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Newsletter 127 Winter 2019 © Hampshire Mills Group |
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Lincolnshire Watermills
Ruth Andrews
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The report on our
Group visit to Lincolnshire would not be complete
without a brief word on the two watermills that we
visited.
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First, Cogglesford Watermill at Sleaford,
which we almost
failed to visit as we spent too long at Pinchbeck
and Pode Hole pumping stations, as reported by
Eleanor Yates in the last newsletter. It was
looking quite picturesque in its leafy setting,
although close up the building is not particularly
elegant. |
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For me, its most
striking feature was the gigantic great spur wheel
with its very intrusive safety guard. Apparently
the most frequently asked question from visitors is
“How did they get it into the building?”
Note that the
millstones are below the great spur wheel and are
therefore overdrift.
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Unlike in most mills
the sack hoist is particularly easy to photograph,
so I did! It has a good explanatory diagram, one of
many around the mill.
This fully restored
working watermill is thought to be the only
Sheriff’s Watermill still operating in England.
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Sacrewell Water
Mill at Wansford near Peterborough is a very complete, well maintained, and
interesting mill which really deserves a longer
report of its own, or a visit if you are in the
area. It is part of Sacrewell Farm and Country
Centre.
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The surviving
southern waterwheel is mid-19th century cast iron on
an older wooden shaft. Originally there was also a
northern wheel. This modern steel wheel (left)
generates electricity, much like Harry Clarke’s new
wheel at Sherborne St John as reported in previous
newsletters. |
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On the right are some
of the group at the back of the mill enjoying the
sunshine.
The tour was
completed with visits to Trinity Bridge at Crowland,
Chain Bridge Forge at Spalding, and Fakenham Gas
Works Museum. We failed to visit Batemans Brewery
in Wainfleet even though it has an adjacent tower
mill as we ran out of time.
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