Alde Swarte Molen (English: ''Old Black Mill'') is a Hollow Post mill in

Easterlittens Easterlittens ( nl, Oosterlittens) is a village in Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 439 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in the second half of the 13th century as Lechi ...

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

which has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

, number 8531. (Click on "Technische gegevens" to view.)

History

''Alde Swarte Molen'' probably dates from the 17th century. It was built to drain the Frankena Polder. ''Alde Swarte Molen'' worked until 1961 when the mill lost a sail in a storm. After this an

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

took over the work of the mill. On 2 October 1967, the mill was sold to the Gemeente

Baarderadeel Baarderadeel is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Friesland, southwest of Leeuwarden. Since 1984, the area has been a part of the municipality of Littenseradiel. Some of the larger villages in Baarderadeel are Winsum Winsum () is ...

for ƒ1. In 1969, the mill was restored by

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

De Roos of

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

. In 1981, a further restoration saw the replacement of the windshaft, sails and Archimedes' screw. In 1984, the mill passed to the Gemeente Littenseradiel in a reorganisation of local government in Friesland.

Description

''Alde Swarte Molen'' is what the Dutch describe as a "Spinnenkopmolen". It is a hollow post mill on a single storey roundhouse. The roundhouse is tiled with pantiles and the body is covered in vertical boards. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The sails are Common sails. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a wooden ''windshaft''. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 34 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (19 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'', the ''crown wheel'', which has 28 cogs drives a gearwheel with 27 cogs on the axle of the wooden Archimedes' screw. The axle of the screw is 250 millimetres (9¾ inches) diameter and the screw is diameter and long. The screw is inclined at 25½°. Each revolution of the screw lifts of water.

References

{{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Friesland Hollow post mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland