farming and agriculture

 

working the land

water mills

windmills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

windmills

windmill1.jpg (63390 bytes)

windmill2.jpg (11732 bytes)

limekiln-windmill.gif (18965 bytes)

Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd and Ordnance Survey

In 1536, Cotingeham was recorded as having three mills - one horse drawn, one watermill and one windmill. In medieval times, all three mills would have come under the monopoly of the lord of the manor. and the villagers would have been liable to heavy fines if they took their corn elsewhere to be ground.

 

Windmills started to appear in Britain in the 12th Century. In the 16th Century, they were made of wood. The body of the mill was balanced on a central upright post, allowing it to rotate to face the wind direction, hence the name for this type of construction - a post mill.

 

Windmill Close

 

The mill recorded in 1536 could have been located on the same site as the surviving windmill, as there is evidence of a mill mound, which was normally only constructed to raise the height of early post mills. 

 

In 1720, the mill was owned by John Aldwinckle (recorded on the 1720 enclosure awards map), and the Aldwinckle family remained active as millers for most of the 19th century, at least in Middleton. A Mary Aldwinckle was recorded as a baker/breadmaker in the 1901 census for the village. 

 

It is believed that the surviving 'tower mill' structure dates from the late 18th century. It originally had four storeys, and the sails survived up until the late 19th century, when they were possibly lost in a storm. 

 

In 1934 the mill was sold at auction for £5. The millstones were removed prior to 1955, when Charlie Lawson (who ran a radio repairers) bought the tower for £25, and reduced its height to three floors. After making it waterproof, it was used mainly for storage of radios. 

 

In 1887, as you can see from the OS map opposite, the mill stood alone on land to the left of Corby Road, heading out of the village. The new estate has since built up around the mill which now stands in Windmill Close, just off Bancroft Road. The present owners, Ray Clarke and family, started work on the ruined windmill in 1986. The conversion was completed in 1996.  

 

With thanks to Ray Clarke, and Mark at www.windmillworld.com for the above information and photographs.

 

 

 

Rockingham Road

The 1887 OS map records a second windmill on land to the left of Rockingham Road, right out at the top of the road. It is actually located on the River Welland, so may possibly have been a water mill at one time.

More information to come.

back to top of page