Mostert's Mill
Encyclopedia
Mostert's Mill is a historic windmill
in Mowbray
, Cape Town
, South Africa
. It was built in 1796 and is the oldest surviving, and only complete, windmill in South Africa.
in the Battle of Muizenberg
in 1795, only mills controlled by the Dutch East India Company
were allowed. Mostert's Mill had ceased working by 1873, but was owned by the Mostert family until 1889, when it was sold to a Mr Wilks, who sold it in 1891 to Cecil Rhodes. The mill became derelict, and a restoration was undertaked by the Dutch millwright Christiaan Bremer. The restored mill was opened on 1 February 1936 by Dr Lorentz, the Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to the Netherlands. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, General Hertzog and flour
was ground for the guests.
The mill was worked occasionally but it became derelict during the Second World War. In 1986, the windshaft broke and the sails crashed to the ground. The Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa started a campaign to preserve the mill, leading to the formation of the Friends of Mostert's Mill in 1993. A further restoration in 1995 by Dunning-Bremer returned the mill to working order again at a cost of R245,000
.
. The tower is 7.94 metre diameter externally at ground level, and is 6.68 metre high. It is constructed of random stone for the first 2.28 metre and then unbaked bricks above. The walls are 1.15 metre thick at ground level, giving the mill an internal diameter of 5.64 metre.
The cap is of a truncated cone shape and is covered by thatch. The mill has four common sails and is winded by a tailpole.. The four common sails follow the Dutch tradition, as there were no sails surviving when Bremer restored the mill in 1935. Those fitted at the 1935 restoration were 6 metre long and 1.75 metre wide, fitted with a windboard on the leading edge. Such a feature was not to be found on other South African windmills. The sails, which have a span of 14.45 metre, were carried on a teak
windshaft, which was fitted with a cast iron poll end in 1935, as it has rotted. Contemporary South African windmills all had wooden windshafts, apart from one of the Salt River windmills, which had an iron cross. A replacement iroko
windshaft was fitted in 1995. The windshaft carries a clasp arm brake wheel, which has a diameter of 770 millimetre and has 47 cogs. It drove the single pair of millstones, via a lantern pinion stone nut, which has 16 staves. The millstone
s comprise the original runner stone, and a non-original bedstone. This latter is a Cullen stone installed in 1935, and came from a windmill at Leens
, Groningen
, Netherlands.
close to the University of Cape Town
on the slopes of Devil's Peak
where it is a prominent landmark. The Friends of Mostert's Mill operate the mill and it is open to the public on one Saturday a month between 10:00 and 14:30.
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 Mowbray
Mowbray, Cape Town
Mowbray is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Its original name was Driekoppen .-Geography:Mowbray is bounded on the west by the M3 freeway, beyond which lies Devil's Peak, and on the north by the N2 freeway, beyond which lies the suburb of Observatory...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was built in 1796 and is the oldest surviving, and only complete, windmill in South Africa.
History
The mill was built around 1796 as a private mill on the farm 'Welgelegen', owned by Gysbert van Renen, and was named after his son-in-law, Sybrand Mostert, after Van Renen's death. It was the first privately owned mill, as prior to the British occupation of the CapeCape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
in the Battle of Muizenberg
Battle of Muizenberg
The Battle of Muizenberg was a small but significant military engagement which took place near Muizenberg, South Africa in 1795; it led to the capture of the Cape Colony by Kingdom of Great Britain.- Background :...
in 1795, only mills controlled by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
were allowed. Mostert's Mill had ceased working by 1873, but was owned by the Mostert family until 1889, when it was sold to a Mr Wilks, who sold it in 1891 to Cecil Rhodes. The mill became derelict, and a restoration was undertaked by the Dutch millwright Christiaan Bremer. The restored mill was opened on 1 February 1936 by Dr Lorentz, the Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to the Netherlands. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, General Hertzog and 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...
was ground for the guests.
The mill was worked occasionally but it became derelict during the Second World War. In 1986, the windshaft broke and the sails crashed to the ground. The Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa started a campaign to preserve the mill, leading to the formation of the Friends of Mostert's Mill in 1993. A further restoration in 1995 by Dunning-Bremer returned the mill to working order again at a cost of R245,000
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
.
Description
Mosterts Mill is a three storey tower millTower 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....
. The tower is 7.94 metre diameter externally at ground level, and is 6.68 metre high. It is constructed of random stone for the first 2.28 metre and then unbaked bricks above. The walls are 1.15 metre thick at ground level, giving the mill an internal diameter of 5.64 metre.
The cap is of a truncated cone shape and is covered by thatch. The mill has four common sails and is winded by a tailpole.. The four common sails follow the Dutch tradition, as there were no sails surviving when Bremer restored the mill in 1935. Those fitted at the 1935 restoration were 6 metre long and 1.75 metre wide, fitted with a windboard on the leading edge. Such a feature was not to be found on other South African windmills. The sails, which have a span of 14.45 metre, were carried on a teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
windshaft, which was fitted with a cast iron poll end in 1935, as it has rotted. Contemporary South African windmills all had wooden windshafts, apart from one of the Salt River windmills, which had an iron cross. A replacement iroko
Iroko
Iroko is a large hardwood tree from west coast of tropical Africa. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African Teak, although it is unrelated to the teak family. The wood color is initially yellow but darkens to a richer brown over time....
windshaft was fitted in 1995. The windshaft carries a clasp arm brake wheel, which has a diameter of 770 millimetre and has 47 cogs. It drove the single pair of millstones, via a lantern pinion stone nut, which has 16 staves. The 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 comprise the original runner stone, and a non-original bedstone. This latter is a Cullen stone installed in 1935, and came from a windmill at Leens
Leens
Leens is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of De Marne.Leens was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Ulrum, Eenrum and Kloosterburen....
, Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, Netherlands.
Location and access
Mostert's Mill is situated on the M3M3 (Cape Town)
The M3 is an expressway in Cape Town, South Africa, connecting the upper part of the City Bowl to the Southern Suburbs and ending in Tokai. For most of its route it parallels - though further to the south and west - the M4 , which was the original road connecting central Cape Town with the...
close to the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
on the slopes of Devil's Peak
Devil's Peak (Cape Town)
Devil's Peak is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town. When looking at Table Mountain from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or when looking at the standard picture postcard view of the mountain, the skyline is from left to right: the spire of Devil's Peak, the flat mesa of Table Mountain,...
where it is a prominent landmark. The Friends of Mostert's Mill operate the mill and it is open to the public on one Saturday a month between 10:00 and 14:30.