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West Kingsdown Windmill facts for kids

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West Kingsdown Post Mill
West Kingsdown 1906.jpg
The windmills in 1906
Origin
Mill name Old Mill
Coordinates 51°20′14″N 0°16′11″E / 51.33722°N 0.26972°E / 51.33722; 0.26972
Year built Late 19th century
Information
Purpose Corn mill
Type Post mill
Roundhouse storeys Single storey roundhouse
No. of sails Four sails
Type of sails Two Common sails and two Spring Sails
Windshaft Cast iron
Winding Tailpole
Year lost 1909
Other information Moved from Tubs Hill, Sevenoaks between 1864 and 1880
West Kingsdown Smock Mill
West Kingsdown mill.jpg
The surviving smock mill
Origin
Mill location Pells Lane, West Kingsdown, Kent
Grid reference TQ 582 623
Operator(s) Kent County Council
Year built 1880
Information
Purpose Corn mill
Type Smock mill
Storeys Four-storey smock
Base storeys Single-storey base
Smock sides Eight-sided
No. of sails Four
Type of sails Two Common sails and two double Patent sails
Windshaft Cast iron
Winding Fantail
Fantail blades Seven blades
No. of pairs of millstones Three pairs
Other information Moved from Farningham in 1880

The West Kingsdown Windmill is a special type of windmill called a smock mill. It's located in West Kingsdown, Kent, England. This windmill is very old, built in the early 1800s in a place called Farningham. Later, in 1880, it was moved to West Kingsdown.

It is also a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical site. This windmill is the only one left from a pair that used to stand here.

The Story of West Kingsdown Windmills

The Old Post Mill: A Fiery End

There used to be another windmill in West Kingsdown, a post mill. Some people, like William Coles Finch, thought it was first built in Sevenoaks. However, it might have been built right where it stood around 1804.

In 1880, the smock mill you see today moved to West Kingsdown and joined the post mill. Sadly, the post mill burned down in May 1909. A steam roller accidentally set fire to some straw nearby, and the flames spread to the mill.

The Smock Mill: A Survivor's Tale

The West Kingsdown Smock Mill was built in the early 1800s. Its first home was at Chimham's Farm in Farningham. You can see it on old maps from 1819, 1821, and 1840.

In 1880, this smock mill was moved to West Kingsdown. It joined the post mill that was already there. After the post mill burned down in 1909, the smock mill kept working by wind until 1928.

Repairs and Restorations

The windmill faced some challenges. On December 25, 1929, one of its sails got damaged. Then, in November 1930, its fantail (a small windmill that turns the main mill into the wind) blew off.

In 1960, the outside of the mill was fixed up by a company called Thompson & Son. They are millwrights, which means they specialize in building and repairing windmills. In 2009, more repairs were done to the wooden weatherboards, and the mill got a new coat of paint. As of 2010, it was waiting for new sails to be put on.

How the Windmills Worked

Inside the Old Post Mill

The Old Mill was a post mill, which means its whole body could turn to face the wind. It sat on a single-storey roundhouse. To turn it, workers used a long pole called a tailpole.

It had four sails: two were Spring sails and two were Common Sails. These sails were connected to a strong cast-iron windshaft.

Inside the Smock Mill Today

Seven blade fantail
The Fantail, January 2009

The West Kingsdown Mill is a smock mill. It has four main levels, or storeys, sitting on a single-storey brick base. There used to be a platform, or stage, at the first-floor level.

This mill also has four sails. Two are double Patent sails, and two are Common sails. These sails are connected to a cast-iron windshaft. A fantail helps turn the mill to face the wind. The original fantail had seven blades, but it was replaced with a six-bladed one in 1960. Later, a seven-bladed fantail was put back on.

Most of the machinery is still inside the mill. However, the final part that connects to the millstones (which grind the grain) is no longer there.

Who Operated the Mills?

Many different people worked as millers at these windmills over the years.

Millers of the Post Mill

  • William Knott (1792 - 1814)
  • Charles Knott (- 1864)
  • William Eames (1864-)
  • Tanner Norton (1880-)

Millers of the Smock Mill

  • Collyer (1826 - 1850)
  • William Kipping (1840)
  • W Moore
  • David Norton
  • Tanner Norton (- 1880)
  • Frank Norton
  • Cork (1929)
  • Hankin

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