Elizabeth Trout This article was originally published in our blog on 31 October 2019.Last week, Tom, one of our dedicated volunteers, found amongst the press cuttings, a piece of card upon which were written a few scrappy handwritten notes. He saw the word ‘mill’ and a date of 1549. Knowing that I like a mystery,…
Vincent Pargeter In a recent newsletter we shared the history of the Montefiore Windmill which was built by the Holmans of Kent. Vincent Pargeter, who worked on the restoration of the mill, wrote up an account of his experiences (originally published in Mill News, Oct 2012 and Jan 2013). This is an abridged version. The…
Dave Pearce Wicken Windmill Partnership Mike Newland died aged 86 on 15th February. He was a kind, private man, with no time…
Dr James G. Moher A 1795 engraving of Old London Bridge with the waterworks wheels at the northern end visible against the background of St Magnus the Martyr’s church and the Monument Many are familiar with this historic but long-gone structure, which forded the mighty river Thames, but how many know that it had a…
Elizabeth Trout The diaries of Robert Stone give us a rare and fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day working patterns and activities of a Victorian country miller.Robert Stone was baptised on 28 February 1852 in High Wycombe, the son of Alfred Stone, Master Chairmaker and his wife Ann nee Atkins. Robert went to the National School…
Elizabeth Bartram (Director) & Mildred Cookson (Founding Trustee) The story of flour milling is as ancient as civilisation itself, and the story of women in milling has just as long a past.The UK Flour Millers and the Mills Archive Trust have joined forces to explore and celebrate the vital contributions that women have made to…
Elizabeth Bartram (Director) & Mildred Cookson (Founding Trustee) Milling has a rich and immersive history. Women have always been involved in some aspect of milling, those roles and their level of involvement have reflected wider society’s views on women, work and gender roles. The detail (or even existence) of records documenting their roles has been…
By Dave Pearce Wicken Windmill Partnership The mill has been restored by the Wicken Windmill Partnership, acting as millwrights, and its friends and…
Christmas is almost upon us, so we thought we would share some recipes for “Christmas cheer” from 1945.The Wine and Food Society published a series of books under the title, A Concise Encyclopaedia of Gastronomy. The fourth in the series, Cereals, contains some recipes for Christmas fare that must have presented a challenge to home bakers struggling…
By John Bedington The gears at Worston Mill, WorstonWorston Mill, Worston – main gears – Images and documents (millsarchive.org) As a youngster between 1963 and about 1972 I spent a lot of time pedalling around Staffordshire visiting watermills and a few remains of windmills, taking often rather indifferent photos and making extremely scribbly but often…
