We’ve just received these intriguing snapshots of Upminster Windmill as it undergoes repair and restoration ahead of its reopening. Willem Dijkstra, the Dutch millwright has started work on the mill body at Upminster. The first job is to repair the rotten sheer beams that support the first floor (Meal Floor). These beams are massive 12”…
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Happy St Patrick’s Day: can you help us find out more about mills in Ireland?
As St Patrick’s Day gets underway, I thought I should share with you this article written by a recent Mills Archive volunteer. It shows some interesting glimpses – and beautiful images – of early medieval Irish watermills We do have some books on mills in Ireland and a few images on our online catalogue, but we…
International Women’s Day: a campaigner for mills and women’s rights…
Since International Women’s Day is now upon us, it seems apt to pay homage to some of the heroines of the mill world. And – as it turns out – one of our collectors was once a suffragette. This revelation was discovered only recently by our Information Manager Elizabeth. Apparently the late E M Gardner,…
RIP Michael Harverson (1937 – 2017)
We are sorry to announce that Michael died on Thursday 2 March. He will be greatly missed by his many friends, including the staff and volunteers at the Mills Archive. Tributes have been arriving since we heard the sad news. Universally respected as a kind and gentle man, he was a gentleman and a scholar.…
From Quern to Computer: a printed history of flour milling
Prefer something printed? Then our From Quern to Computer booklet is your ticket to discovering our flour milling history. The best bits of our timelines and extended From Quern to Computer articles have been drawn together in a printed booklet, featuring illustrations by graphic designer Ioulia Zoukova. From Quern to Computer: A History of Flour Milling is an accessible and interesting beginners guide to…
Chesterton Windmill setting under threat: please sign the petition
The setting of this wonderful 350-year-old Grade I listed windmill is under threat from a proposed development of 3,000 houses which would completely destroy the panoramic views over open fields and woodlands surrounding the mill, extending to the southern horizon and also affect for ever the monuments of national importance. Already over 2,300 people have…
Love language
Volunteer Ian Grainge describes his discovery of secret messages on innocent-looking postcards… In cataloguing part of the Brian Eighteen collection, I came across two postcards with identical text, each to the same recipient, Alic Lovegrove in Caversham, from the same person, ‘Dora’. Both were written within one week of each other, in Summer 1910. The…
Explore the story of flour milling: From Quern to Computer
Explore changes to corn milling technology, from animal, wind and water power to the modern day roller flour milling industry in these extended articles written and illustrated by Martin and Sue Watts. If the images and snippets of description on our From Quern to Computer timelines have caught your interest, you can find out more via these extended articles.…
Working at the Mills Archive
My time working at the Mills Archive as Learning and Engagement Manager on the Heritage Lottery supported From Quern to Computer project has come to an end. It has been a pleasure to work on the project and meet some of you along the way. The time has flown by since I started working two…
From Quern to Computer: a History of Flour Milling Timeline
We are delighted to share with you our new interactive resources to discover the history of flour milling, from quern to computer. Today we take a closer look at our timelines. From grain, to flour to our daily bread, access our From Quern to Computer timelines which demonstrate how the stories of technological changes to flour milling,…