Billingford Windmill
Encyclopedia
Billingford Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill
at Billingford near Diss
, Norfolk
, England
which has been preserved and restored to working order. As of June 2009, the mill is under repair, with new sails being made.
which drove two pairs of millstone
s. The mill was blown down on 22 September 1859.
A new tower mill was built for William Chaplyn to replace the post mill. It cost £1,300 and was completed by March 1860. In 1872 the miller, Henry Pike, was sued for supplying meal unfit for consumption. He admitted having added some starch
fibre to the meal. Judgement was given in his favour, but with 30s
deducted and no order for costs being granted.
William Chaplyn died in 1881 and the mill was put up for sale by auction
on 21 June 1881 at the King's Head Hotel, Diss but it remained unsold and was later offered to let. Provision had been made by this date for the mill to be driven by a steam engine. The mill was worked by a succession of millers through the years. An oil engine had been installed as auxiliary power by 1916.
In 1924, the mill was bought by George Daines, who worked it, and took on a partner in 1929. In 1933, his son Arthur joined the firm and worked the mill until called up to the Royal Navy
during the Second World War. Upon his return in 1945, over £300 had to be spent repairing the mill to return it to working order. The mill was reduced to two sails. Arthur Daines worked the mill by wind until 1956 - the last windmill to work commercially by wind in Norfolk. Milling continued by engine power until 1959 when an outbreak of fowl pest
killed off the remaining trade.
The mill was purchased by Victor Valiant who intended that it should be preserved. In February 1962, Messrs Thompson's, the Alford
millwright
s commenced restoration work. An appeal was launched in March 1962 by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
launched an appeal for £1,450. Grants of £1,000 each were given by the Historic Buildings Council
and Norfolk County Council. The restoration cost £3,939 The cap, which had been tarred, was painted white. The outbuildings around the mill were demolished. On 24 September 1965, Mr Valiant gave the mill to the Norfolk Windmills Trust
.
On the night of 2-3 January 1976, the fantail was destroyed in a gale. A replacement was made and fitted in March 1976 by Messrs Barrett and Lawn, millwrights. In 14 July 1977, a 52 feet (15.85 m) long fabricated steel stock was fitted by Lennard and Lawn, replacing a Columbian pine stock which had been fitted when the mill was restored in 1962. In 1998, Norfolk Windmills Trust had the mill put back into full working order. In 2002 Linda Joslin became the first woman miller at Billingford and together with a team of volunteers began milling English Organic wheat. The first "Billingford Loaf" for 50 years was produced that year and became very popular around Norfolk with the stones grinding the wheat when ever the wind blew strongly enough. Linda was made to leave the mill after a long and very public dispute having been asked to fully maintain the mill although she was not the owner. The mill was not used for a few years and has consequently deteriorated. On 11 June 2009, the sails were removed as they had been discovered to be rotten and in need of replacement. The new sails are being made by Thompsons, the Alford millwrights.
Reference for above:-
(1910-1974), who lived at nearby Hoxne
produced a number of paintings of this windmill.
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....
at Billingford near Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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 preserved and restored to working order. As of June 2009, the mill is under repair, with new sails being made.
History
A windmill was first marked on William Faden's map of Norfolk published in 1797. This was a post millPost 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...
which drove two pairs of 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 mill was blown down on 22 September 1859.
A new tower mill was built for William Chaplyn to replace the post mill. It cost £1,300 and was completed by March 1860. In 1872 the miller, Henry Pike, was sued for supplying meal unfit for consumption. He admitted having added some starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
fibre to the meal. Judgement was given in his favour, but with 30s
Shilling (United Kingdom)
The British shilling is an historic British coin from the eras of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the later United Kingdom; also adopted as a Scot denomination upon the 1707 Treaty of Union....
deducted and no order for costs being granted.
William Chaplyn died in 1881 and the mill was put up for sale by auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
on 21 June 1881 at the King's Head Hotel, Diss but it remained unsold and was later offered to let. Provision had been made by this date for the mill to be driven by a steam engine. The mill was worked by a succession of millers through the years. An oil engine had been installed as auxiliary power by 1916.
