The Molen van Vledder is 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...

 in Vledder

Vledder

Vledder is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld, and lies about 24 km northwest of Hoogeveen. It is located along the small river Vledder Aa.-History:...

, Drenthe

Drenthe

Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...

, which is used as holiday accommodation. The mill was built in 1968 and is listed as a Rijksmonument

Rijksmonument

A rijksmonument is a National Heritage Site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.-History and criteria:...

, number 357823.

History

A mill stood on this site until 1958. In 1968, the present mill was built 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...

 J D Medendorp of Zuidlaren

Zuidlaren

Zuidlaren is a village in the province of Drenthe in the Northern Netherlands. Zuidlaren has just over 10,000 inhabitants and is situated on natural heightened land which is called the Hondsrug....

, incorporating parts from two demolished mills. The 1877-built drainage mill De Kooi, Kantens

Kantens

Kantens is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Eemsmond, about 16 km north of the city of Groningen.Kantens was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became a part of Hefshuizen.-External links:*...

, Groningen

Groningen (province)

Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...

 which had been demolished in 1961 and the 1862-built drainage mill Gebroeders Bos, which stood at Hoogkerk

Hoogkerk

Hoogkerk is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Groningen, about 4 km west of the city.Hoogkerk was a separate municipality until 1969, when it was merged with the city of Groningen....

, Groningen and was demolished in 1963. The mill is used as a holiday home.

Description

The Molen van Vledder is what the Dutch describe as an "achtkante stellingmolen". It is a two storey smock mill with a stage on a three storey brick base. The stage is at second floor level, 6.2 metre above ground level. The smock and cap are thatched. The mill is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four Common sails have a span of 11.2 metre and are carried in a steel windshaft. The windshaft also carries the brake wheel which has 31 cogs. This drives the wallower (24 cogs) at the top of the upright shaft. At the bottom of the upright shaft, the great spur wheel, which has 58 cogs, drives the 1 metre diameter French Burr stones via a lantern pinion stone nut with 31 staves.