Fryerning Mill
{{Short description|Windmill in Mill Green, Essex, England}}
{{Distinguish|Mill Green Watermill}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Windmill
|name = Fryerning Mill
|image = Fryerning Windmill, Essex, 1965.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|imagesize =
|caption = Fryerning Mill in 1965
|name_of_mill =Mill Green Mill
|location_of_mill =
|gbgridref = TL 640 008
|coordinates = {{coord|51.681|0.371|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|operator =Private
|built =1759
|purpose =Corn mill
|type =Post mill
|storeys =
|roundhouse_storeys =Single storey roundhouse
|sail_number =Four sails
|sail_type =Two Spring Patent sails and two Spring sails
|windshaft =Cast iron
|winding =Tailpole
|pairs_of_millstones=Two pairs
|stone_size =Head stones {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|2}}, tail stones {{convert|4|ft|m|2}}
|other =Rebuilt 1959
}}
Fryerning Mill (or Mill Green Mill) is a grade II* listed{{NHLE| num=1297199 |desc=Mill Green Windmill |grade=II* |access-date=1 January 2015}} post mill at Mill Green, Fryerning, Essex, which has been restored.
History
Mill Green Mill was built in 1759, replacing an earlier mill which stood some {{convert|80|yd|m}} to the east during the period 1564–1731. The mill was built by Robert Barker, a millwright from Chelmsford. A roundhouse was included from the start.{{cite book | first = Kenneth| last = Farries| year = 1982| title = Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights |volume=Two – A Technical Review| pages =15–28| publisher = Charles Skilton| location = Edinburgh| isbn = 0-284-98637-2}} The mill was owned by the Petre estate and records of expenditure on the mill are in the Essex Record Office.{{cite book | first = Kenneth| last = Farries| year = 1985| title = Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights |volume=Four – A Review by Parishes, F-R | pages =58–59| publisher = Charles Skilton| location = Edinburgh| isbn = 0-284-98642-9}}
In July or August 1774, a farmer was killed by being struck by the sails of the mill. New sails were fitted in 1802 and 1806, and a new stock in 1821. An accident at the mill resulted in the miller sustaining a fractured thigh in 1852, and the owner of the mill being reported to have been carried round on the sails for ten or twelve revolutions before he was rescued. The roof of the mill was repaired in 1878 and the mill re-tarred. A new sail was fitted in 1884 and a new pair of sails in 1902. The mill was working until at least 1905.
Some repairs were done to the body of the mill in the 1930s. The mill was restored in 1959 by R.F. Collinson, who had bought the mill house and discovered the mill in the garden. This entailed the complete replacement of the frame of the mill, including the crowntree. On 2 January 1976, the sails ran away in a gale and the brake wheel disintegrated. A new brake wheel was constructed in 1989.
Description
{{for|an explanation of the various pieces of machinery|mill machinery}}
Mill Green Mill is a post mill with a single-storey roundhouse. The mill is winded by a tailpole. It has two spring sails and two spring patents. There are two pairs of millstones arranged head and tail.
=Trestle and roundhouse=
The trestle is of oak, with the main post thought to be of sweet chestnut. The crosstrees are {{convert|24|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|12|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} square at the ends, thickening to {{convert|15|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} by {{convert|13|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} at the centre. The underside of the lower crosstree is {{convert|3|ft|4|in|m|2|abbr=on}} above ground level. The main post is nearly {{convert|23|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} in length, {{convert|25|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} square at its base and {{convert|22|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} diameter at the top. The quarterbars are {{convert|12|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} by {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} in section. The roundhouse is of brick, with a boarded roof covered in tarred felt.
=Body=
The body of the mill measures {{convert|15|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} by {{convert|11|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} in plan. The crowntree is {{convert|23|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} by {{convert|21|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} in section. It has a cast-iron plate bolted to its underside, with a pintle projecting downwards that fits into a cast-iron pot on the top of the main post, a reversal of the normal fitting. The side girts are {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} by {{convert|19|in|mm|0}} in section.
=Sails and windshaft=
As originally built, the mill would have had a wooden windshaft and four common sails. The windshaft is of cast iron, probably replacing a former wooden one. It is {{convert|18|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} long and carries the head and tail wheels. The mill has two spring sails and two spring patents. The sails have a span of {{convert|58|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}.
=Machinery=
The head wheel is of clasp arm construction, it is {{convert|9|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} diameter. It has an iron segment ring bolted on which has a total of 120 teeth. It drive a cast-iron stone nut, with 20 cogs. Originally, the head wheel had 69 cogs, of 4½ in (114 mm) pitch. The tail wheel is also of clasp arm construction, {{convert|7|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} diameter. It has an iron segment ring bolted on which has a total of one hundred teeth. It drives a cast-iron stone nut, with fifteen cogs. Both wheels were made from elm. The headstones are {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}} diameter and the tailstones are {{convert|4|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} diameter.
Millers
External links
- [http://www.windmillworld.com/millid/2412.htm Windmill World] webpage on Mill Green Mill.
References
{{reflist}}
{{EssexWindmills}}
Category:Post mills in the United Kingdom
Category:Grinding mills in the United Kingdom
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1759
Category:Windmills completed in the 18th century
Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Essex
Category:Buildings and structures in the Borough of Brentwood