In 1924, the mill was bought by George Daines, who worked it, and took on a partner in 1929. In 1933, his son Arthur joined the firm and worked the mill until called up to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Second World War. Upon his return in 1945, over £300 had to be spent repairing the mill to return it to working order. The mill was reduced to two sails. Arthur Daines worked the mill by wind until 1956 - the last windmill to work commercially by wind in Norfolk. Milling continued by engine power until 1959 when an outbreak of fowl pest
Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease is a contagious bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species. First found in Newcastle, United Kingdom in 1926, then by Burnet in 1943 in Australia in connection with laboratory infection where the virus was isolated from a ocular discharge of a patient to show the...
killed off the remaining trade.
The mill was purchased by Victor Valiant who intended that it should be preserved. In February 1962, Messrs Thompson's, the Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
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...
s commenced restoration work. An appeal was launched in March 1962 by 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...
launched an appeal for £1,450. Grants of £1,000 each were given by the Historic Buildings Council
Historic Buildings Council
Three separate Historic Buildings Councils were created by the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953, one for each of England, Scotland and Wales...
and Norfolk County Council. The restoration cost £3,939 The cap, which had been tarred, was painted white. The outbuildings around the mill were demolished. On 24 September 1965, Mr Valiant gave the mill to the Norfolk Windmills Trust
Norfolk Windmills Trust
The Norfolk Windmills Trust is a charity based in Norfolk, England, which restores and cares for windmills in that county.Mills in its care include those at:*Ashtree Farm Mill*Berney Arms...
.
On the night of 2-3 January 1976, the fantail was destroyed in a gale. A replacement was made and fitted in March 1976 by Messrs Barrett and Lawn, millwrights. In 14 July 1977, a 52 feet (15.85 m) long fabricated steel stock was fitted by Lennard and Lawn, replacing a Columbian pine stock which had been fitted when the mill was restored in 1962. In 1998, Norfolk Windmills Trust had the mill put back into full working order. In 2002 Linda Joslin became the first woman miller at Billingford and together with a team of volunteers began milling English Organic wheat. The first "Billingford Loaf" for 50 years was produced that year and became very popular around Norfolk with the stones grinding the wheat when ever the wind blew strongly enough. Linda was made to leave the mill after a long and very public dispute having been asked to fully maintain the mill although she was not the owner. The mill was not used for a few years and has consequently deteriorated. On 11 June 2009, the sails were removed as they had been discovered to be rotten and in need of replacement. The new sails are being made by Thompsons, the Alford millwrights.
Description
Billingford Windmill is a five storey tower mill with a boat shaped cap winded by a fantail. The tower is 36 feet (10.97 m) high to curb level. It has four double Patent sails carried on a cast iron windshaft. The brake wheel carries a tablet inscribed "W SKINNER 1860". The upright shaft is of cast iron, and is 4½ inches (110 mm)) diameter. The great spur wheel is only 5 feet 4½ inches (1.64m) diameter. The two pairs of millstones are driven overdrift. A third pair is housed on a hurst frame on the ground floor of the mill and can be driven by engine.Millers
- George Goddard 1860-68
- Edward Woodrow 1868
- Henry Pike 1872
- John Button 1875
- Robert Gaze 1877
- Robert Weavers 1883
- John Cross 1892-1904
- Richard Wood Crawshay 1908-12
- Walter James Staff 1916
- George Arthur Daines 1924-29
- Daines & Chase 1929-33
- G A Daines & Son 1933-37
- Arthur Daines 1945-59
Reference for above:-
Public access
Billingford mill is open to the public on a number of Sundays and Bank Holidays or by arrangement with Norfolk Windmills Trust.Culture and media
James Henry GovierJames Henry Govier
James Henry Govier was an English painter born at Oakley, Buckinghamshire.He was the only son of Henry Govier and Mary Ann Measey. In 1914 the family moved to the small town of Gorseinon in Gower near Swansea, where James was educated at the local school. At the age of fourteen he left school to...
(1910-1974), who lived at nearby Hoxne
Hoxne
Hoxne is an anciently established village in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about five miles east-southeast of Diss, Norfolk and one-half mile south of the River Waveney...
produced a number of paintings of this windmill.