Buxhall Windmill facts for kids

Buxhall Tower Mill
The converted mill.
Origin
Mill name	Buxhall Mill
Grid reference	TL 996 577
Operator(s)	Private
Year built	1860
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Three storeys
Base storeys	Three-storey base
No. of sails	Four Sails
Type of sails	Patent sails
Windshaft	Cast iron
Winding	Fantail
Auxiliary power	Oil engine
No. of pairs of millstones	Five pairs
Other information	Built on base of previous smock mill

Buxhall Mill is a tall tower mill located in Buxhall, Suffolk, England. Today, it's no longer used for grinding grain. Instead, it has been turned into a home. This mill has a long and interesting history, with different windmills standing on this spot over the years.

Exploring Buxhall Mill's Past

There have been three different windmills built on this exact spot over time. Each one played an important role in grinding grain for the local community.

The First Mill: A Post Mill (Before 1814)

The very first mill here was a post mill. This type of mill has its entire body, including the machinery and sails, built on a single central post. This allowed the whole mill to turn to face the wind. We know it was new around 1783. Sadly, this first mill was destroyed in a fire on July 9, 1814. People suspected someone purposely set it on fire.

The Second Mill: A Smock Mill (1815-1860)

After the fire, a new mill was built in 1815. This one was a smock mill. A smock mill has a fixed base, usually made of brick or stone, and a wooden tower on top that looks a bit like a farmer's smock (a loose outer garment). Only the top part, called the cap, would turn to catch the wind.

This smock mill was built by Samuel Wright, a skilled millwright from Needham Market. A millwright is someone who designs, builds, or repairs mills. Building this mill cost about £528 in those days.

From Wind to Steam Power

In the 1850s, a new steam-powered mill was built very close to the smock mill. This steam mill used a beam engine to grind grain. At first, it had two pairs of millstones, which are large, heavy stones used for grinding. Later, a third pair was added, along with other machines to clean grain and make flour.

However, the steam engine wasn't strong enough for all this work. Its main part, the beam, broke, and the engine was ruined. The Clover family, who operated the mill, continued to use the smock mill until 1860.

The Third Mill: A Tower Mill (1860-Present)

In 1860, the smock mill was taken apart. Many of its parts, like the machinery, cap, and sails, were used to build a brand new tower mill on the same spot. Work began on May 8, 1860, and the new mill was finished by February 1861.

This new tower mill was built by William Bear, another millwright from Sudbury. It cost about £506. The bottom three floors of the new tower mill were actually the strong base of the old smock mill.

Later Years and Conversion

The tower mill worked by wind until November 1929. A big storm damaged its sails, which are the large blades that catch the wind. Some parts of the mill were even sold to other mills. For example, a special bearing (a part that helps things turn smoothly) was moved to Pakenham mill in 1950.

In the 1940s, Buxhall Mill was changed to run on an engine instead of wind. It continued to grind grain this way until 1971. By then, the mill had lost its cap, the top part that holds the sails. Today, the mill has been converted into a home.

What Buxhall Mill Looks Like

The Buxhall Tower Mill is an interesting structure with several key parts.

The Mill Tower

The tower of Buxhall Mill is three storeys tall. It sits on a three-storey base that used to be part of the earlier smock mill. At the top, the tower is about 17 feet 8 inches (about 5.3 meters) wide. There was also a platform, called a stage, around the second floor.

Cap, Sails, and Fantail

The mill had a domed cap with a walkway around it. This cap was about 17 feet 6 inches (about 5.3 meters) wide and 14 feet (about 4.2 meters) high inside. It had four Patent sails. These sails were special because they had shutters that could be opened or closed automatically, allowing the miller to control the power from the wind.

The sails were very large, spanning about 80 feet (about 24 meters). They were also fitted with "Catchpole's Air Brakes." These helped the mill get more power in light winds but also acted as a brake in strong winds to prevent damage. The main shaft that held the sails, called the windshaft, was made of Cast iron and weighed about 1,930 kilograms (38 hundredweight).

The cap of the mill could turn to face the wind thanks to an eight-bladed fantail. A fantail is a small windmill at the back of the cap that automatically turns the cap into the wind. An interesting feature was a cast iron gutter around the cap that collected rainwater and sent it down a pipe to the ground.

Inside the Mill: Machinery

Inside, Buxhall Mill used to drive four pairs of millstones to grind grain. There was also a fifth, smaller pair. The main vertical shaft inside the mill was in two parts. It had a large cast iron great spur wheel that was about 6 feet 2 inches (about 1.8 meters) wide. This wheel helped transfer power from the windshaft to the millstones.

Millers of Buxhall Mill

Over the years, several millers operated the Buxhall Mill:

• Isaac Clover (smock mill, 1815-1844)
• Clover family (tower mill, from 1860)
• J A Clover (until 1971)