De Sweachmermolen is a

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This type ...

between

Langweer Langweer ( fry, Langwar) is a village in Friesland in the municipality De Fryske Marren. The town was established in 1256, and has a population of 1,105 (as of 2017). Langweer has a rich trading history, and it is located at a small lake (). His ...

and Boornzwaag,

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 was built in 1782. The mill has two functions: it is a drainage mill and a corn mill. It has been restored to working order as a drainage mill and 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 13241.

History

''De Sweachmermolen'' was built in 1782 as a corn mill for Frans Julius Johan van Eijsinga. It was later converted so that it could also drain the Grote Polder Langweer, Dijken en Boornzwaag. The mill previously had four

patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound rou ...

. On 12 August 1925, an electric motor was installed in the mill to drive the

Archimedes' screw The Archimedes screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest hydraulic machines. Using Archimedes screws as water pumps (Archimedes screw pump (ASP) or screw pump) dates back ...

. The mill then became derelict. Through T.A.J. van Eijsinga, an influential member of ''De Hollandsche Molen'' ( en, Dutch Mills Society), the mill was acquired in 1949 by Stichting tot instandhouding van de Langweerder molen (). ''De Sweachmermolen'' is now used as a

holiday home A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

, the base and lowest storey of the smock having been converted. Income from letting the mill is put towards its upkeep. In 1998, the mill was restored so that it could again pump water. It is not planned to restore the milling machinery. ''De Sweachmermolen'' is listed as being held in reserve for use in times of emergency. It is the only combined corn and drainage windmill in Friesland.

Description

''De Sweachmermolen'' is what the Dutch describe as a ''Stellingmolen''. It is a three-storey smock mill on a two-storey base. The stage is at second-floor level, above ground level. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The smock and cap are

thatch Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

ed. The sails are common sails. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft'' which was cast by Gietijzer Pletterij Enthoven en Companië,

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, in 1896. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'', which has 58 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (32 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. The ''great spur wheel'', which has 90 cogs, drove a pair of millstones via a ''lantern pinion stone nut'' with 25 staves. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'' the ''crown wheel'', which has 35 cogs, drives a gearwheel with 43 cogs on the axle of the Archimedes' screw.

Millers

*Frans Julius Johan van Eijsinga (1782- ) *Sipke Jolles Hoekstra (c1912/15)

Public access

''De Sweachmermolen'' is open to the public.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweachmermolen, Langweer Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1782 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands 1782 establishments in the Dutch Republic