Buxton Watermill
Encyclopedia
Buxton Mill, is located on the River Bure
about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) east of the village of Buxton, Norfolk
, and is in the hamlet of Lamas, Norfolk. A watermill was recorded here in the Domesday Book
. The present mill is thought to date from 1754 and was built by William Pepper, a merchant living in Buxton.
construction on the top floor of the middle bay which oversail’s the road below.
.
The 1902 turbine was small and revolved at a much faster pace which removed the need several of the gear wheels which on larger, slow moving water wheels waste considerable power out-put. In 1965 this turbine
was still producing 25% of the mill's power requirements. It had undergone a minor overhaul in 1930 and a major overhaul in the 1960s that would have left it capable of running for the next 40 years. The mills power was used to drive two and sometimes three pairs of millstone
s, which were in regular use for grinding animal food stuffs. Flour
for household use was also produced and biscuit
flour was milled using electrically powered roller milling machines.
The mill was reconstructed after a devastating fire in Jan 1991 used as a case study covering the fire and the major reconstruction that followed. An excellent history can be found at Norfolk Mills. You can also stay in the apartments http://www.buxtonmill.co.ukhttp://www.buxtonmill.com at the mill.
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) east of the village of Buxton, Norfolk
Buxton, Norfolk
Buxton is a village in Norfolk, located between Norwich and Aylsham. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1085. Buxton is adjacent to the village of Lammas. The two villages are separated by the River Bure at Buxton Mill but are otherwise indistinguishable...
, and is in the hamlet of Lamas, Norfolk. A watermill was recorded here in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The present mill is thought to date from 1754 and was built by William Pepper, a merchant living in Buxton.
Description
The present mill is built over four storey’s and is brick built with weatherboard cladding. The east elevation has three bays with gables. There is a timber lucam (covered sack hoist) of shiplapShiplap
Shiplap is a term used to describe a type of wooden board used commonly in the construction of barns, sheds, outbuildings and inexpensive or seasonal homes. It is either rough-sawn 1" or milled 3/4" pine or similarly inexpensive wood between 3" and 10" wide with a 3/8" - 1/2" rabbet on opposite...
construction on the top floor of the middle bay which oversail’s the road below.
Power
At Buxton the river Bure was quite large with a powerful flow and with the diversion of the course there was a fall of 6 to 7 feet provideding this mill with considerable power. The breastshot water wheel, which was sixteen foot, was installed in a separate brick built building which was located behind the mill house. This water wheel was replaced by a turbine in 1902. There was also a second waterwheel which was overshot using water that formed part of the Aylsham Navigation and gained its head by the close by lock systemLock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
.
The 1902 turbine was small and revolved at a much faster pace which removed the need several of the gear wheels which on larger, slow moving water wheels waste considerable power out-put. In 1965 this turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
was still producing 25% of the mill's power requirements. It had undergone a minor overhaul in 1930 and a major overhaul in the 1960s that would have left it capable of running for the next 40 years. The mills power was used to drive two and sometimes three 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, which were in regular use for grinding animal food stuffs. Flour
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 household use was also produced and biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
flour was milled using electrically powered roller milling machines.
The Mill House
To the north side of the watermill stands the Mill House which was built in the Georgian period and has a fine ironwork porch. The rear section of the Mill House is thought to have been added soon after construction in the late 18th century, and is a former granary with corner posts, dragon beams and dragon braces.The mill was reconstructed after a devastating fire in Jan 1991 used as a case study covering the fire and the major reconstruction that followed. An excellent history can be found at Norfolk Mills. You can also stay in the apartments http://www.buxtonmill.co.ukhttp://www.buxtonmill.com at the mill.