Blennerville Windmill

Blennerville Windmill
County Kerry
Blennerville Windmill
Type:	Windmill
Location
Grid reference:	Q81451305
Location:	52°15’24"N, 9°44’14"W
Village:	Blennerville
History
	Built 1800
	Windmill
Information

The Blennerville Windmill is a stone, reefing stage, windmill standing 70 feet high in Blennerville, County Kerry. The mill has five floors, ground floor, intermediate floor, grinding floor, stone floor and cap floor.

History

The mill was built in 1800 by order of Sir Rowland Blennerhassett and has two grinding couples with on the spindle a gear that is driven by the wheel with wooden combs. The |grinding stones are French bir. The mill was used for milling grain, both for local people and for export to Great Britain. At the end of the 19th century, the mill began to decay due to the rise of the steam engine, the salinisation of the river channel to Blennerville, the opening of the Tralee Ship Canal in 1846 and the construction of the Fenit harbour in 1880. In 1981 Tralee Urban District Council bought the mill and began the restoration of the mill in June 1984. The restored mill was officially opened in 1990 by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Charles Haughey. Nowadays again wheat is ground.

Specifications

The wooden windshaft has a one-ton stock housing cast.

The mill has wings of 60 feet with wooden breast rods.

The brake wheel and the crown wheel have conical toothing with iron teeth.

The winding mechanism is operated outside the mill with a jug chain over a sprocket. The small transmission makes the crossing very slow, 180 degrees of cross takes about two hours.

The sack hoist has a conical wheel, which is driven under the crown wheel.

On the now empty intermediate floor is tentering of the main shaft of Douglas fir with an iron construction, which used to have a motor. Also here are the tentering of the grinding couples and the great spur wheel.

There is also a visitor centre with a craft centre, model railways, art gallery, audio-visual presentation and restaurant.

Guided tours with a guide are given in the mill. The Blennerville Windmill is now the only commercial windmill in Ireland.

Pictures

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Blennerville Windmill)

• 
  Winding mechanism
• 
  Winding pully
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  Winding mechanism
• 
  Windshaft and cog wheel
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  Cog wheels
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  Grinding equipment
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  Footstep bearing and stone nut at spindle
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  Wooden pulley
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  Footstep bearing main shaft
• 
  Standard for former motor and a tip of the great spurwheel

Outside links

• Blennerville Windmill & Visitor Centre