Category: Mills with Unusual Functions

A handy mill

Feeding an army in the depths of a Russian winter requires some handy ideas. Handmills like this one were carried...

An explosive business

These tools of war enabled centuries of explosive bloodshed. This Gem is an adjustable copper measure for gunpowder and shot....

Up to snuff

A Pandora’s box that contained toxic tobacco. This Gem is a miller’s snuff-box, inlaid with a beautiful and intricate windmill...

Losing your marbles

An insight into a centuries-old childhood tradition. These marbles have been produced using the power of water. The way they are...

Rags to riches

Turning your shirts into books. This Gem is a picture that tells a story of its own origin: a sketch...

Nice rice

Mill don’t just grind flour. This is a donkey-powered rice mill in China. It makes use of an Edge Runner Stone rather...

The life-giving camel

Mills come in all shapes and sizes: sometimes they even come with a camel. This postcard shows a camel-driven Saqiya...

Theatre of machines

One of the oldest books in our collection, a guide for centuries of millwrights. This fascinating Gem is an enormous...

Mill of old age

Some mills have miraculous powers. This postcard was produced by the Belgium publisher Marco Marchovici in the early 20th century....

Germans reborn

Mills are often used as a symbol of rebirth. This intriguing Gem is a pre-First World War postcard entitled ‘The...

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