Herringfleet Windmill Explained

Herringfleet Mill
Name Of Mill:Walker's Mill
Herringfleet drainage mill
Gbgridref:TM 4654 9762
Coordinates:52.5207°N 1.6327°W
Operator:Suffolk County Council
Built:c1820
Purpose:Drainage mill
Type:Smock mill
Storeys:three-storey smock
Base Storeys:Low brick base of a few courses
Smock Sides:Eight sides
Sail Number:Four sails
Sail Type:Common sails
Windshaft:Cast Iron
Winding:Tailpole
Pump Type:Scoopwheel
Other:Two sails removed.

Herringfleet Mill or Walker's Mill is a Grade II* listed smock mill at Herringfleet, Suffolk, England, Now in a bad state of repair with two of the 4 sails removed.

History

The mill was erected c1820 by millwright Robert Barnes of Great Yarmouth. It was disused in 1883 but later put back to work. 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.[1]

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.[1]

Description

Herringfleet Mill is an octagonal three-storey smock mill with a boat-shaped cap.[2] Winding is by tailpole and winch, the last mill on the Broads.[1] The four Common sails are carried on a cast-iron windshaft. The wooden brake sheel has 59 teeth. It drives a 4feet cast-iron wallower with 47 cogs. The wallower is mounted on an NaNinches 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 8inches diameter. This shaft has at its outer end a 16feet by 9inches scoopwheel. The mill could pump 2000impgal of water per minute.[3]

Marshmen

References for above[3] [1]

Public access

The mill is open on National Mills Day (second Sunday in May) and on occasional days in the summer and autumn.[4]

Culture and media

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brown, R J. 1976. Windmills of England. 176. Robert Hale. London. 0-7091-5641-3.
  2. Book: Dolman, Peter. 1978. Windmills in Suffolk . 51. Suffolk Mills Group. Ipswich. 0-9506447-0-6.
  3. Book: Flint, Brian. 1979. Suffolk Windmills . 90–91. Boydell. Woodbridge. 0-85115-112-4.
  4. Web site: Herringfleet Windpump . Suffolk Mills Group . 17 May 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719174631/http://www.suffolkmills.org.uk/windmills/herringfleet.html . 19 July 2011 . dmy-all .
  5. Durden, J Valentine and Salt, Brian. 1938. And now they rest. movie picture. PAL VHS. East Anglian Film Archive. Norwich. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170327082858/http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-and-now-they-rest-1939/. 27 March 2017. dmy-all.
  6. Web site: Mr. Turner (2014). 24 April 2018. www.imdb.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170327080513/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2473794/locations. 27 March 2017. dmy-all.