Denver Windmill
Encyclopedia
Denver Windmill is a Grade II* listed tower mill at Denver
, Norfolk
, England
which has been restored to full working order.
which was marked on the 1824 Ordnance Survey
map. The mill was built for John Porter and the tower bears a place with the legend JMP 1835. A steam mill had been erected at Denver windmill by 1863, powered by a 12 hp engine. This drove three pairs of millstones, as did the windmill.
In 1896, James Gleaves made a Deed of Assignment and the mill was offered for sale by auction
at the Crown Hotel, Downham Market
but was withdrawn from sale at the auction. The mill was later bought by Thomas Harris, who had previously run the post mill at Southery. On 22 February 1908, the mill was damaged in a gale and put out of action. Thomas Harris died in 1925 and left the mill to his son Thomas, who continued to work it by wind and a diesel engine, which had replaced the earlier steam engine. The mill's centenary was celebrated with a supper on 10 January 1936. In December 1937, Thomas Harris was awarded a certificate by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
. The mill was struck by lightning
in 1939 and a sail was damaged, but this was repaired. In 1941, the curb was damaged, ending the use of wind power. Milling continued by a Blackstone
diesel engine until 1969 when Thomas Harris died. The mill passed to his sister, Edith Staines, who offered the mill to Norfolk County Council on condition that they covered the legal fees. In July 1972, a sail was blown off in a gale, damaging the stage as it fell. The opposite sail was removed leaving the mill with a single pair of sails. The Deed of Gift was signed on 20 August 1973. Restoration work to the cap, gallery, sails and fantail was carried out by millwright
s John Lawn and Philip Lennard in the winter of 1974-75.
On 2 January 1976, the cap was lifted during a gale, and damaged the curb and supporting brickwork. The cap was eventually removed for restoration work to be carried out in 1991 and in 1992 further work was carried out on the sails.
In 1995, the Mill House was put up for sale, and purchased by the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust. The mill was sold by Norfolk County Council to the Norfolk Historic Building Trust at this time. Restoration work to restore the mill to full working order was carried out at a cost of over £1,000,000. This was partly funded by grants from the European Regional Development Fund
, the Heritage Lottery Fund
, Norfolk County Council and the Rural Development Commission and a loan from the Architectural Heritage Fund. The restored mill opened to the public in March 2000. On 4 October 2011, a sail fell from the mill, damaging another and landing 6 feet (1.8 m) away from a group of pupils from Clenchwarton
Primary School, who were visiting the mill at the time.
diesel engine provides auxiliary power.
Reference for above:-
Denver, Norfolk
Denver is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the River Great Ouse, 1 mile south of the small town of Downham Market, 14 miles south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and 37 miles west of the city of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of...
, 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 restored to full working order.
History
Denver windmill was built in 1835, replacing an earlier 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 was marked on the 1824 Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map. The mill was built for John Porter and the tower bears a place with the legend JMP 1835. A steam mill had been erected at Denver windmill by 1863, powered by a 12 hp engine. This drove three pairs of millstones, as did the windmill.
In 1896, James Gleaves made a Deed of Assignment and the mill 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...
at the Crown Hotel, Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
but was withdrawn from sale at the auction. The mill was later bought by Thomas Harris, who had previously run the post mill at Southery. On 22 February 1908, the mill was damaged in a gale and put out of action. Thomas Harris died in 1925 and left the mill to his son Thomas, who continued to work it by wind and a diesel engine, which had replaced the earlier steam engine. The mill's centenary was celebrated with a supper on 10 January 1936. In December 1937, Thomas Harris was awarded a certificate 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...
. The mill was struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
in 1939 and a sail was damaged, but this was repaired. In 1941, the curb was damaged, ending the use of wind power. Milling continued by a Blackstone
Blackstone & Co
Blackstone & Co. was a farm implement maker at Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. In 1896 they built lamp start oil engines. By 1912 they had developed a new diesel engine that ran on vaporizing oil and was fired by a spark...
diesel engine until 1969 when Thomas Harris died. The mill passed to his sister, Edith Staines, who offered the mill to Norfolk County Council on condition that they covered the legal fees. In July 1972, a sail was blown off in a gale, damaging the stage as it fell. The opposite sail was removed leaving the mill with a single pair of sails. The Deed of Gift was signed on 20 August 1973. Restoration work to the cap, gallery, sails and fantail was carried 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...
s John Lawn and Philip Lennard in the winter of 1974-75.
On 2 January 1976, the cap was lifted during a gale, and damaged the curb and supporting brickwork. The cap was eventually removed for restoration work to be carried out in 1991 and in 1992 further work was carried out on the sails.
In 1995, the Mill House was put up for sale, and purchased by the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust. The mill was sold by Norfolk County Council to the Norfolk Historic Building Trust at this time. Restoration work to restore the mill to full working order was carried out at a cost of over £1,000,000. This was partly funded by grants from the European Regional Development Fund
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
, the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, Norfolk County Council and the Rural Development Commission and a loan from the Architectural Heritage Fund. The restored mill opened to the public in March 2000. On 4 October 2011, a sail fell from the mill, damaging another and landing 6 feet (1.8 m) away from a group of pupils from Clenchwarton
Clenchwarton
Clenchwarton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the west side of the River Great Ouse, about 2 km from the river and from the town of King's Lynn on the east side of the river....
Primary School, who were visiting the mill at the time.
Description
Denver Windmill is a six storey tower mill with a stage at third floor level. The tower is 59 feet (17.98 m) high to the curb. The ogee cap has a gallery and is winded by a fantail. The mill drives three pairs of overdrift millstones. A 1932 BlackstoneBlackstone & Co
Blackstone & Co. was a farm implement maker at Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. In 1896 they built lamp start oil engines. By 1912 they had developed a new diesel engine that ran on vaporizing oil and was fired by a spark...
diesel engine provides auxiliary power.
Millers
- John Porter 1835-53
- John Gleaves 1853-73
- James Gleaves 1873-96
- Thomas Edward Harris 1896-1925
- Thomas Edwin Harris 1925-69
Reference for above:-
Public access
Denver Windmill is open to the public from 10:00 to 17:00 daily, except Christmas Day.Culture and media
Denver Windmill appeared in an episode of 'Allo 'Allo titled Fighting with Windmills which was filmed in 1992.External links
- Windmill World webpage on Denver Windmill