Beacon Mill or New Mill is a

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

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 typ ...

Rottingdean Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards. Name The name Rotting ...

, Sussex, England which has been restored as a seamark.

History

''Beacon Mill'', was built in 1802. There are records of an earlier mill on the site, thought to have been a

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All ...

. During the digging of the foundations, a human skeleton was found of an 'ancient warrior with a sword' but the remains were stolen while the labourers had lunch and have never been recovered. The mill was working until 1881 and by 1890 was in such bad condition that demolition was considered. In 1905, the Marquis of Abergavenny had the mill repaired, but it was derelict again by the early 1920s. It was 1935 before the mill was restored again, the

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 ...

ing being done by Neve's of Heathfield and new sails were made by Holman's, the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

millwrights. In 1969, the mill was leaning to the north east, and Hole's, the

Burgess Hill Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It h ...

millwrights erected a steel frame inside the smock to support the mill, and fitted new sails. The steel framing was extended into the cap in 1974.

Description

''Beacon Mill'' is a three-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. It has a Kentish-style cap, and four Patent sails. It originally had a

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named a ...

, but this is now missing.

Millers

*Thomas Beard: 1802 – owner *George Nicholls: 1877 – 1881

Culture and Media

The Rottingdean windmill was the inspiration for the trademark (logo) for the publishing house of

Heinemann Heinemann may refer to: * Heinemann (surname) * Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company * Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States See also * Heineman Heineman is a surname. Notable people with the surnam ...

. It was designed by Sir William Nicholson, a Rottingdean resident, and on older Heinemann hardbacks you will see it engraved on the back board of the book. Although Rottingdean Mill was Nicholson's inspiration, he actually traced an older Dutch post-mill as his final design. Updated versions of the windmill are still used for Heinemann publications. ''Beacon Mill'' featured on the front cover of the album "Vale Industrial" by

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

band The Tenderfoot. The

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

also featured in the music video for '' That Old Pair of Jeans'' by

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist ...

Public access

''Beacon Mill'' is open to the public from 14:00 to 16:30 on both days of National Mills Weekend, and on the third Sunday of each month from May to September.

References

External links

Page on Beacon windmill.
Rottingdean smock mill
photo gallery
Rottingdean Village Website
More about Rottingdean Village and Shops {{B&H Buildings Smock mills in England Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1802 Windmills in Brighton and Hove Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove Octagonal buildings in the United Kingdom