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Newsletter 146 Autumn 2024 © Hampshire Mills Group |
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Avoncroft Museum of Buildings, Bromsgrove
Keith Andrews
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This 1830 post mill had two common sails and
two patent sails, but on reconstruction at the
museum it was changed to have four common sails, as
originally built. It has one pair of French burr
stones, and until recently was fully operational
producing flour for sale in the museum shop. It has
to be turned into the wind manually by means of a
winch with a rope that can be looped round posts.
Unfortunately it is currently out of action as the
pivoting mechanism of the buck needs repairs.
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The 8ft high model of the windmill in the entrance
area,
and detail of the machinery. |
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Above: The stone watermill and Dutch-style windmill
are features of the model railway layout
Left:
The windmill in the children’s play area |
This crushing mill from Redditch built about
1800 was used for making perry, an alcoholic drink
made from fermenting pear juice. The pears are
crushed by the vertical roller stone which was
pulled round by a horse or donkey. They are then
packed in hessian bags (‘cheeses’) and squeezed in
the screw press to get the juice. The museum has
its own orchard where it grows pears and apples;
using this crushing mill, it makes perry and cider
to sell in its shop.
So
in
all there are four windmills and a
watermill! – but only the one windmill is real, as
is the crushing mill. The museum has over 30 other
rural, small industrial, and commercial buildings
that they have rescued.
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