Aythorpe Roding Windmill is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Post mill at Aythorpe Roding, Essex, England which has been restored to working order.

History

Aythorpe Roding Windmill stands on the site of an earlier mill which was standing in 1615. It was probably built in 1779 as witnessed by the inscription ''Built 1779'' on a timber in the mill. The mill was insured in 1798 for £50 and in 1805 for £140. The mill was drawn on the 1846 Tithe Map as having an open trestle. It was advertised in the ''Chelmsford Chronicle'' of 10 February 1860 as "for sale to be pulled down and removed by the purchaser". At some point, probably between 1860 and 1868, the mill was modernised. The

common sails Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

were replaced by patents; the wooden windshaft replaced by a cast-iron one; the layout of the millstones changed from head and tail to breast; a roundhouse was added to protect the trestle and provide storage space; a fantail was added to turn the mill to wind automatically, replacing the manual tailpole previously carried. The mill had been fitted with a

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...

by 1868, and a

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

by 1890, driving an extra pair of

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

s in the roundhouse. It was working until 1937. The mill was leased by Essex County Council in 1940 Restoration by

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

Vincent Pargeter was completed in 1982. The mill ground its first grain after restoration on 3 March 1982. It was officially opened to the public by Ken Farries on 30 April 1983.

Description

''Aythorpe Roding Windmill'' is a post mill with a single-storey roundhouse. It has four double

patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound rou ...

carried on a cast-iron windshaft. Two pairs of millstones are located in the breast. The mill is winded by

. The mill is high to the roof.

Trestle and roundhouse

The crosstrees are long. The upper crosstree is square in section and the lower crosstree is by . The upper crosstree is made of two pieces of timber, scarf jointed in the vertical plane, and with an iron plate bolted under the join. There is also an oak plate on one side of the crosstree, which is bolted to the crosstree, a pair of spacers being used as the scarf is within the horns of the main post. The lower crosstree bears a date of 1869, which is probably the date the roundhouse was erected. The main post is in length, and by in section at its base. It is fitted with a cast-iron Samson head by Christie and Norris, the Chelmsford

Body

The body of the mill measures by in plan, making this the largest post mill in Essex. The crown tree is square in section at the ends, and by at the centre.

Sails and windshaft

The windshaft is of cast iron, replacing a former wooden one. It was probably secondhand when fitted as it is longer than is really necessary. The mill has four double Patent sails. The mill would originally have been built with Common sails and a wooden windshaft.

Machinery

The Brake Wheel was converted from Compass arm construction. It has a six-armed, cast-iron centre and wooden rim and it is diameter. The mill was originally built with the

s arranged head and tail, and was converted to a breast stone layout at the time the cast-iron windshaft and patent sails were fitted. The wallower is wooden, and was secondhand when fitted to the mill, as was the cast-iron great spur wheel.

Millers

* William Glasscock 1615 (previous mill) * Joshua Wright 1798 * Joseph Knight 1805 * Tabrum 1833 * Stephen Crossingham 1848 - 1850 * E P Bennett 1866 * James Webster 1874 - 1878 * Charles Large 1882 * Thomas Belsham 1890 * Ernest and JohnKnown as Jack Belsham 1906 - 1937 Reference for above:-

Culture and media

Aythorpe Roding Windmill appeared in an episode of The Protectors titled ''Triple Cross'' which was filmed in 1972.

External links

Windmill World
webpage on Aythorpe Roding mill.

References

{{Authority control Post mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1779 Grade II* listed buildings in Essex Museums in Essex Mill museums in England Windmills in Essex Uttlesford Grade II* listed windmills