Chillenden Windmill
Encyclopedia
Chillenden windmill is a grade II* listed open trestle post mill north of Chillenden
, Kent
, England
. It is the last post mill built in Kent.
in 1868, replacing an earlier post mill that had blown down. The new mill incorporated some material from the old one. A windmill was marked on Philip Symonson's map of 1596, John Speed's
map of 1611, Robert Morden's
map of 1695, Emanuel Bowen
's map of 1736, Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769 and all Ordnance Survey
maps from 1819. Holman's, the Canterbury millwright
s fitted a new stock and two new sails in 1927, and the mill was working until 1949, when it lost a sail in a gale. Local people raised some money in 1955 to make the mill weatherproof, and on 12 December 1957 the mill was bought for £100 by Kent County Council
and restored at a cost of £728
, although some machinery was removed.
, but on 31 March 2004 it was announced that the mill was to be rebuilt on site. The restoration work was carried out by IJP Millwrights, of Binfield Heath
, Berkshire
. The work included new crosstrees and quarterbars, a new windshaft, both breast and tail of the mill rebuilt and new weatherboarding all over. Four new sails were made, replacing those which were on the mill at the time of its collapse. These had been fitted in 2001. By early May 2005, work had commenced on site re-erecting the frame of the mill. The reconstructed frame of the mill was erected on the new trestle on 25 May 2005. The mill reopened to visitors on 13 September 2005.
s in the head of the mill. The mill formerly had a maize kibbler, but this was removed when the mill was restored in 1958. The mill is winded by a tailpole.
References for above:-
Chillenden
Chillenden is a village in East Kent, England, between Canterbury and Deal. It was home to the families of Thomas Chillenden and William Chillenden, as indicated by their surnames....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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 the last post mill built in Kent.
History
Chillenden windmill was built by Holman's of CanterburyCanterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in 1868, replacing an earlier post mill that had blown down. The new mill incorporated some material from the old one. A windmill was marked on Philip Symonson's map of 1596, John Speed's
John 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 1611, Robert Morden's
Robert Morden
Robert Morden was a British bookseller, publisher, and maker of maps and globes.He was among the first successful commercial map makers....
map of 1695, Emanuel Bowen
Emanuel Bowen
Emanuel Bowen was an English map engraver, who worked for George II of England and Louis XV of France as a geographerHe published a 'Complete Atlas of Geography,' 1744-7; an 'English Atlas, with a new set of maps,' 1745; a 'Complete Atlas .....
's map of 1736, Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769 and all 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...
maps from 1819. Holman's, the Canterbury 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...
s fitted a new stock and two new sails in 1927, and the mill was working until 1949, when it lost a sail in a gale. Local people raised some money in 1955 to make the mill weatherproof, and on 12 December 1957 the mill was bought for £100 by Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
and restored at a cost of £728
, although some machinery was removed.
Collapse and rebuilding
Chillenden windmill collapsed on 26 November 2003. The cause of the mill collapsing was that one of the four piers that the mill sat on had sunk into the ground over time, added to this was the fact that the mill was in a fixed position, and not facing directly into the prevailing wind at the time. The mill wreckage was carefully dismantled on 15 December 2003 and put into storage while a decision was made on the future of the building. There were rumours that the mill would be rebuilt at the Museum of Kent LifeMuseum of Kent Life
Kent Life is an open air museum located at Sandling, next to Allington Locks on the east bank of the River Medway.- History :...
, but on 31 March 2004 it was announced that the mill was to be rebuilt on site. The restoration work was carried out by IJP Millwrights, of Binfield Heath
Binfield Heath
Binfield Heath is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about southwest of Henley-on-Thames and about northeast of Reading, Berkshire.Until 2003, Binfield Heath and the hamlet of Crowsley were part of the civil parish of Shiplake....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The work included new crosstrees and quarterbars, a new windshaft, both breast and tail of the mill rebuilt and new weatherboarding all over. Four new sails were made, replacing those which were on the mill at the time of its collapse. These had been fitted in 2001. By early May 2005, work had commenced on site re-erecting the frame of the mill. The reconstructed frame of the mill was erected on the new trestle on 25 May 2005. The mill reopened to visitors on 13 September 2005.
Description
Chillenden windmill is a white open trestle post mill with four Spring sails carried on a cast iron windshaft. The windshaft carries a cast iron Brake Wheel with a wooden rim. The Brake Wheel has fifty wooden cogs, driving a cast iron Wallower on a cast iron Upright shaft. This carries a cast iron Great Spur Wheel which drives two pairs of underdrift 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 in the head of the mill. The mill formerly had a maize kibbler, but this was removed when the mill was restored in 1958. The mill is winded by a tailpole.
Millers
- Haywood & Cage
- William Hopper Bean 1882-99
- A Laker 1930
- N W Laker - 1949
References for above:-
External links
- Chillenden Windmill - official site
- IJP Millwrights
- Windmill World page on the mill.
- Gallery of images of collapsed mill