Herringfleet Windmill

Herringfleet Mill

Herringfleet Mill
Origin
Mill name Walker's Mill
Herringfleet drainage mill
Grid reference TM 4654 9762
Coordinates 52°31′15″N 1°37′58″E / 52.5207°N 1.6327°E / 52.5207; 1.6327Coordinates: 52°31′15″N 1°37′58″E / 52.5207°N 1.6327°E / 52.5207; 1.6327
Operator(s) Suffolk County Council
Year built c1820
Information
Purpose Drainage mill
Type Smock mill
Storeys three-storey smock
Base storeys Low brick base of a few courses
Smock sides Eight sides
Number of sails Four sails
Type of sails Common sails
Windshaft Cast Iron
Winding Tailpole
Type of pump Scoopwheel
Other information Only surviving windmill on the broads winded by tailpole.

Herringfleet Mill or Walker's Mill is a Grade II* listed[1] smock mill at Herringfleet, Suffolk, England which has been restored to working order.

History

The mill was erected c1820 by millwright Robert Barnes of Great Yarmouth. It was disused in 1883 but later put back to work.[2] The mill was worked by wind until 1956. Her owners, the Somerleyton Estate were keen to ensure that she was preserved. East Suffolk County Council agreed in principle that the mill should be preserved, and approached the Ministry of Works who agreed to pay half the cost of the restoration. Most of the rest of the money came from East Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk Preservation Society, with smaller amounts from other groups.[3]

Restoration of the mill was undertaken by Thomas Smithdale & Sons, the Acle millwrights. The mill was officially opened on 25 July 1958 by Charles Howlett, who had been marshman at the mill for over forty years. Further restoration work was done in 1971 by Neville Martin, the Beccles millwright.[3]

Description

For an explanation of the various pieces of machinery, see Mill machinery.
Herringfleet Windmill & Bridge

Herringfleet Mill is an octagonal three-storey smock mill with a boat-shaped cap.[4] Winding is by tailpole and winch, the last mill on the Broads.[3] The four Common sails are carried on a cast-iron windshaft. The wooden brake sheel has 59 teeth. It drives a 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) cast-iron wallower with 47 cogs. The wallower is mounted on a 11 34 inches (300 mm) square upright shaft. At the bottom of the upright shaft a cast iron bevel gear with 33 teeth drives a cast-iron pit wheel with 102 cogs. The pit wheel is carried on a cast iron shaft 8 inches (200 mm) diameter. This shaft has at its outer end a 16 feet (4.88 m) by 9 inches (230 mm) scoopwheel. The mill could pump 2,000 imperial gallons (9,100 l) of water per minute.[2]

Marshmen

References for above[2][3]

Public access

The mill is open on National Mills Day (second Sunday in May) and on occasional days in the summer and autumn.[5]

Culture and media

External links

References

  1. Historic England. "Details from image database (282365)". Images of England.
  2. 1 2 3 Flint, Brian (1979). Suffolk Windmills. Woodbridge: Boydell. pp. 90–91,. ISBN 0-85115-112-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Brown, R J (1976). Windmills of England. London: Robert Hale. p. 176. ISBN 0-7091-5641-3.
  4. Dolman, Peter (1978). Windmills in Suffolk. Ipswich: Suffolk Mills Group. p. 51. ISBN 0-9506447-0-6.
  5. "Herringfleet Windpump". Suffolk Mills Group. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  6. Durden, J Valentine and Salt, Brian (1938 (original film release)). And now they rest (movie picture) (PAL VHS). Norwich: East Anglian Film Archive. Check date values in: |date= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, August 08, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.