Little Marton Mill
Encyclopedia
Little Marton Mill is a 19th-century English tower
windmill
in Marton
, now part of Blackpool
, Lancashire
. It was built in 1838 by John Hays for grinding corn, and worked until 1928. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage
.
s in the area, and is the last remaining of perhaps four mills that once stood within the current boundaries of Blackpool. The hamlet
of Little Marton was part of the township
of Marton
which, by the end of the 19th century, was incorporated into Blackpool and St Anne's-on-the-Sea. Marton had a watermill
until the mid-18th century, and another wind-powered gristmill up to the late 19th century, both at Great Marton. Little Marton Mill was later worked by a miller named Cornelius Bagot. It stopped working in September 1928. Bagot restored the mill and in 1937 gave it to the Allen Clarke Memorial Fund as a memorial to local teacher, writer and windmill enthusiast Allen Clarke (1863–1935). The mill was extensively renovated in 1987 at a cost of £88,000.
Little Marton Mill is situated on a green, close to the M55 motorway
and is a familiar landmark on this major route into the seaside resort. English Heritage
designated the windmill a Grade II listed building on 20 October 1983. The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".
. On four storeys (including a basement), it has a circular plan and a broad base in proportion to its height. It is constructed of stucco
ed, whitewashed brick. On the exterior wall there is a commemorative plaque to local writer Allen Clarke. The mill is entered through double doors (at basement level) to the east, and a single door to the west. There are square windows at the first, second and third storeys.
Typically for Fylde windmills, the cap (replaced in 1987) is boat-shaped. There are four sails and a fantail
with eight blades. The machinery is incomplete as some of it is now at Lytham 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....
windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
in Marton
Marton, Blackpool
Marton is a settlement on the coastal plain of the Fylde in Lancashire, England, most of which is now part of the seaside town of Blackpool. Marton, which consisted of Great Marton, Little Marton, Marton Fold and The Peel, was originally part of the parish of Poulton-le-Fylde, before the...
, now part of Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. It was built in 1838 by John Hays for grinding corn, and worked until 1928. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
History and assessment
Little Marton Mill was built in 1838 by millwright John Hays for John Whalley, on the site of a previous mill. It was once one of several gristmillGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s in the area, and is the last remaining of perhaps four mills that once stood within the current boundaries of Blackpool. The hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Little Marton was part of the township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of Marton
Marton, Blackpool
Marton is a settlement on the coastal plain of the Fylde in Lancashire, England, most of which is now part of the seaside town of Blackpool. Marton, which consisted of Great Marton, Little Marton, Marton Fold and The Peel, was originally part of the parish of Poulton-le-Fylde, before the...
which, by the end of the 19th century, was incorporated into Blackpool and St Anne's-on-the-Sea. Marton had a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
until the mid-18th century, and another wind-powered gristmill up to the late 19th century, both at Great Marton. Little Marton Mill was later worked by a miller named Cornelius Bagot. It stopped working in September 1928. Bagot restored the mill and in 1937 gave it to the Allen Clarke Memorial Fund as a memorial to local teacher, writer and windmill enthusiast Allen Clarke (1863–1935). The mill was extensively renovated in 1987 at a cost of £88,000.
Little Marton Mill is situated on a green, close to the M55 motorway
M55 motorway
The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 at Preston. It is 11.4 miles in length.-Route:...
and is a familiar landmark on this major route into the seaside resort. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
designated the windmill a Grade II listed building on 20 October 1983. The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".
Structure
Little Marton Mill is of a typical style for windmills built in the FyldeThe Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
. On four storeys (including a basement), it has a circular plan and a broad base in proportion to its height. It is constructed of stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed, whitewashed brick. On the exterior wall there is a commemorative plaque to local writer Allen Clarke. The mill is entered through double doors (at basement level) to the east, and a single door to the west. There are square windows at the first, second and third storeys.
Typically for Fylde windmills, the cap (replaced in 1987) is boat-shaped. There are four sails and 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...
with eight blades. The machinery is incomplete as some of it is now at Lytham Windmill.