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Page 5 |
Newsletter 98, Autumn 2012 © Hampshire Mills Group |
The
TIMS Post Tour of Denmark - September 2012, by
Mick Edgeworth
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Elstrup Vindmolle |
Havnbjerg Molle |
Vibaek Vandmolle |
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Another early start, it must be a ferry crossing.
That was my thought as I staggered (no, not through
drink, as you would know if you had seen the price
of alcohol in Denmark) to breakfast. The trouble
with taking a coach on ferries is that you have to
be there ten minutes before the ferry docks, so they
can work out the loading schedule. On arrival at
the docks in plenty of time we had a wait with
nothing to do. But after a short ten minute
turnaround, with the usual Danish efficiency, the
ferry departed from Bajden on the island of Mark,
where we had spent the night in Svenborg, on a
breezy but sunny day. After a fifty minute crossing
we sailed into Fynshav on the island of Als where we
were due to inspect three sites of windmills and one
watermill. These are all that remain from a total of
forty sites in 1906.
The first was Elstrup Vindmolle, a Dutch
windmill built 1859 in Osterholm; in 1888 it was
moved to Elstrup. The cap was off and it had iron
sail stocks. It was unusual to see roller mills
installed as well as the usual sets of stones.
Our second location was Havnbjerg Molle a
fully thatched smock mill and then the third site of
the day was the water and windmill site at Vibaek
Molle. The water mill had been moved nearer the
harbour in 1756, gaining a higher fall and a little
water, but reusing the original materials of the
16th century. It has an overshot wheel of 2.5 m.
diameter which drives one pair of stones for flour
and grist grinding and a barley stone. The windmill,
a small thatched smock mill, was constructed in 1983
from old materials from another windmill and has no
machinery. |
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Ballum Enge Watering Mills |
Mando Mill |
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We then travelled to the mainland, thankfully by
bridge, and onto the last mill site of the day at
Dybbol to another Dutch wind mill built in 1744
but being rebuilt in 1849, 1864, 1880, 1935 and
reconstructed again later. It has patent sails of
24m. span with shutters on the driving side and the
lowest part of the leading edge. Dybbol Molle
is known to every schoolchild in Denmark both as a
symbol of the Danish nation and Danish mentality. |
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Dybbol Molle |
Borkop Molle |
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The next day we traversed the width of the Danish
peninsula from our hotel in Haderslev in the east to
the Isle of Mando in the west. It is connected to
the mainland by a causeway which is covered at the
high tide. Unfortunately due to the stormy weather
our stay on the island would be curtailed as the
storm was driving the tide in early. On the isle was
Mando Molle a very small smock mill with
common sails built in the 1830's which has one pair
of stones, two barley stones, a winnower and a
bolter. The mill has been fully restored and is able
to grind. We had a brief look around the isle and
its village before being recalled to our
transport. This turned out to be a specially built
covered wagon set very high above the wheels and
pulled by a tractor. We were only just in time as
the tide was starting to flood the causeway. After
lunch we viewed two small watering mills at
Ballum Enge which lifted water with a
water-screw from a small brook to the meadows to
provide water for the grazing animals. Then we
travelled south to Hojer Molle, a 22m. wooden
smock mill of seven storeys, the tallest in Denmark,
built in 1857. The mill is equipped with four pairs
of stones and an oat crusher. The mill has lost its
transmission to some of the machines and is now a
museum. |
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Hojer Molle |
Brundlund Molle |
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Gammelby Molle |
Sillerup Molle |
Damgards Boghvedemolle |
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Gammelby Molle, which was built in 1783, was
next. This is a water mill powered by two overshot
waterwheels. The mill house has a room decorated
with beautiful frescos painted in 1843 with scenes
of famous Danish buildings. Further mileage took us
to Sillerup Molle, an octagonal brick
windmill, but, strangely, inside it is round. The
afternoon started with a drive to Damgards
Boghvedemolle, a buckwheat smock mill. The mill
was completely restored in 1986 and still has a
barley stone and two pairs of stones for flour and
grist feed. The buckwheat mill consists of an oven
(buckwheat must be dry as dust before processing),
tools for cleaning the seeds, a pair of stones, a
bolter with winnower and sieve. |
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Rangstrup |
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Our last visit of the tour was to Brundlund or
Slotsmollen Molle in Abenra. This was a
watermill that was built as part of the
fortifications of Brundlund Castle, and has
Denmark's only paddle blade wheel. Back in Haderslev
we hastened, as it was getting dark with the threat
of an oncoming rain storm, to the museum of
preserved buildings to see a large post mill. This
was built in 1742 in Mogeltonder, moved to
Rangstrup and then when it went out of use in
1912 was moved to the museum.
My thanks must go to Lise Andersen and all the
members of the Danish TIMS group who helped with the
organisation of this extremely well presented tour. |
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