- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Messages
- 3,243
- Reaction score
- 12,105
I had visited this mill about six years ago. I had heard work had begun to restore it, so I thought I would look to see if the bakery was still there. The bakery was still there, but the mill loved like it had not been worked on for a while. So I had another little look, it looked like it had been cleaned up a bit as I remember there being a lot of junk around.
The mill was built in 1830 by Richard John gurney, built with local brick and flint. The mill was powered by five water courses. The water though was not enough to power the wheel and could only power one stone out of two for five hours a day before the dam was empty. In 1905 the wheel was replaced by a turbine to better utilise the lack of water.
The turbine also powered an extension shaft that was used to run a large table saw. I had seen this in a few of the old wind pumps I explored. The wood was cut for the gurney estate.
The mill was in operation till the sixties and in its latter years was dealing in animal feed as a lot off mills did near the end. The saw was running till the late 70s.
An old picture of the mill in the early 1900’s.
And how the mill looks today.
A remaining mill stone.
Driveshaft and gearing to the wheel.
On the top level of the corn hoppers
I found this old diagram of the main machinery that ran off the sunken turbine. The gearing would drive the upper machinery.
Looking at the machinery and the mill race and turbine pit.
The mill House did not really have much to look at as it was just empty stripped rooms that had acros in from the renovation work. A couple of rooms were of some interest.
In 1911 a bakery was built to the side. It was built in the same materials as the mill. They would use corn from the mill to make bread, water was used from a natural spring. The bread would be delivered locally. The bakery was used till the 1950s when stricter health conditions would come in preventing the use of spring water. Also in this area would be pig sties and cow sheds and cart sheds.
It was nice to see the oven intact still. Built by T Collins and Co of Bristol it was capable of baking 208 1lb loaves. The oven was coke fired and the boiler heated the water tank and the heat of the pipes used to regulate the oven.
The mill was built in 1830 by Richard John gurney, built with local brick and flint. The mill was powered by five water courses. The water though was not enough to power the wheel and could only power one stone out of two for five hours a day before the dam was empty. In 1905 the wheel was replaced by a turbine to better utilise the lack of water.
The turbine also powered an extension shaft that was used to run a large table saw. I had seen this in a few of the old wind pumps I explored. The wood was cut for the gurney estate.
The mill was in operation till the sixties and in its latter years was dealing in animal feed as a lot off mills did near the end. The saw was running till the late 70s.
An old picture of the mill in the early 1900’s.
And how the mill looks today.
A remaining mill stone.
Driveshaft and gearing to the wheel.
On the top level of the corn hoppers
I found this old diagram of the main machinery that ran off the sunken turbine. The gearing would drive the upper machinery.
Looking at the machinery and the mill race and turbine pit.
The mill House did not really have much to look at as it was just empty stripped rooms that had acros in from the renovation work. A couple of rooms were of some interest.
In 1911 a bakery was built to the side. It was built in the same materials as the mill. They would use corn from the mill to make bread, water was used from a natural spring. The bread would be delivered locally. The bakery was used till the 1950s when stricter health conditions would come in preventing the use of spring water. Also in this area would be pig sties and cow sheds and cart sheds.
It was nice to see the oven intact still. Built by T Collins and Co of Bristol it was capable of baking 208 1lb loaves. The oven was coke fired and the boiler heated the water tank and the heat of the pipes used to regulate the oven.
