King's Mill, Shipley
| King's Mill | |
|
Sussex | |
|---|---|
 King's Mill | |
| Type: | windmill |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ143218 |
| Location: | 50°59’5"N, 0°22’22"W |
| Village: | Shipley |
| History | |
| Built 1879 | |
| windmill | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Private |
| Website: | http://www.shipleywindmill.org.uk |
King's Mill or Vincent's Mill, but more usually known as Shipley Windmill after the village in which it stands, is a nineteenth century windmill in Shipley, Sussex.
The mill is in form a 'smock mill': the classic pepper-pot shaped windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower with six to eight sides (eight in the case of Shipley Windmill), topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind.
The mill was built in 1879 and was used for grinding corn. It which has since been restored and was open to the public until its closure on 19 July 2009. It is a familiar sight to many as it featured in several episodes of the BBC series Jonanthan Creek.
History
King's Mill was built in 1879 at a cost of £2,500 by Messrs Grist and Steele, the Horsham millwrights. Machinery from a windmill at Coldwaltham is believed to have been incorporated in the mill. The mill worked commercially until 1926, latterly by a steam engine.[1] It was bought in 1906 by Hilaire Belloc, who owned it until his death in 1953.
The mill was restored by E Hole and Sons, the Burgess Hill millwrights, as a memorial to Belloc soon after his death and was re-opened to visitors for the first time in 1958.[2] The Council had the responsibility for the upkeep of the mill, which remained in the ownership of the Belloc family.[1]
The Shipley Windmill Charitable Trust was formed in 1987 and took over responsibility for the maintenance. Further restoration work was carried out by Hole's between 1987 and 1990, when the mill re-opened, although with only two sweeps at that time. The second pair of sweeps was fitted in 1991.[2] A new pair of sweeps and a new stock were fitted in November 2004.[3] On 7 April 2009, it was announced that the mill was to close to the public as the lease owned by Shipley Mill Charitable Trust only had three years to run and they had been notified that the lease would not be renewed when it expired. The mill opened for the 2009 season on 5 April and held its last open day on 19 July.[4]
Description
King's Mill is a four-storey smock mill on a two-storey brick base. It has four Patent Sails carried on a cast-iron windshaft. The octagonal conical cap is winded by a fantail. The Brake Wheel is wood, driving a cast-iron Wallower on an oak Upright Shaft. This carries a cast-iron Great Spur Wheel which drives three pairs of overdrift millstones.[1]
The mill is a Grade II* listed building [5]
Millers
- Friend Martin, 1879 - 1884
- William Rapley
- R Wood, 1884 - 1895
- Richard Vincent, 1898
- Ernest Powell, 1926
On television
- Jonathan Creek, the BBC series, features Shipley Windmill as Jonathan Creek's home.[6]
Outside links
- Shipley Windmill
- Fitting new sails at Shipley Windmill
- Windmill World entry for Shipley Windmill
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brunnarius, Martin (1979). The Windmills of Sussex. Chichester: Philimore. pp. 66–68, 190. ISBN 0-85033-345-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "History of Shipley Windmill". Shipley Windmill. http://www.shipleywindmill.org.uk/history.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- ↑ "Shipley windmill, Sussex". Windmill World. http://www.windmillworld.com/millid/2584.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- ↑ "Creek windmill to close to public". BBC News Online. 7 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7987539.stm. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1180806: Kings Windmill
- ↑ Shipley Windmill: Jonathan Creek
- Hemming, Peter: 'The Windmills in Sussex' (C W Daniel, 1936)
