Bidborough Windmill
Encyclopedia
Bidborough Mill is a Grade II listed, house converted tower mill
west of Bidborough
, Kent
, England
. It is now incorporated into a housing development called Mill Court, on the south side of the B2176 Penshurst Road.
Bidborough Mill may be an eighteenth-century tower mill, or an 1858 replacement for an earlier mill. Parish records from 1759, 1763 and 1765 mention the purchase of flour
for the relief of the poor. A mill was marked on Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769. The date of the building of Bidborough Mill is unknown for certain (see above). In the 1890s, the mill was being worked in conjunction with a watermill
at Speldhurst
. The mill had four patent sails. The mill was struck by lightning c.1900 and lost two sails. This was the end of the mill's working life and the other two sails were removed a few years later. There was a proposal to erect an iron windpump
on the mill in the 1930s but this was not carried out. In 1942, the cap roof and windshaft were blown off the mill. A replacement cap was made in 1949, but later replaced with a flat roof. The mill was house converted in 2006 and a replica cap was made and fitted on 1 May 2006.
and was winded by a fantail
. The millstone
s were driven underdrift. A large pulley on the outside of the mill at first floor level allowed the mill to be driven by belt from a traction engine
or tractor
, via a gear bolted to the underside of the Great Spur Wheel. A wheat cleaner and a flour dresser remained in the mill before conversion.
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....
west of Bidborough
Bidborough
Bidborough is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England, north of Tunbridge Wells and south of Tonbridge. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 958....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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...
. It is now incorporated into a housing development called Mill Court, on the south side of the B2176 Penshurst Road.
History
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
for the relief of the poor. A mill was marked on Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769. The date of the building of Bidborough Mill is unknown for certain (see above). In the 1890s, the mill was being worked in conjunction with a watermill
Medway watermills
The River Medway, its tributaries and sub-tributaries have been used as a source of power for over 1,150 years. There are over two hundred sites where the use of water power is known...
at Speldhurst
Speldhurst
Speldhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is to the west of Tunbridge Wells: the village is west of the town.-Parish Church:...
. The mill had four patent sails. The mill was struck by lightning c.1900 and lost two sails. This was the end of the mill's working life and the other two sails were removed a few years later. There was a proposal to erect an iron windpump
Windpump
A windpump is a windmill used for pumping water, either as a source of fresh water from wells, or for draining low-lying areas of land. Once a common fixture on farms in semi-arid areas, windpumps are still used today where electric power is not available or too expensive.-History:Windmills were...
on the mill in the 1930s but this was not carried out. In 1942, the cap roof and windshaft were blown off the mill. A replacement cap was made in 1949, but later replaced with a flat roof. The mill was house converted in 2006 and a replica cap was made and fitted on 1 May 2006.
Description
Bidborough Mill is a four storey brick tower mill, partly rendered with cement. It had a Kentish style cap, 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:...
and was winded by 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...
. 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 driven underdrift. A large pulley on the outside of the mill at first floor level allowed the mill to be driven by belt from a traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
or tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
, via a gear bolted to the underside of the Great Spur Wheel. A wheat cleaner and a flour dresser remained in the mill before conversion.
Millers
- William Weaver 1759 - 1765
- Nicholas Arnold 1839 - 1845
- T Arnold 1851 - 1867
- William Reeves 1870
- G W Young 1874
- George Wood 1878
- Albert Oliver 1890 - 1891
- Oliver & Morris 1895
- Joseph Tabraham 1899
References for above.
External links
- Windmill World page on the mill.