Pakenham Windmill
Encyclopedia
Pakenham Mill is a Grade II* listed tower mill
at Pakenham
, Suffolk
, England
which has been restored and is maintained in working order.
was used as auxiliary power. In 1947, the mill was nearly tail-winded, but the miller managed to turn the cap in time to avoid this happening. The mill was restored in 1950, with a new weatherbeam fitted by Amos Clarke, the Ipswich
millwright
. At this time the swing-pot neck bearing from Buxhall mill
was installed. A second-hand stock from Thurston post mill
was fitted at this time and a gallery constructed around the cap. The gallery was based on that at Wendover mill, Buckinghamshire
. New sails were also fitted.
Further restoration took place in 1961, aided by grants from Suffolk County Council
, the Ministry of Works. The work was conditional on the Bryant family continuing to work the mill. The restoration work was carried out by R Thompson & Sons Ltd, millwrights of Alford
, Lincolnshire
. The copper covered cap was rebuilt and clad in aluminium for maintenance reasons. A new stock and two new sails were made, and the fantail rebuilt. The mill was struck by lightning in June 1971, a stock being split and a sail damaged. The sack chain saved the mill from being burnt down by giving a route for the lightning to earth. When the mill was repaired, a lightning conductor was added to the mill.
The most recent restoration of Pakenham windmill was completed in May 2000. The £60,000 cost of the work was 80% funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
. The work was carried out by Thompson's of Alford.
from 14:00 to 17:30.
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....
at Pakenham
Pakenham, Suffolk
Pakenham is a village in the English county of Suffolk.It is to the east of Bury St. Edmunds and it administered as part of the borough of St Edmundsbury, until local government reorganisation in 1974 it was part of Thingoe Rural District...
, 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 has been restored and is maintained in working order.
History
Pakenham Mill was built in 1831. Clement Goodrich was the miller in 1846, when he took on an apprentice. The mill came into the ownership of the Bryant family in 1885. A steam engineSteam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
was used as auxiliary power. In 1947, the mill was nearly tail-winded, but the miller managed to turn the cap in time to avoid this happening. The mill was restored in 1950, with a new weatherbeam fitted by Amos Clarke, the Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
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...
. At this time the swing-pot neck bearing from Buxhall mill
Buxhall Windmill
Buxhall Mill is a tower mill at Buxhall, Suffolk, England which has been converted to residential accommodation.-History:There have been three windmills on this site. The first mill was a post mill...
was installed. A second-hand stock from Thurston 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...
was fitted at this time and a gallery constructed around the cap. The gallery was based on that at Wendover mill, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. New sails were also fitted.
Further restoration took place in 1961, aided by grants 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...
, the Ministry of Works. The work was conditional on the Bryant family continuing to work the mill. The restoration work was carried out by R Thompson & Sons Ltd, millwrights of Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. The copper covered cap was rebuilt and clad in aluminium for maintenance reasons. A new stock and two new sails were made, and the fantail rebuilt. The mill was struck by lightning in June 1971, a stock being split and a sail damaged. The sack chain saved the mill from being burnt down by giving a route for the lightning to earth. When the mill was repaired, a lightning conductor was added to the mill.
The most recent restoration of Pakenham windmill was completed in May 2000. The £60,000 cost of the work was 80% funded by 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...
. The work was carried out by Thompson's of Alford.
Description
Pakenham Mill is a five storey tower mill. It has a domed cap with a gallery and is winded by a fantail. Two of the three pairs of millstones remain. The governors for the millstones are driven by chains instead of the more usual belt.Public access
The mill is open to the public daily "during working hours" for individuals, and by appointment for parties. It is open on both Saturday and Sunday of National Mills WeekendNational Mills Day
National Mills Day is an event in the United Kingdom and occurs annually on the second Sunday in May. It started off as a single day event but in recent years has expanded to Saturday as well as Sunday, and is now promoted as National Mills Weekend. The event is coordinated by the Wind and...
from 14:00 to 17:30.
Culture and media
- Pakenham windmill appeared in the short film And now they rest released in 1938.
- Pakenham windmill appeared in a short film used by the BBC in the 1950s for interludes between programmes.
- Pakenham windmill appeared in The Peacemaker, the seventh episode of the third series of SurvivorsSurvivorsSurvivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977...
made in 1977 for television.
External links
- Windmill World webpage on Pakenham Mill.