Stembridge Mill, High Ham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stembridge Tower Mill
Origin
Mill location	High Ham, Somerset, England
Grid reference	ST432305
Coordinates	51°04′17″N 2°48′39″W / 51.0713°N 2.8107°W / 51.0713; -2.8107
Operator(s)	The National Trust
Year built	1822
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Four storey tower
No. of sails	4
Type of sails	Common sails
Windshaft	Wood, with a cast iron cross
Winding	Wheel and chain
Auxiliary power	Formerly had a steam engine
No. of pairs of millstones	2
Size of millstones	4 feet 0 inches (1.22 m) diameter
Other information	Restored 1971/74 and 2009

Stembridge Tower Mill is a very special old windmill located in High Ham, Somerset, England. It's unique because it's the very last windmill in England that still has a thatched roof! This amazing building is also a "Grade II* listed building", which means it's a really important historical site.

The mill is a tower mill, built from stone in 1822. It has four floors and a special thatched "cap" on top. For many years, it used wind power to grind corn. Later, in 1894, a steam engine was added to help. After a big storm in 1897 or 1898, the steam engine became the only way the mill worked. The mill stopped grinding corn for businesses in 1908. Today, The National Trust owns and looks after it. In 2009, the mill had a big restoration that cost £100,000. Local experts helped fix it up, and it reopened that same year.

History of Stembridge Mill

Building the Mill

Stembridge Mill was built in 1822 for a man named Robert Tatchell. Some parts of the mill actually came from an older mill nearby called Ham Mill. The main tower is about 26 feet (7.9 m) tall. It sits on an old mound, and there's a low wall around it. This wall was built to keep people and animals safe from the big spinning sails.

Early Millers and Changes

Robert Tatchell leased the mill to his son-in-law, John Sherrin. John inherited the mill in 1824 after Robert Tatchell passed away. When John Sherrin died, his three sons took over, but only one, Robert, actually worked as the miller.

In 1869, Simon Spearing became the new miller. His son, William, helped him later on. Sadly, William lost an arm in an accident at a watermill when he was only thirteen.

Adding Steam Power

Adam Sherrin bought the mill in 1881, and his family owned it until 1902. By the late 1880s, George Parker was renting the mill. He added a portable steam engine to help grind the corn. This engine could power one set of grinding stones.

A big storm hit the mill in 1897 or 1898 and damaged it. After that, the mill could no longer use wind power. It relied only on the steam engine, which had been put in place in 1894. Around this time, the mill's bakehouse also stopped being used.

The Mill's Later Years

Robert Hook then bought the mill. However, it became hard for Stembridge Mill to compete with corn being brought in from other countries. Also, new mills were being built closer to the docks. Because of this, Stembridge Mill stopped being used for business in 1908.

Robert Hook sold the mill and about 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land to Dr. Hugh Hale Leigh Bellot for £500. When Dr. Bellot died in 1928, his son, Professor Hugh Hale Bellot, inherited it. In 1969, Professor Bellot left the windmill, the miller's cottage, and the garden to The National Trust in his will.

Restoration and Preservation

New sails were put on the mill in 1971, and other repairs were done. More fixes happened in 1974, including removing some old floors. In 1986, it was officially named a Grade II* listed building.

Stembridge Mill is the last of five windmills that used to be in this area. In 2009, the sails were replaced again, and the mill's thatched roof was repaired. Local experts did this work, which cost £100,000. The money came from the Grantscape Community Heritage Fund. The mill reopened later that year.

Even though the sails don't turn with the wind anymore, they are moved 90 degrees four times a year for maintenance. Before the restoration, people checked the mill and found that long-eared and lesser horseshoe bats were living there. The restoration team made sure the bats could still get in and out after the work was finished.

How Stembridge Mill Works

Understanding a Tower Mill

Stembridge Mill is a tower mill. This type of windmill has a strong tower made of brick or stone. On top of the tower is a roof, or "cap," that can turn. This allows the sails to always face the wind.

A tower mill is better than older types of windmills because you don't have to turn the whole building to catch the wind. This means there's more space inside for all the machinery and for storing grain. In the very first tower mills, a long pole was used to turn the cap. But at Stembridge, a looping chain and gears are used to turn the cap.

Inside the Mill

The mill's cap is turned by a wheel and chain. The main shaft that holds the sails, called the windshaft, is made of wood with a cast iron cross. This cross holds the four common sails. The brake wheel is a special part that helps control the sails.

Most of the other old machinery is gone. Parts like the wallower, upright shaft, and great spur wheel were removed after the mill stopped using wind power.

The mill has four floors and its special thatched cap. It's built from a local stone called Blue Lias. Inside, there are two pairs of millstones, each about 4-foot (1.22 m) across. One pair of stones is called French Burr stones and dates back to 1859. The other pair has a French Burr stone on top of a different type of stone.

Both pairs of millstones were originally turned from above by the windmill. Later, the mixed pair of stones was turned from below by the steam engine. The steam engine also powered a "wire machine." You can still see the remains of the old bakehouse at the back of the mill.

Millers of Stembridge Mill

Here are some of the people who worked as millers at Stembridge Mill:

• John Sherrin (starting 1822)
• Robert Sherrin (1861–1869)
• Simon Spearing (1869–?)
• Joseph Loader (1879–1881)
• George Parker (1889–1897)
• Frank Parker (1897–1898)
• Robert Mead (1898–?)
• F. G. Harding (after 1898)
• Mr. Hill (after 1898)

See also

• List of National Trust properties in Somerset
• List of windmills in Somerset