Balsall Common Mill, Berkswell
Encyclopedia
Berkswell windmill or Balsall Common mill is a four bladed tower mill
constructed in 1826 on the site of a former post mill
, near the village of Balsall Common
, in the parish of Berkswell
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
, West Midlands
. The windmill
is built in red brick with a wood and metal boat shaped turret, and is turned into the wind by an endless chain winding mechanism. It was historically used to grind flour and animal feeds, and in 1927 the milling wheels
were adapted to run off of a static engine, not reliant upon the variable nature of the wind. The mill was finally closed in 1948, after the last miller John Hammond died.
The windmill is a grade II listed building and a scheduled monument. It is in private ownership, but is accessible to the public on the first Saturday of each month. It was restored between 1973 and 1975, by the Millwright
Derek Ogden, for its then owner, and was mostly complete, with sails and all internal machinery and tools for making flour and animal feed. However, after the death of the owner the windmill again fell into some disrepair until purchased by the current owner in 2004. It is currently undergoing further extensive restoration work, in part with £90,000 funding from English Heritage
.
The refurbishment work includes for removing the windmill's whole roof section for complete refurbishment, and new sails. This is expected to allow the windmill to operate on wind power again, albeit infrequently for demonstration days.
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....
constructed in 1826 on the site of a former post mill
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...
, near the village of Balsall Common
Balsall Common
Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, situated west of Coventry and to the east of Birmingham, to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is...
, in the parish of Berkswell
Berkswell
Berkswell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England.- Geography:It is in the east of the borough, borders Coventry and is about west of Coventry city centre.- History and places of interest :...
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. The windmill
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...
is built in red brick with a wood and metal boat shaped turret, and is turned into the wind by an endless chain winding mechanism. It was historically used to grind flour and animal feeds, and in 1927 the milling wheels
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
were adapted to run off of a static engine, not reliant upon the variable nature of the wind. The mill was finally closed in 1948, after the last miller John Hammond died.
The windmill is a grade II listed building and a scheduled monument. It is in private ownership, but is accessible to the public on the first Saturday of each month. It was restored between 1973 and 1975, by the 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...
Derek Ogden, for its then owner, and was mostly complete, with sails and all internal machinery and tools for making flour and animal feed. However, after the death of the owner the windmill again fell into some disrepair until purchased by the current owner in 2004. It is currently undergoing further extensive restoration work, in part with £90,000 funding from English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
The refurbishment work includes for removing the windmill's whole roof section for complete refurbishment, and new sails. This is expected to allow the windmill to operate on wind power again, albeit infrequently for demonstration days.