Reigate Heath Windmill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Reigate Heath Windmill |
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The mill in 2007
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| Origin | |
| Mill name | Reigate Heath mill |
| Coordinates | 51°14′10″N 0°13′55″W / 51.236°N 0.232°W |
| Operator(s) | Private |
| Year built | c1765 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Corn mill |
| Type | Post mill |
| Roundhouse storeys | Single storey roundhouse |
| No. of sails | Four sails |
| Type of sails | Double Patent sails |
| Windshaft | Wood |
| Winding | Tailpole |
| No. of pairs of millstones | Two pairs |
| Other information | Rounchouse converted to a chapel |
The Reigate Heath Windmill is a special building located at Reigate Heath, Surrey, England. It's a type of windmill that has been fixed up and is now used as a chapel. This windmill is quite unique because it's thought to be the only one in the world that is also a church! It's even listed as a Grade II* historic building, which means it's very important.
Contents
The Story of Reigate Heath Windmill
The Reigate Heath Windmill was built around 1765. However, maps from a bit earlier, in 1753 and 1762, already showed a mill in this spot. The windmill stopped using wind power to grind grain in April 1862.
From Mill to Chapel
In 1880, the bottom part of the windmill, called the roundhouse, was changed into a small church. This church was a "chapel of ease" for the main St Mary's Parish Church in Reigate. The very first church service was held there on September 14, 1880. This special chapel is known as the St Cross Chapel.
In 1891, the mill was put up for sale. Then, in 1900, the Reigate Golf Club bought it. They then rented the mill back to the church so services could continue.
Repairs and Changes Over Time
In 1926, one of the windmill's sails broke. New sails were put on in 1927 by a special builder called a millwright from Crawley. They even added a fake fantail to the back of the mill. A fantail helps a windmill turn into the wind, but this mill never had a real one when it was working!
Sadly, the sails blew off again in 1943 and were not replaced for a while. Some repairs were made in 1949. After some letters appeared in a newspaper, the Sunday Mirror, a check-up of the mill was done in 1952. It showed that while the roundhouse was okay, the rest of the mill needed a lot of work.
Modern Restoration and Use
In 1962, the Reigate Borough Council bought the mill. The Golf Club found it too hard to keep up with the repairs. Over the next two years, the mill was fixed up, and new sails were added. A church service was held there on October 18, 1964. Since May 1965, a service has been held on the third Sunday of each month during the summer.
More restoration work happened in 2002. This included new sails and making the mill stronger. The mill even won third place in the 2003 Green Apple Awards for its restoration!
The first wedding at the mill church happened on September 22, 1984. The couple was Diana L. Chiles and Andrew C. Bartlett.
How Reigate Heath Windmill Works
The Reigate Heath Windmill is a post mill. This means the whole top part of the mill, which holds the machinery, can turn on a central post. It has a single-storey roundhouse at the bottom. To turn the mill into the wind, people used a long pole called a tailpole.
Originally, the mill had four simple sails made of wood. These sails turned a wooden shaft called a windshaft. Inside, the mill had two sets of millstones. Later, the mill was updated with four "double patent sails." These sails were more advanced. They were connected to a cast-iron windshaft. The two pairs of millstones were then placed side-by-side at the front of the mill. They were powered from below by gears.
Inside the mill, there's a large wooden brake wheel with 104 teeth. This wheel turned a cast-iron gear called a wallower, which had 33 teeth. The wallower was on a strong upright shaft. This shaft then turned another cast-iron gear, the spur wheel, which had 80 teeth. Finally, smaller gears called stone nuts (with 23 and 25 teeth) turned the millstones to grind the grain.
Millers
- Quayle 1862
Visiting the Mill Church
The roundhouse of the mill is open for church services one Sunday each month during the summer. Sometimes, there are other services at different times too. It's a unique place to visit and see how an old windmill has been given a new life!
