Syleham Windmill
Encyclopedia
Syleham Windmill was a Grade II listed post mill
at Syleham
, Suffolk
, England
which was built in 1730 at Wingfield
and moved to Syleham in 1823. It was blown down on 16 October 1987
. The remains of the mill survive today, comprising the roundhouse and trestle
.
in 1936. When Arthur Bryant died, the mill was left to his daughter, who sold it to Jack Penton in 1945. The mill survived being tailwinded in July 1946 and two of the sails were smashed against the roundhouse. Repairs were carried out by millwright
Jesse Wightman. Two new sails being made from the remains of the four previously on the mill, and the side girts were strengthened.In 1949, the mill was sold to Elizabeth Jillard. The breast stones were transferred to the roundhouse. The mill was worked by wind until 1951, latterly on two sails and an oil engine
powered a pair of millstone
s in the roundhouse until 1967. The mill was sold in that year to Ivor Wingfield, grandson of Arthur Bryant. In 1974, some repair work was done to the roundhouse funded by a grant of £400 from Suffolk County Council
. Full restoration of the mill was planned at the time. The mill was blown down on 16 October 1987 when one of the front corner posts failed. The remains of the mill body were removed in June 2007.
. The four Spring sails were carried on a cast iron
windshaft and powered two pairs of millstones arranged head and tail. The Head wheel and tail wheel were both of wooden clasp arm construction. The mill was winded by a fantail arranged in the Suffolk style. An oil engine latterly powered an additional pair of millstones in the roundhouse.
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 Syleham
Syleham
Syleham is a small parish, next to the River Waveney in Suffolk, England, about six miles east of Diss.Its church, St Margaret, is one one of 38 existing round-tower churches in Suffolk. The windmill was one of the casualties of the Great Storm of 1987....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, 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 was built in 1730 at Wingfield
Wingfield, Suffolk
Wingfield is a village in the English county of Suffolk. It is found east of Diss, signposted off B1118, near Eye.Wingfield Castle, which is now a private house, was for many centuries the home of the Wingfield family and their heirs, the De La Poles, Earls and Dukes of Suffolk...
and moved to Syleham in 1823. It was blown down on 16 October 1987
Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
. The remains of the mill survive today, comprising the roundhouse and trestle
Trestle (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...
.
History
The mill was originally one of a pair on Wingfield Green. Both mills came into the ownership of Robert Sparkes in 1820. He believed that the mills were too close to each other and so moved one of them 2 miles (3.2 km) to Syleham in 1823.In 1839 she was owned by George Dye. He died in 1847 and the mill was purchased by John Bokenham, who sold it to John Bryant in 1848. He died in 1865 and the mill was run by his widow, Sarah until 1874 when their son James took the mill. James Bryant died in 1907 and the mill passed to his son Arthur, who installed a Ruston & Hornsby engine to drive an additional pair of millstones in the roundhouse. The mill survived a lightning strikeLightning strike
Lightning strikes are electrical discharges caused by lightning, typically during thunderstorms.Humans can be hit by lightning directly when outdoors. Contrary to popular notion, there is no 'safe' location outdoors. People have been struck in sheds and makeshift shelters...
in 1936. When Arthur Bryant died, the mill was left to his daughter, who sold it to Jack Penton in 1945. The mill survived being tailwinded in July 1946 and two of the sails were smashed against the roundhouse. Repairs were carried out by 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...
Jesse Wightman. Two new sails being made from the remains of the four previously on the mill, and the side girts were strengthened.In 1949, the mill was sold to Elizabeth Jillard. The breast stones were transferred to the roundhouse. The mill was worked by wind until 1951, latterly on two sails and an oil engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powered a pair 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 roundhouse until 1967. The mill was sold in that year to Ivor Wingfield, grandson of Arthur Bryant. In 1974, some repair work was done to the roundhouse funded by a grant of £400 from Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 72 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions...
. Full restoration of the mill was planned at the time. The mill was blown down on 16 October 1987 when one of the front corner posts failed. The remains of the mill body were removed in June 2007.
Description
Syleham Mill was a post mill on a two storey roundhouse. The roundhouse is built of clunchClunch
Clunch is a term for traditional building material used mainly in eastern England and Normandy. It is a term which encompasses a wide variety of materials, often locally variable....
. The four Spring sails were carried on a cast iron
Cast 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 and powered two pairs of millstones arranged head and tail. The Head wheel and tail wheel were both of wooden clasp arm construction. The mill was winded by a fantail arranged in the Suffolk style. An oil engine latterly powered an additional pair of millstones in the roundhouse.
Millers
- Robert Sparkes 1823
- George Dye 1839-47
- John Bokenham 1847-48
- John Bryant 1848-67
- Sarah Ann Bryant 1867-74
- James Bryant 1874-1907
- Arthur John Bryant 1907-36
- Jack Penton 1945-49
- Elizabeth Jillard 1949-67
References for above:-
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Syleham Mill.
- Photo showing remains of mill in 2007