John Silman makes a clean sweep at Broughton Manor Farm

AUGUST
Monday 10^th     Further meeting with Alun Brown of Eastleigh Borough Council Engineers Department.  This to discuss requirements by the Environment Agency regarding the fish pass they are wanting at the Bishopstoke turbines site.

Saturday 15^th     Meeting with John Christmas and Rob Fish to improve the wording and understanding of the new Health & Safety documents regarding work parties.  This proved to be an excellent couple of hours with two experts on H & S making sense of requirements under the new regulations.  Many thanks gentlemen! 

 Monday 17^th    H.M.G. Committee meeting at “Danesacre”.

SEPTEMBER
 Wednesday 2^nd       I spoke to the Avon Valley Archaeology Society on the History of Milling at Ringwood.

Saturday 5^th      Attended Alresford Show with Gavin Bowie to assist John Lovell who brought along some of his delightful models including water and windmills.  Many people see the large scale model of Dock Mill, which is turning, and this brings them to look at the other exhibits.  I have never seen so many people at this show although we felt that there were more “cheapjacks” which perhaps lowered the “tone” a little.  Nevertheless, I was a buy day for us and we talked to many people.  Thanks John for letting us attend. 

Wednesday 9^th      As publicity for National Heritage Weekend, Eleanor and I met with a sound engineer from Radio Solent at Hockley Mill and he spoke to us both regarding the coming Heritage Open Days opening of he mill.  See report below.

Sunday 13^th  Heritage Open Day at Hockley Mill.  Eleanor and  I were present at the mill by 10.30am and the visitors continued to come in until we closed the door at  4.30pm.  It was quite the best attendance we have seen on  Heritage Weekend.  As is often the case, people from Twyford living no more than a mile away said “I did not know there is a mill here.”  The donation boxes both had a fair amount in and perhaps that can be a little towards the repairs to the pit wheel.  Thanks Eleanor for all your help.

Friday 18 th     H.M.G.’s quarterly meeting; this time being an evening one at City Mill, Winchester by kind permission of Anne Aldridge (Manager) on behalf of the National Trust.  All  went well except that Tony Yoward, held up in traffic, arrived after the meeting started and couldn’t be heard outside trying to gain entry; thus he had to return to Emsworth rather disappointed.

Wednesday 23rd      I was delighted to speak to the Southampton North Probus Club by invitation of their Chairman and our member, John Hammond, on the subject of Milling History.

Sunday 27th       Another outing to another show with John Lovell.  This time the venue was Kingsfold in Surrey, with a selection of windmills and a sawmill.  The weather was very kind to us and we spoke to many visitors.  Perhaps the most interesting being the volunteer engineer from Polegate Windmill in Sussex who gave me details of the latest work at their mill.

OCTOBER
Monday 5^th     To Manor Farm Broughton with various interested parties for visual inspection of the machinery and discussion of future work to preserve the mill in situ. 

 Wednesday 7^th   To a superb lecture at Portsmouth University entitled “The Battle of the Solent 1545”, given by one of their staff who had worked on the “Mary Rose” - first as a volunteer and now as part of  his work at the University.

Friday 9^th       I spoke on “The History of the Postcard”  to Bursledon Silver Club, resulting in a donation of H.M.G. funds.

Sunday 11^th     For the first time, and at Sheila’s instigation, H.M.G. members attended Blackmoor Apple Day. Despite persistent rain we had sold out of flour from both Longbridge and Eling Tide Mill  by 1.15pm.  Memo to all participants for next year “Be warned: take more flour and more copies of the President’s Tea Bread recipe!”  Thanks to everybody who helped out and especially to John (Mears) who manfully chopped apples (for tasting) for hours and hours.  Thanks John!!!

Tuesday 13^th   I spoke to The Friends of Basing House on “The History of Milling”.  The curators of Basing House, Mr and Mrs Turton, invited Margaret and I to dinner before the talk and also took us around the huge site which we had never visited before.  We thank them very much and gratefully accepted a donation for H.M.G. from The Friends.

Monday 19^th     On behalf of the Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society, I visited Sir Philip and Lady Trousdell at Riverside House, near East Mills at Fordingbridge.

 Sir Philip is restoring Riverside House, and in the process, he has discovered a number of flues and baffle plates along with underground voids associated with an outbuilding behind the house.  I had to confess that I did not know what they were for;  however, as the mill buildings were originally a woollen mill and were then associated with the production of best quality flax for the making of sailcloth for major sailing ships, maybe the processes which involve dyeing and bleaching (presumably with strong chemicals) was carried out in and around Riverside House.  I hope to get Alan Stoyel to have a look at it if he comes to inspect Broughton Manor Mill.  (I will report what happens).

Thursday 22^nd    I was delighted to accompany Andy Fish and Alison Stott to a meeting at Emsworth of the Chichester Maritime Trust, on the subject of “The Rise and Fall of the Emsworth Oyster”.  Most interesting.

Friday 23^rd    Margaret making tea bread “tasters” ready for the Milling Day at Longbridge Mill.

Saturday 24^th   Very successful milling at Longbridge.  Milling crew consisted of Basil, Andy, Fred, John and a new visitor called Kate Marshall, whom we hope will return in December.