Hough Windmill facts for kids
Hough Windmill is a historic building in Swannington, Leicestershire, England. It's a special type of windmill called a tower windmill. This means it has a tall, strong stone or brick tower that holds the sails. The mill was built a long time ago, in the late 1700s. It's located near the village of Thringstone and was important for the local community, especially for people working in the coal mines nearby. The land around the mill still shows signs of old, shallow coal mines and paths used by miners. Today, the Swannington Heritage Trust owns and looks after the mill and the surrounding area.
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Early Windmills in Swannington
For many years, windmills were very important for grinding grain into flour. Before Hough Windmill was built, at least five other mills stood on the high ground north of Swannington. These mills were run by three local families: the Griffins, Chesters, and Kerbys.
What Were Post Mills?
The very first mills built here were post mills. Imagine a small building that holds all the grinding machinery. This entire building sits on a huge central wooden post. To make the sails face the wind, the whole mill body had to be turned! This design was simpler and cheaper to build than a tower mill. However, post mills were also less stable.
Why Did They Fail?
Over time, all these early post mills were destroyed. Some caught fire, others were damaged by strong storms, and some just fell apart from old age. One mill even collapsed in the early 1800s, sadly killing its owner. The parts of this last post mill were later taken apart and rebuilt nearby. It continued to work until 1895, when its pieces were sold off.
The Current Hough Windmill
The Hough Windmill you see today was built by John Griffin. He bought the land for it in 1804 from the Enclosure Commissioners. These commissioners were in charge of dividing up common land into private farms. John Griffin built this new tower mill to replace an older post mill nearby.
Who Ran the Mill?
James Kerby was the first person to rent and operate the new mill from John Griffin. He paid about £30 each year to use it. In 1877, the mill was sold to John Hough for £1,175. The Kerby family continued to work at the mill for some time. Later, Walter Chester became the last person to run the mill for business.
When Did It Close?
Hough Windmill stopped working as a commercial mill early in the 1900s. By this time, new technology had made windmills less necessary. The mill became old and unused.
Saving the Mill
In the 1980s, the mill was recognized as an important historic building. The local council, North West Leicestershire District Council, bought the mill. In 1994, they sold it to the Swannington Heritage Trust. This Trust is a group dedicated to preserving local history. The Trust worked hard to fix up the mill. They received a large grant of £70,883 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help with the repairs.
The restored Hough Windmill was officially opened on March 26, 2000. Mr. David Taylor, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) at the time, opened it. An MP is a person elected by citizens to represent them in the country's parliament. In its first year, the mill attracted 1,600 visitors!
Inside the mill, you can find an old poster. It advertises the sale of another mill by auction at the New Inn in Peggs Green. Both Hough Mill and the New Inn were once part of the Thringstone Civil Parish. In 1936, when the parish was changed, Hough Mill became part of Swannington.
Gorse Field and Califat Spinney
The Swannington Heritage Trust also owns the land next to the mill. This includes a 6-acre area called the Gorse Field. This field was once a shared piece of land, or common, that was not farmed. It has signs of hundreds of old "bell pits." These were small, shallow mines used for digging coal as far back as 1204! The Trust is turning this area into a nature reserve.
Califat Coal Mine
Next to the Gorse Field is Califat Spinney. This area has the remains of two engine houses from a coal mine that operated from 1855 to 1873. One of the mine shafts was called the Alabama shaft. Mines were often named after important events of the time. The CSS Alabama was a famous ship that sank in 1864.
Coal from the Califat mine was carried by a horse-drawn tramway. This tramway took the coal to the bottom of the Swannington Incline. Here, a special machine called a winding engine pulled the coal trucks up the steep slope. From there, the coal continued its journey along the Leicester and Swannington Railway.
Mine Accident
In 1863, water from an old, unused mine at Limby Hall suddenly flooded the Califat mine. The mine filled with water in just 11 minutes. Sadly, three miners lost their lives in this accident.
