from Easter to September and also on both days of National Mills weekend.External links
- Windmill World webpage on Upthorpe Mill.