Wray Common Mill is a grade II* listed

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

, Surrey,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

which has been converted to residential use.

History

Wray Common Mill was built in 1824. The mill was worked by wind until 1895 when an accident resulted in a broken sail. The mill had a steam engine, later replaced by an oil engine, as auxiliary power. The shutters were removed from the sails c.1900. The condition of the sails rapidly deteriorated and a new set was fitted in 1928 by Thomas Hunt, the

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. History Archaeology The region between De ...

millwright. At this time all machinery except the Windshaft and Brake Wheel was removed.

Residential Use

Wray Common Mill was converted into residential accommodation in 1967. The mill fell into a state of disrepair in the late 1990s, and a new owner started restoration in 2004. It now features four bedrooms, a large kitchen, reception and a wine cellar. It was listed for sale in November 2008 for £995,000.

Restoration

The cap was removed on 26 August 2004. A new cap was constructed, the building stripped to a bare shell and defects made good, the old tar was stripped, and a new coat applied to the exterior of the tower. The new cap was craned onto the mill in 2005. An application for Listed Building permission to replace the sails was made in 2006. The sails were fitted in December 2007, the restoration of the mill's external appearance to more closely match the mill in its working days was done in consultation of Bonwick Milling Heritage Consultancy. In a break with tradition, a modern method of producing laminated timber beams was used in making the sails. As a result of the work, the mill was removed from the Buildings at Risk Register in 2006.

Description

Wray Common Mill is a five-storey brick tower mill with an ogee cap with a gallery. It has four double Patent sails carried on a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

windshaft. The cap is winded by a fantail. The cast iron Brake Wheel alone remains of the machinery, although it is known that the millstones were driven overdrift. The tower is diameter at the base and diameter at the curb, and high to the curb.

Millers

*Joseph Coulstock 1824–1832 *Edward LArmer c1850 *Robert Budgen 1855–1857 *Joseph Henry Cooke 1874 *Mrs M Cooke 1895

References

{{Surrey Windmills Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1824 Grade II* listed buildings in Surrey Windmills in Surrey Grade II* listed windmills Reigate