West Blatchington Windmill
Encyclopedia
West Blatchington Windmill is a Grade II* listed smock mill
at West Blatchington
, Brighton and Hove, in the historic county of Sussex
, England
which has been restored and is open to the public.
in 1825. The mill is hexagonal in plan, whereas most smock mills are octagonal. She was working until 1897, when two sails were damaged. In 1937, the mill was acquired from the Marquess of Abergavenny
by Hove Corporation, and has been maintained as a landmark. Repairs were done to the mill by Neve's, the Heathfield
millwright
s in 1937.
The windmill was listed at Grade II* on 24 March 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
but latterly was worked with four Patent sails. These were carried on a cast iron
Windshaft, mounted on a cross, similar to the Lincolnshire practice. The mill is fitted with Holloway's screw brake. The cap is in the Kentish style, winded by a fantail
. The mill drove two pairs of underdrift millstone
s. The mill stood at the junction of three barns, one of the original barns remains standing today, and one of the others was replaced with a new build barn in 1997. Most of the machinery was removed in 1937, leaving the Brake Wheel and Upright Shaft.
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...
at West Blatchington
West Blatchington
West Blatchington is an area in Hove, East Sussex, England.The area grew rapidly in the inter-war period, but unlike nearby Hangleton it had more infrastructure, with St Peter's Church, a working farm, a windmill and an industrial area grouped around the Goldstone Pumping Station and its workers'...
, Brighton and Hove, in the historic county of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, 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 open to the public.
History
West Blatchington Windmill was built in the 1820s, first appearing on Greenwood's map of 1823. It was painted by John ConstableJohn Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
in 1825. The mill is hexagonal in plan, whereas most smock mills are octagonal. She was working until 1897, when two sails were damaged. In 1937, the mill was acquired from the Marquess of Abergavenny
Henry Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny DL , styled Lord Henry Nevill between 1876 and 1927, was a British peer....
by Hove Corporation, and has been maintained as a landmark. Repairs were done to the mill by Neve's, the Heathfield
Heathfield, East Sussex
Heathfield is a small market town, and the principal settlement in the civil parish of Heathfield and Waldron in the Wealden District of East Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, England.-Location:...
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 in 1937.
The windmill was listed at Grade II* on 24 March 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Description
As built, West Blatchington Windmill is a three storey smock mill on a three storey brick base, with a stage at third floor level. In 1825 she had four Common sailsWindmill sail
Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails.-Jib sails:...
but latterly was worked with four Patent sails. These 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, mounted on a cross, similar to the Lincolnshire practice. The mill is fitted with Holloway's screw brake. The cap is in the Kentish style, winded by a fantail
Windmill fantail
A Fantail is a small windmill mounted at right angles to the sails, at the rear of the windmill, and which turns the cap automatically to bring it into the wind. The fantail was patented in 1745 by Edmund Lee, a blacksmith working at Brockmill Forge near Wigan, England, and perfected on mills...
. The mill drove two pairs of underdrift 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. The mill stood at the junction of three barns, one of the original barns remains standing today, and one of the others was replaced with a new build barn in 1997. Most of the machinery was removed in 1937, leaving the Brake Wheel and Upright Shaft.
External links
- Windmill World Page on West Blatchington windmill.
- Mill museum website