Watermills of Kent and the Borders of Sussex
Watermills of Kent and the Borders of Sussex
by M.J. Fuller and R.J. Spain.
Members will be pleased to hear that the above book, the second in the large Monograph series, has been published by the Society, and is available at a cost of £15 to members plus £2 for postage and packing. Orders will be forwarded to the book's distributors by Mr. Spain.
Both authors have already published several works concerning the history of watermills of Kent, and decided at least ten years ago to work together and produce a comprehensive field survey of extant evidence. This study has been primarily devoted to the engineering remains although regard is paid to the building fabric and the landscape. Whilst their other monological studies have been concerned with the history of watermills, this survey is not, simply because the authors believe that attention must first be given to the field evidence that we are in danger of losing.
The survey has hydrological boundaries covering the whole of Kent and including the Rother and Medway drainage areas so that the borders of East Sussex are included. Some 54 watermill sites are described in this volume, spread throughout the area, and because it is the intention of the authors to eventually cover all known sites, some sites included have comparatively little building or engineering fabric remaining. The volume is amply illustrated, every site being the subject of an OS map extract, and where the remains of the machinery are worthy of recording, schematic floor plans are given. In addition there are copious pen and ink illustrations executed by both authors.
During the survey the authors recorded reminiscences of Kent people who had valuable and fascinating memories to place on record including a millwright, mill-owner and some millers. To complete the work the authors have included a Glossary of technical terms which may well be one of the most comprehensive yet produced for watermills.
It is hoped that this work will form a valuable record which will enable both national and local authorities, as well as the public, to become aware of and protect this type of rural-building. It will also provide a detailed record of machinery for those who are involved with the improvement or rebuilding of watermills.
The following extracts, taken at random, may give the reader an introduction to watermills:- .
"The Hayle Mill water wheel used to drive geared-in with the steam-engine, via the cog-pit. After the engine was taken out, in about 1929, the drives were left on one side of the water wheel, out towards the size house and it was used to drive the felt washer, the sizing machines, and one or two other odds and bobs. It was doing that until fairly recently; I think we took off the drives to the sizing machine only a few years before the change of ownership in 1972. The engine was a tandem compound. The high pressure cylinder was about twelve inches in diameter, and the low pressure one was about twenty inches in diameter, and it was a rather peculiarly-built engine. You usually have the low-pressure cylinder in front, at the crank end, with the rod extending through, or keyed onto, the rod of the highpressure piston, and then through to the jet condenser after that. This one had two rods into the low-pressure piston, outside of the high-pressure piston, which was in the middle. So she had a long cross-head pin, with one rod up the centre to the high-pressure cylinder that was in front. An awkward looking thing, but she was a pretty old engine all the same. There are some photographs of it somewhere"
.... Reminiscences of Alf Spain, engineer.
"We had heavy Shire horses for long-distance work, and for retail work we had Welsh cobs because they could be loaded up and still trot home, and my father bred Welsh cobs especially for this purpose. They were a recognised animal for this work as they were sturdy little creatures, and two of them could easily pull one and a half, or two tons of corn about the countryside. When they had finished unloading, five or six miles from home, they would trot back just as easy as not, whereas the old shire horses were always plodding along at the same old rate. At one time, we 6 had five horses that served both mills - two of these were Shires but then we had a trace horse to help get up the hills in bad weather. Especially in frosty weather, they all had to have frost nails to keep them from slipping. We changed to a motor lorry in 1921, and we were one of the first to have a lorry round about here, but we had to sell the horses, and the poor old waggoner was in tears. He used to take such a pride in his horses, and he felt it so when we had an auction sale of the horses and vans, but he learnt to drive the lorry, although when he wanted it to stop he called out "Whoa"! The men took such a great pride in their animals, but could not show them because they were always at work, except on Sundays".
. . . . Reminiscences of Philip Hancock, miller and millowner.
"The three pairs of millstones at Burnt Mill were driven via stone nuts; the one nearest to the pond was cast-iron, whilst the two others were wooden. Only the nut nearest the tail-race was accessible for inspection, although the middle one appeared to be of the same pattern, with upper and lower iron hoops on a wooden hub that carried eighteen cogs - three of them slip cogs, which were absent. The third stone nut was taken out of gear by a lifting ring and yoke raised by a screw passing through the bridge-tree. All of the bridge-trees were made of wood, with the two outer pairs of millstones controlled by governors apparently identical - each with two pear-shaped lead weights which, with the spindle, pulley and levers, were supported by a graceful, curved, cast-iron, cantilever bracket bolted onto the wall. One of the governors was outside the pit, and one inside, and both moved the bridgetrees via long steel-yards and iron links."
... Burnt Mill, Lenham.
"The sack hoist bollard - serving both internal and external hoists - was situated above head-height in the roof of the mill. It was belt-driven from the double-flanged wooden pulley on a layshaft on the second floor, and where the belts passed through bin B2 they had been boxed out. Cloth and leather had been wrapped around the horizontal bollard to grip the hoist chains, and the pulley had an octagonal hub cast integrally with six radial arms tapered on the flanges and webs. The wooden rim into which the arms were morticed and bolted had six straight cants which were dovetailed and pegged together. Two flanges were screwed onto the faces of the pulley. To transmit the drive, which relied on a slack belt system, the bollard and pulley were raised an inch or two by a compound lever system, operated by a hanging rope"
... Chilham Mill
The third stone nut was taken out of gear by a lifting ring and yoke raised by a screw passing through the bridge-tree.
All of the bridge-trees were made of wood, with the two outer pairs of millstones controlled by governors apparently identical - each with two pear-shaped lead weights which, with the spindle, pulley and levers, were supported by a graceful, curved, cast-iron, cantilever bracket bolted onto the wall. One of the governors was outside the pit, and one inside, and both moved the bridgetrees via long steel-yards and iron links." ... Burnt Mill, Lenham.
50 100 200 300FT "The sack hoist bollard - serving both internal and external hoists - was situated above head-height in the roof of the mill. It was belt-driven from the double-flanged wooden pulley on a layshaft on the second floor, and where the belts passed through bin B2 they had been boxed out. Cloth and leather had been wrapped around the horizontal bollard to grip the hoist chains, and the pulley had an octagonal hub cast integrally with six radial arms tapered on the flanges and webs. The wooden rim into which the arms were morticed and bolted had six straight cants which were dovetailed and pegged together. Two flanges were screwed onto the faces of the pulley. To transmit the drive, which relied on a slack belt system, the bollard and pulley were raised an inch