Caston Windmill
Encyclopedia
Caston Tower Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill
at Caston
, Norfolk
, England
which is under restoration. The mill is also a scheduled monument.
which had been standing in 1834 The tower, which was built by William Wright, a local builder and fitted out by millwright
Robert Hambling of East Dereham bears a date stone inscribed EW 1864. The EW being Edward Wyer, who had owned the post mill.
The mill caught fire during a storm on 24 March 1895 but it is not recorded how much damage was done. The Watton
fire brigade were called upon to deal with the fire. Edward Wyer ran the mill until his death on 5 July 1897. His property was offered for sale by auction
on 7 October 1897 at the Dukes Head public house
, Caston but remained unsold. Wyer's son James took the mill and ran it until 1910 when he retired. In that year, Wyer's brother-in-law Benjamin Knott took the mill. A new stock was fitted in August 1915 and a new sail fitted by Robert Martin, millwright of Beccles
, Suffolk
in September 1922, at which date the mill was painted. Knott ran the mill until 1940, latterly in partnership with his son James. During Knott's tenure, a Hornsby
oil engine was installed in the granary, driving a further pair of millstone
s. In 1940, the mill was sold to James Bilham, who used the engine driven millstones for milling, and removed the two pairs of Peak
millstones from the windmill. Bilham died in 1967 and the mill was sold by his widow in October 1969.
The mill was bought by millwright John Lawn, who intended to restore the mill to working order. The granary was converted to residential accommodation. Lawn entered into partnership with Philip Lennard as Lennard and Lawn (Millwrights) Ltd, at the time the only professional millwrights based in Norfolk. Lennard & Lawn did a lot of work for the Norfolk Windmills Trust
and consequently the restoration of Caston Mill took place on an "as and when" basis.
The cap and sails were removed on 23 November 1983. John Lawn died in January 2000 A memorial plaque was dedicated to him at Old Buckenham. The cap was refitted to Caston Mill in 2000.
Reference 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....
at Caston
Caston
Caston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 459 in 174 households as of the2001 censusFor the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland.- History :...
, 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 is under restoration. The mill is also a scheduled monument.
History
Caston Windmill was built in 1864, replacing 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 had been standing in 1834 The tower, which was built by William Wright, a local builder and fitted out by 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...
Robert Hambling of East Dereham bears a date stone inscribed EW 1864. The EW being Edward Wyer, who had owned the post mill.
The mill caught fire during a storm on 24 March 1895 but it is not recorded how much damage was done. The Watton
Watton, Norfolk
Watton is a market town in the district of Breckland within the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the crossroads of the A1075 Dereham-Thetford road and the B1108 Brandon-Norwich Road, about west of Norwich....
fire brigade were called upon to deal with the fire. Edward Wyer ran the mill until his death on 5 July 1897. His property was offered 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 7 October 1897 at the Dukes Head public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, Caston but remained unsold. Wyer's son James took the mill and ran it until 1910 when he retired. In that year, Wyer's brother-in-law Benjamin Knott took the mill. A new stock was fitted in August 1915 and a new sail fitted by Robert Martin, millwright of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in September 1922, at which date the mill was painted. Knott ran the mill until 1940, latterly in partnership with his son James. During Knott's tenure, a Hornsby
Richard Hornsby & Sons
Richard Hornsby & Sons was an engine and machinery manufacturer in Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918. The company was a pioneer in the manufacture of the oil engine developed by Herbert Akroyd Stuart and marketed under the Hornsby-Akroyd name. The company developed an early track system...
oil engine was installed in the granary, driving a further pair 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. In 1940, the mill was sold to James Bilham, who used the engine driven millstones for milling, and removed the two pairs of Peak
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
millstones from the windmill. Bilham died in 1967 and the mill was sold by his widow in October 1969.
The mill was bought by millwright John Lawn, who intended to restore the mill to working order. The granary was converted to residential accommodation. Lawn entered into partnership with Philip Lennard as Lennard and Lawn (Millwrights) Ltd, at the time the only professional millwrights based in Norfolk. Lennard & Lawn did a lot of work for 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...
and consequently the restoration of Caston Mill took place on an "as and when" basis.
The cap and sails were removed on 23 November 1983. John Lawn died in January 2000 A memorial plaque was dedicated to him at Old Buckenham. The cap was refitted to Caston Mill in 2000.
Description
Caston Windmill is a six storey tower mill with a two storey granary attached. There is a stage at second floor level. The tower is 26 feet (7.92 m) outside diameter at ground level with walls 2 in 6 in (762 mm) thick. It is 17 feet (5.18 m) outside diameter at curb level. The tower is 55 feet (16.76 m) tall to curb level. The boat shaped cap is winded by a six bladed fantail. The four double Patent sails have ten bays. Eight bays carried three shutters and two bays carried two shutters. The sails are carried on a cast iron windshaft, which also carries a 10 in 4 in (3.15 m) diameter wooden clasp arm brake wheel. The cast iron wallower is carried on a wooden upright shaft. The three pairs of millstones were driven underdrift.Millers
- Edward Wyer 1864-97
- James Wyer 1897-1910
- Benjamin Knott 1910-
- Benjamin & James Knott -1940
- James Bilham 1940-67
Reference for above:-
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Caston Mill