 
HMG Activity - 1
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Hampshire
Mills Group september 2009 visit to somerset
Six Hampshire Mills Group members
took part in a four day conducted tour which visited
eighteen watermills and two windmills. Most mills
were privately owned and special viewings were
granted to the organisers, the Mills Section of the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
The two windmills were very similar in build and we
were able to climb up into Ashton Mill at Chapel
Allerton; however, Stembridge Mill near Ham Hill was
shrouded in scaffolding following extension
renovations which precluded an interior viewing of
this only remaining thatched tower mill.
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Ashton Mill Chapel Allerton |
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The watermills varied in their
uses, design build and states of restoration; only
Burcott Mill, Wookey, is fully working, producing
stone ground, wholemeal flour. We explored former
sawmills at Timberscombe and Oakford (just over the
border into Devon) as well as mills which had been
important to their communities grinding flour at
Kingsbury Episcopi, Norton-sub-Hamdon, Crewkerne,
Bruton, Evercreech, Somerton, Ashill, Sampford
Brett, Williton, Allerford, Dunster, Exton,
Milverton and finally coming to a halt at Bishop’s
Lydeard. Owners of this last stop, Lower Mill,
Yvonne and Charlie Back had reconnoitered and
charted the route with author and researcher, Martin
Bodman. Basing us at the Holiday Inn, Taunton, they
did a superb job in setting up a very interesting
tour over and across a vast area of Somerset, so we
extend our very grateful thanks to them and all of
the mill owners, including the National Trust and
Sedgemoor District Council, as well as Simon Hudson
of S.P.A.B. Text and Photos by Sheila Miles
Viner |
Gants Mill |
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Gants Mill : Mildred Cookson gets to grips with the
handle
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Gants Mill Owner Brian Shingler
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Stembridge Mill High Ham
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Rowlands Mill, Ashill : owner tells Mildred and Jim
all about it
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Rowlands Mill, Ashill
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Somerton Mill
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HMG Contingent !
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Burcott Mill Wookey,
Owner Ian Burt
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Demonstration of stone dressing at Lower Mill
Bishops Lydeard |
Sampford Mill |
Sampford Mill owners Richard and Marion Gray with
Simon Hudson |
Town Mill Milverton |
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OBITUARY
: PAUL de GROOTE 1927 - 2009
Photo by
Keith Andrews taken at Trigon Farm during the
Dorset Mills visit 1992
It is with considerable sadness
that I advise members of the death of our
Belgian comrade Paul de Groote at the age of
82. Paul, as many of you will know, was
disabled by a severe stroke some years ago and
was looked after in a nursing home.
My memories of Paul go right back
to the visits made by Southampton University
Industrial Archaeology Group members to Belgium,
arranged by Edwin Course and Adrian Linters,
over 30 years ago. Paul used to come on the
coach with us and give us his version of the
passing scene such as when passing the Stella
Brewery: “here we go by the largest chemical
works in Northern Europe”!! Paul loved coming to
England and staying with Margaret and I. We
would meet up at Dover Maritime Station and he
would then come to work with me for the week and
I would make sure that some interesting
industrial archaeology would be passed - and
stopped at!
Many of the members who went on
the second visit to Flanders will remember when
a civic reception at the town of Wevelgem was
arranged and we told Paul that we all had to
wear formal dress. So, the next morning Paul
turned up in his little 2CV wearing sandals,
spats, jeans cut off at the knee, a dickey and
bow tie, a Panama hat, chamois leather gloves
and a silver topped cane!! There were several
near-accidents as people drove by this
apparition in the middle of Ghent.
Paul always came on the annual
visits arranged by Edwin and we had great fun
trying to convince him that everyone living
north of Watford Gap wore a flat cap and kept a
whippet on a piece of string. Eventually in
Pately Bridge we sat him on the church wall in
the rain with fish and chips in newspaper and
declared him an Honorary Englishman. When he
came on a mills weekend to Dorset, organised by
Tony and Mary Yoward, we enjoyed a wonderful
last night’s dinner at a pub and Paul announced
he’d like to live in the house next door
“because the conversation was so suitable for an
industrial archaeologist.”
Fare well Paul, you will be much
missed on both sides of the Channel.
John Silman.
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Hampshire Mills Group (HMG)
members devote considerable time and expertise to
the preservation and restoration of mills and
milling equipment. This ranges from giving
advice and searching historical records to hard
physical labour on site. We also venture far
and wide to enjoy viewing mills in other parts of
the UK and abroad. |
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Hampshire
Mills Group at Crux Easton Wind Engine:
HMG
made a
trip on
Sunday 27th July,
2008.
We visited Crofton pumping station to see the
engines in steam, Wilton Windmill which was open,
but not turning as there was no wind and finally
Crux Easton Wind engine,
which again could not turn due to absence of any
wind. Our thanks to John Silman, who drove the bus
on a very warm day, and to Andy Fish for organising
the trip. |
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visit to the mills archive
HMG
helped make a dream become a reality as the first
mills-associated organisation to support Ron and
Mildred Cookson, with a £200 cheque, to set up The
Mills Archive as a database to be freely accessed by
anyone, anywhere in the world.
Needing to find a larger storage area
for their huge collection of photographs and
documents, the Cooksons launched the idea of a
central database for research into all types of
mills throughout Britain in April 2002.
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A further 30 collections were donated
and the resulting 75 boxes were moved to a low
ceilinged attic room in Watlington House.
One of our members in particular,
Tony Yoward, supplied literature and pictures from
the group’s
own archives, much of which had been researched by
Tony and his late wife, Mary. The Internet
Catalogue was launched in October 2003 and to date
there are 18,000 catalogue entries and 14,000
scanned images. There are also 4,000 reference
items.
A large party of Hampshire Mills
Group members was recently treated to a tour of the
Archives and it’s
comprehensive library by Ron Cookson and two of his
volunteer team, Ken Kirsopp and Luke Bonwick. We
learned how vital correct storage and handling of
precious glass slides and delicate old documents is
necessary; Ken demonstrated how to access his
favourite and Luke talked us through the Archive
history and the way in which it works today.
Many
more volunteers are needed to cope with scanning the
huge volume of information into the website as well
as hosting visiting researchers to Watlington House
itself. To find out how to become a Friend of the
Mills Archive or to check out a mill go to
www.millsarchive.com.
Article by Sheila M Viner,
photo by Andy Fish
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