Rolvenden Windmill
Encyclopedia
Rolvenden Windill is a grade II* listed Post mill
on the B2086 road west of Rolvenden
in southeast England
. It is maintained as a memorial to a local resident killed in a road accident in 1955.
map of 1610, Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769 and the 1819-43 Ordnance Survey
map. Rolvenden mill bears a date of 1772, but is believed to be older, possibly the mill marked on the 1596 map. The mill last worked circa 1885, when two sails are known to have been removed. The original roundhouse was demolished during the First World War. The ladder giving access to the body of the mill collapsed in 1917. By the mid 1950s, the mill was becoming increasingly derelict. But in 1956, the mill was restored by Thompson's, the Alford
millwrights. The work was paid for by Mr & Mrs Barham in memory of their son John Nicholas Barham (24 July 1937 - 24 August 1955), who had been killed in a road accident. The previously white painted mill was tarred. New common sails were fitted and a new brick roundhouse was erected. The mill was fixed in position, with steel girders supporting the mill from below. The restored windmill is also featured in the title credits of the childrens television show Mr Majeika
, which ran from 1986 - 1988.
and is winded by a tailpole. In later years, she is said to have carried "two patent or wood louvred sweeps, which were later removed and used elsewhere. - these would most likely have been Spring Sails, and offers an explanation for the derelict mill with only two sails. When the mill was restored, four Common Sails were erected. The ladder was not replaced when the mill was restored, making access to the mill difficult. The mill has two pairs of millstone
s, in a head and tail arrangement.
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...
on the B2086 road west of Rolvenden
Rolvenden
Rolvenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A28 Ashford to Hastings road, south-west of Tenterden.The settlement of Rolvenden Layne, south of Rolvenden, is also in the parish.-History:...
in southeast 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...
. It is maintained as a memorial to a local resident killed in a road accident in 1955.
History
There is evidence of a windmill in Rolvenden in 1556. The mill is believed to have been built c.1580. A windmill was marked on Symondsos map of 1596, John Speed'sJohn Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
map of 1610, Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769 and the 1819-43 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. Rolvenden mill bears a date of 1772, but is believed to be older, possibly the mill marked on the 1596 map. The mill last worked circa 1885, when two sails are known to have been removed. The original roundhouse was demolished during the First World War. The ladder giving access to the body of the mill collapsed in 1917. By the mid 1950s, the mill was becoming increasingly derelict. But in 1956, the mill was restored by Thompson's, the Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
millwrights. The work was paid for by Mr & Mrs Barham in memory of their son John Nicholas Barham (24 July 1937 - 24 August 1955), who had been killed in a road accident. The previously white painted mill was tarred. New common sails were fitted and a new brick roundhouse was erected. The mill was fixed in position, with steel girders supporting the mill from below. The restored windmill is also featured in the title credits of the childrens television show Mr Majeika
Mr Majeika
Mr Majeika is the title of a series of children's books, written by Humphrey Carpenter, and also a children's television series starring Stanley Baxter. The stories have also been broadcast on radio...
, which ran from 1986 - 1988.
Description
Rolvenden Mill is a post mill on a single storey brick roundhouse. It has four Common sailsWindmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
and is winded by a tailpole. In later years, she is said to have carried "two patent or wood louvred sweeps, which were later removed and used elsewhere. - these would most likely have been Spring Sails, and offers an explanation for the derelict mill with only two sails. When the mill was restored, four Common Sails were erected. The ladder was not replaced when the mill was restored, making access to the mill difficult. The mill has 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 a head and tail arrangement.
Millers
- E W & H A Allen 1828
- E Witt
- Thomas Record 1834
- Richard Reeves 1839
- George Bridge 1845
- Laurence Foster 1845 - 1852
- R Clemetson 1862
- Collins 1870s
- John Greenhill 1878
- Horace Dunk 1879 - 1883
- James Collins - 1885
References for above:-
External links
- Windmill World page on the mill.