A corn mill situated in a wooded valley near Winsford (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1138421 and https://www.savebritainsheritage.org/property/125/Darnhall-Mill-Darnhall-Lane-Darnhal.).
The name ‘corn mill’ is applied to any building that grinds cereal, often wheat to give flour for baking, but also other grains (barley, oats) for brewing or animal feed.
Built in 1829, the mill was powered by two overshot wheels, one on either side of the building, fed by a mill pond (artificial lake) on Ash Brook - the pond and it’s sluices are still there.
The roof has been renovated fairly recently and the building is not in bad condition apart from holes in the floors and some propping up of ground floor beams.
I was hoping the original machinery would still be there; the important bits are in fact quite complete (drive train, mill stones), but most of the devices for cleaning and sieving have gone.
One of the waterwheels.
The waterwheel axle extends through the wall into the basement to drive a vertical shaft…
...which emerges on the ground floor to power three pairs of mill stones, two on this floor...
...and another one via the rightmost cog on the floor above. This is missing it’s top runner stone.
One of the spare stones lying around.
There is a similar setup for the other waterwheel at the other end of the building, with all three pairs of stones being on the ground floor.
Various fragments…
…including bits of a sieve in the basement.
The upper floors are mostly empty.
As far as I can find out this auger was used to dry the freshly ground meal, which tends to be damp, before further processing.
A hoist, probably also water powered, for lifting sacks through openings in the floors and also up the outside of the building via the projecting jib.
Final view down the tailrace.
The name ‘corn mill’ is applied to any building that grinds cereal, often wheat to give flour for baking, but also other grains (barley, oats) for brewing or animal feed.
Built in 1829, the mill was powered by two overshot wheels, one on either side of the building, fed by a mill pond (artificial lake) on Ash Brook - the pond and it’s sluices are still there.
The roof has been renovated fairly recently and the building is not in bad condition apart from holes in the floors and some propping up of ground floor beams.
I was hoping the original machinery would still be there; the important bits are in fact quite complete (drive train, mill stones), but most of the devices for cleaning and sieving have gone.
One of the waterwheels.
The waterwheel axle extends through the wall into the basement to drive a vertical shaft…
...which emerges on the ground floor to power three pairs of mill stones, two on this floor...
...and another one via the rightmost cog on the floor above. This is missing it’s top runner stone.
One of the spare stones lying around.
There is a similar setup for the other waterwheel at the other end of the building, with all three pairs of stones being on the ground floor.
Various fragments…
…including bits of a sieve in the basement.
The upper floors are mostly empty.
As far as I can find out this auger was used to dry the freshly ground meal, which tends to be damp, before further processing.
A hoist, probably also water powered, for lifting sacks through openings in the floors and also up the outside of the building via the projecting jib.
Final view down the tailrace.
