Like many companies in the milling industry, Holmans Millwrights of Canterbury had men enlist in the First World War. Those who faced active service had to go. However, Holmans negotiated with the War Office by offering the company for munitions work as a means to retain those who were called up for munitions work and…
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A photograph on iron
One of the oldest photos in the archive is this c.1880 image of Mr Holman and his employees, printed on iron. Tintypes or Ferrotypes were an early form of photograph. A sheet of thin, varnished iron (not tin, despite the name) was coated with photographic emulsion and exposed to light. This picture from the Geoff Holman…
Kent windmills & watermills
Artist Tom Burnham and local author Gregory Holyoake have collaborated and jointly published a special edition art book featuring sixteen Kent mills. The book can be bought here and features: Sandwich White MillMargate Draper’s MillSarre Smock MillCrabble Corn MillChillenden Post MillCanterbury St Martin’s MillWillesborough Smock MillWestwell WindmillWoodchurch White MillWittersham Smock MillSandhurst New MillChilham WatermillCranbrook Union MillMeopham Killick’s…
Kent Mills Society – Notice of Closure
Author: KMS Committee As already announced to our membership, we are closing the Kent Mills Society with immediate effect. Although we were prepared to carry on after the recent death of our Chairman, Geoff Holman, we could not attract any local people to lead the Society. This is a huge disappointment to us; in the…
Geoff Holman RIP
It is with great sadness that I relay news of Geoff’s death. Geoff passed way on 20 December in London after a short illness. Geoff’s family have asked that nobody contacts the family by email or phone as they have much to deal with. Geoff was a well-regarded and popular figure in the UK mill…
Horizontal Wind-powered Tannery in Sandwich, Kent (?)
Author: Rob Cumming I’ve recently been looking through a newish website called British Newspapers Online which has a wealth of national and regional newspapers from 1750-1950. It is searchable by string (although the search engine doesn’t work too well). I’ve found some fascinating advertisements placed. The following one intrigues me, as it appears to be…
Mill Memories recalled
The SPAB Mills Section held its autumn meeting at the Mills Archive on Nov 26. Over 70 mill enthusiasts attended to hear six excellent talks on Kent watermills, horizontal waterwheels, two post mills, Ken Farries, a York roller mill and the new Archimedean screw at Mapledurham. The photo (from Sheila Viner) shows a small section…
Vote to help mill conservation in Kent
Author: Dennis Usmar The time has arrived to vote for the” Valley Conservation society” project on the Natwest Community Force site. If you haven’t already done so, please vote soon (26 days remaining) How to find the siteGoogle “Natwest Community Force” open site & register (only takes a moment) Then go to http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/3853 Tick the box…
Blocks at Herne Windmill
Set in the inside wall of the ground floor at Herne Mill are a number of wooden blocks each the size of a brick. They are set in various positions. We would like to know what they are there for. Suggestions so far have included “filled-in air bricks” and “to allow for expansion”. Has anyone…
Working on Kent Mills
Author: Geoff Holman Vincent Pargeter is speaking on “Working on Kent MIlls” and Arthur Percival on “The Gunpowder Industry” at the Kent Mills Society Meeting in Faversham, starting at 2pm on Saturday 20 November. Entry is free so do come and join us! The venue is the Faversham Heritage Centre in Preston Street, which is…