Shirley Windmill
Encyclopedia
Shirley Windmill is a Grade II listed tower mill
in Shirley
, in the London Borough of Croydon
, England
which has been restored to working order.
destroyed by fire. The post mill had been built in 1809 by Richard Alwen (Sr) and passed to Alwen on the death of his father in 1846. The post mill burnt down in October 1854.
The mill is thought to have been brought from Stratford
and re-erected A date of 1740 on a beam in the windmill is evidence of re-use of materials from elsewhere. The mill cost £2,000 to build. More recent research indicates that a smock mill
at West Ham was the mill in question.
Richard Alwen died in 1884,and the mill was taken by Thomas Dives, grandson of Richard Alwen Sr. The mill was abandoned in 1892 as unviable by Alfred Rayson, at the time being only used for grinding animal feed. The windmill was struck by lightning in 1899. and again in April 1906, when a was sail
set on fire, but the local fire brigade managed to save the mill. The mill was restored in 1927 and in 1935 one of the sails was blown off. The mill was again renovated, and a new Great Spur Wheel fitted by Messrs Lister Bros, of Woolwich
. New sails were fitted by Thomas Hunt, the Soham
millwright
. There was a Court case following the renovations, in which it was stated the windmill was "almost in working order".
The windmill was listed in 1951, it was probably the last large windmill to be built in Surrey
. In 1952 the mill and land were acquired by the Croydon Corporation. The mill was threatened with demolition when the new John Ruskin School
was built but it was protected by its listed status and strong public interest. An inspection of the structure found that it was in generally good condition, but recommended that the first floor doorway be unblocked to allow better circulation of air to prevent rot. During excavations for the foundations of the new school, two trade tokens were found, relating to the smock mill
at Appledore, Kent.
On 1 April 1971, the mill was advertised for sale in The Times
as an April Fool's Day joke by pupils at the school. The headmaster received four telephone calls as a result of the prank. The school moved to a new site, and the school buildings were demolished. In August 1996, it was announced that the London Borough of Croydon was to receive a grant of £218,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
to turn the mill into a museum. In September 2004, Croydon Borough Council agreed to fund external repairs to the windmill, the work being scheduled for the following spring.
In October 2008 it was reported that the sails of the mill were being damaged by Rose-ringed Parakeet
s. The birds had also damaged the spire of the nearby St John's Church. The sails were repaired at a cost of £45,000 by millwrights J Hole. Restoration was completed in May 2010.
windshaft. The Kentish style cap is winded by a fantail
. The tower is 21 feet (6.4 m) diameter at the base and 11 feet (3.35 m) diameter at the curb. The mill is 55 feet (16.76 m) high to the top of the cap.
The iron Brake Wheel is 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) diameter and has 172 cogs. It drives an iron Wallower of 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter with 75 teeth. The cast iron Upright Shaft is 25 feet (7.62 m) long and has a dog clutch just below its mid point, to allow the mill to be driven by engine without working the sails. The Great Spur Wheel is of iron, with wooden teeth, and drove two pairs of underdrift millstone
s.
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....
in Shirley
Shirley, London
Shirley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 10 miles south south-east of Charing Cross.-Description:...
, in the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, 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
Shirley Windmill was built by Richard Alwen in 1854 to replace the former 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...
destroyed by fire. The post mill had been built in 1809 by Richard Alwen (Sr) and passed to Alwen on the death of his father in 1846. The post mill burnt down in October 1854.
The mill is thought to have been brought from Stratford
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
and re-erected A date of 1740 on a beam in the windmill is evidence of re-use of materials from elsewhere. The mill cost £2,000 to build. More recent research indicates that a smock mill
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
at West Ham was the mill in question.
Richard Alwen died in 1884,and the mill was taken by Thomas Dives, grandson of Richard Alwen Sr. The mill was abandoned in 1892 as unviable by Alfred Rayson, at the time being only used for grinding animal feed. The windmill was struck by lightning in 1899. and again in April 1906, when a was sail
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:...
set on fire, but the local fire brigade managed to save the mill. The mill was restored in 1927 and in 1935 one of the sails was blown off. The mill was again renovated, and a new Great Spur Wheel fitted by Messrs Lister Bros, of Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
. New sails were fitted by Thomas Hunt, the Soham
Soham
Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
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...
. There was a Court case following the renovations, in which it was stated the windmill was "almost in working order".
The windmill was listed in 1951, it was probably the last large windmill to be built in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. In 1952 the mill and land were acquired by the Croydon Corporation. The mill was threatened with demolition when the new John Ruskin School
John Ruskin College
John Ruskin College is now the first specialist vocational sixth form college in the country. It is situated in Forestdale on the A2022 , close to the A212 roundabout, on the southern edge of London's conurbation...
was built but it was protected by its listed status and strong public interest. An inspection of the structure found that it was in generally good condition, but recommended that the first floor doorway be unblocked to allow better circulation of air to prevent rot. During excavations for the foundations of the new school, two trade tokens were found, relating to the smock mill
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
at Appledore, Kent.
On 1 April 1971, the mill was advertised for sale in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as an April Fool's Day joke by pupils at the school. The headmaster received four telephone calls as a result of the prank. The school moved to a new site, and the school buildings were demolished. In August 1996, it was announced that the London Borough of Croydon was to receive a grant of £218,100 from 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...
to turn the mill into a museum. In September 2004, Croydon Borough Council agreed to fund external repairs to the windmill, the work being scheduled for the following spring.
In October 2008 it was reported that the sails of the mill were being damaged by Rose-ringed Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet
The Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...
s. The birds had also damaged the spire of the nearby St John's Church. The sails were repaired at a cost of £45,000 by millwrights J Hole. Restoration was completed in May 2010.
Description
Shirley Windmill is a five storey brick tower mill. It has four double Patent sails carried on a 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...
windshaft. The Kentish style cap is winded by 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...
. The tower is 21 feet (6.4 m) diameter at the base and 11 feet (3.35 m) diameter at the curb. The mill is 55 feet (16.76 m) high to the top of the cap.
The iron Brake Wheel is 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) diameter and has 172 cogs. It drives an iron Wallower of 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter with 75 teeth. The cast iron Upright Shaft is 25 feet (7.62 m) long and has a dog clutch just below its mid point, to allow the mill to be driven by engine without working the sails. The Great Spur Wheel is of iron, with wooden teeth, and drove two pairs of underdrift 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.
Millers
- Richard Alwen Sr 1809 - 1846 (post mill)
- Richard Alwen Jr 1846 - 1884 (post and tower)
- Thomas Dives 1884 -
- Alfred Rayson - 1892
Access
The windmill is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from June to October, 1 pm to 5pm, with tours organised by The Friends of Shirley Windmill. It's also open on Heritage day and National Mills day. On weekdays tours can be prearranged.External links
- Official website - The Friends of Shirley Windmill
- Windmill World webpage on Shirley mill
- Croydon online