Snippets
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A collection of interesting
items to browse over. If you have something
for this page, please send it to us. |
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Henri de Portal :
extracts from “Highways and byways in Hampshire”
1908 about the man who founded a bank note
paper making company that supplies the Bank of
England to this day |
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Macabre Tale
: A macabre tale of a murder and its
consequences which took place in 1804 at Fratton
Mill near Portsmouth. To see the full story
click here. |
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Superb cutaway diagrams of a
Water
Mill showing all the important parts.
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The Miller
- an extract from
THE MILLER magazine 1867 |
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A
Brief History of Bread by Tony Yoward |
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A Potted History of
Hovis :
This
undated article is a short history
of
the firm at
Mill Street, Stone, Staffordshire
to 1918. |
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New Dock Mill
at Portsmouth
A short
extract from HMG archives by Tony Yoward
Dock
Mill was built by the Dockyard Co-operative Mill
Society in 1816, and the following year
contracts were offered for building Bakehouse,
store, engine house, dwelling houses, stable,
carthouse, etc. It was the last windmill to
be built on Portsea Island.
Dock Society’s Mill, Brick tower,
100ft high, 40ft diameter at the base, tarred,
with a domed cap, patent sails and fantail.
The Army Board of Ordnance supplied a million
bricks and all were used in the building. The
cap had a statue as the finial. A seven storey
mill with a gallery around the second floor,
it was built to provide cheaper flour at a time
when flour and bread was very expensive
It was put up for auction in
1922 and, not being sold, was demolished the
following year.
Monica Ellis’s publication on
Hampshire mills in 1978 stated that there is now
no trace of the mill and the block of flats
occupying the mill site is named “Moulin
Court”. The associated mill cottages were
renovated in 1971 and a plaque on these cottages
gives details of the mill.
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TIMBER TOUGHER THAN ENGLISH OAK
extract from the Times March 1966
Hornbeam, was known as the
engineer's timber, and has been used in mills for
over 200 years for cogs and pulleys.
In 1966, 300 hornbeam cogs were specified for the
gear wheels in the restoration of Chesterton
Windmill in Warwickshire.
Most hornbeam was imported from the continent, to be
used in piano action.
The timber is very strong and tough, being superior
in practically all strength grades to English oak.
The bending strength, stiffness, hardness, and shear
strength of hornbeam are 20 to 30 % higher than
those of English oak and its resistance to splitting
40 to 60 % higher.
It is a very heavy wood but has been largely
displaced by iron and sometimes lignum vitae.
Hornbeam is slow growing, and now mainly used for
garden hedges. However records show that Englands
tallest hornbeam was in Surrey, 105 foot high while
the stoutest, with a girth of over 17 foot, was in
Essex. |
Mills can be dangerous places as
shown by these two examples from the past by
Tony Yoward:
EAST MEON
SOUTH MILL
Hants
A
distressing occurrence is reported from East
Meon, Nr Petersfield. Mildred, the eight year
old daughter of Mr George Atkinson was in the
mill there with her brothers when one of them,
not realising that his sister was near the
shaft, started the machinery. The child’s hair
was caught in the shaft and she was killed. (The
Miller 6 Jan 1913)
BISHOPS
WALTHAM ABBEY MILL Hants
1877 Fatal accident in a flour mill. An
inquest was held on Saturday 3rd March on the
body of GEORGE SPARSHOT aged 72, employed at
Abbey Flour Mills, Bishops Waltham. He was
found dead in the wheel pit. GEORGE SOAL, the
miller, said he found the deceased entangled in
the wheel and near him were the oil mill and
candle, he evidently tried to oil the wheel,
from which he had taken the chain.
(The Miller 5 March 1877)
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