Mountnessing Windmill
Encyclopedia
Mountnessing Windmill is a grade II* listed post mill
at Mountnessing, Essex
, England
which has been restored to working order.
In 1937, ownership of the mill passed from the Blencowe Estates to Mountnessing Parish Council. It was repaired as a memorial to King George VI
, whose coronation was in that year.
on 13 November 1983. The internal machinery has been rebuilt by Peter Stenning and Richard Seago, and the mill is in full working order.
roundhouse. The mill is winded by a tailpole. It has four spring sails
. There are two pairs of millstone
s in the breast.
is of oak
, with the main post of elm
. The crosstrees are 22 feet (6.71 m) long, 13 inches (330 mm) by 10 inches (254 mm) in section. The underside of the lower crosstree is 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) above ground level. The main post is nearly 19 feet (5.79 m) in length, 29 inches (737 mm) square at its base. The quarterbars are 13 inches (330 mm) by 10 inches (254 mm) in section. The mill was originally built as an open trestle mill, with a roundhouse added at a later date. Three of the crosstree/quarterbar joints have been strengthened with bolted splints. The sixteen-sided roundhouse is of brick, with a boarded roof covered in tarred felt. It had a thatched roof until 1909, when it was replaced as it was infested with rat
s.
, replacing the former wooden one. It was probably second-hand when fitted to the mill. It has a mounting for a tail wheel, which would have been forward facing when fitted, this and other evidence shows that the mill was originally built with a head and tail layout.
s underdrift via two 22 inches (559 mm) diameter stone nuts with 32 cogs each. the mill was assisted in its later years by a portable steam engine
, which had been built by Wedlake & Dendy Ltd., Engineers of Hornchurch
and carried their works number 74.
References for above:-
Post 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...
at Mountnessing, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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 working order.
History
Mountnessing Windmill was built in 1807, replacing an earlier mill. There are records of a windmill here since 1477. The mill was working until 1924, and it worked again in 1932-33.In 1937, ownership of the mill passed from the Blencowe Estates to Mountnessing Parish Council. It was repaired as a memorial to King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, whose coronation was in that year.
Restoration
The mill was restored to working order between 1979 and 1983. A complete new roof was fitted, and the tail of the mill rebuilt. New sails were fitted, and the mill officially opened by Hervey BenhamHervey Benham
Hervey W G Benham, 1910 - 1987, was the pioneering proprietor of Essex County Newspapers, a prolific author of books on Essex and the East Coast, an accomplished musician and a significant benefactor...
on 13 November 1983. The internal machinery has been rebuilt by Peter Stenning and Richard Seago, and the mill is in full working order.
Description
Mountnessing Windmill is a post mill with a single-storey sixteen-sidedHexadecagon
In mathematics, a hexadecagon is a polygon with 16 sides and 16 vertices.- Regular hexadecagon :A regular hexadecagon is constructible with a compass and straightedge....
roundhouse. The mill is winded by a tailpole. It has four spring sails
Windmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
. There are two 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 in the breast.
Trestle and roundhouse
The trestleTrestle (mill)
The Trestle of a Post mill is the arrangement of the Main post, crosstrees and quarterbars that form the substructure of this type of windmill. It may or may not be surrounded by a roundhouse...
is of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, with the main post of elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
. The crosstrees are 22 feet (6.71 m) long, 13 inches (330 mm) by 10 inches (254 mm) in section. The underside of the lower crosstree is 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) above ground level. The main post is nearly 19 feet (5.79 m) in length, 29 inches (737 mm) square at its base. The quarterbars are 13 inches (330 mm) by 10 inches (254 mm) in section. The mill was originally built as an open trestle mill, with a roundhouse added at a later date. Three of the crosstree/quarterbar joints have been strengthened with bolted splints. The sixteen-sided roundhouse is of brick, with a boarded roof covered in tarred felt. It had a thatched roof until 1909, when it was replaced as it was infested with rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s.
Body
The body of the mill measures just under 18 feet (5.49 m) by 11 feet (3.35 m) in plan. The crowntree is 22 inches (559 mm) square in section. It receives a 10 inches (254 mm) diameter pintle projecting from the top of the main post. The side girts are 9 inches (229 mm) by 20 inches (508 mm) in section at the ends, thickening to 22 inches (558.8 mm) at the crosstree.Sails and windshaft
As originally built, the mill would have had a wooden windshaft and four common sails. The sails are spring sails. The windshaft is of cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
, replacing the former wooden one. It was probably second-hand when fitted to the mill. It has a mounting for a tail wheel, which would have been forward facing when fitted, this and other evidence shows that the mill was originally built with a head and tail layout.
Machinery
The wooden brake wheel is of clasp arm construction, it has 77 cogs of 4 inches (102 mm) pitch, driving a wooden wallower with 21 cogs. The cast iron spur wheel is 3 in 6 in (1.07 m) diameter with 66 cogs, it drives the two pairs of millstoneMillstone
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 underdrift via two 22 inches (559 mm) diameter stone nuts with 32 cogs each. the mill was assisted in its later years by a portable steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, which had been built by Wedlake & Dendy Ltd., Engineers of Hornchurch
Hornchurch
Hornchurch is a large suburban town in England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Hornchurch is in North-East London .It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan. It comprises a number of shopping...
and carried their works number 74.
Millers
- Robert Agnis 1807 - 1826
- Joseph Agnis 1826 -
- Alfred Agnis 1863
- Joseph Agnis - 1906
- Robert Agnis 1908 - 1924
- Emily Agnis 1932 - 1933
References for above:-
Public access
The mill is open to the public on the third Sunday of each month between May and October.External links
- Windmill World webpage on Mountnessing Windmill