Lower Mill 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 typ ...

in Woodchurch,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

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 ...

that was built in 1820. It was a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

from 1976 to 1978, and remains a

Grade II* listed building 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 Ir ...

History

Lower Mill was built in 1820, one of a pair of smock mills, the other being the Upper Mill. It may have had common sails when built as the sale of a pair of sails is recorded in 1848, possibly indicating the fitting of a pair of spring sails. These sails were bought by the owner of the

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 p ...

Brenzett Brenzett is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Romney Marsh, three miles (4.8 km) west of New Romney. The population of the civil parish includes the hamlet of Snave. ...

. The mill may have been moved from Susan's Hill Farm, Woodchurch in 1852, although two windmills were marked on the current site on the 1838 Tithe Map of Woodchurch. During its working life, the mill was fitted with second hand millstones from the smock mill at

Dymchurch Dymchurch is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. The village is located on the coast five miles (8 km) south-west of Hythe, and on the Romney Marsh. History The history of Dymchurch began with ...

and the post mill at Kennington. The sails on the mill when it stopped working in 1926 had previously been on

High Halden High Halden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is on the A28 road between Ashford and Tenterden, 3 miles (5 km) north of the latter town. The Tenterden suburb of St. Michaels is included. Hi ...

and before that Aldington smock mill. A steam engine provided auxiliary power at one time. In 1946, the owner of the mill, Sir

Sydney Nicholson Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson (9 February 1875 – 30 May 1947) was an English choir director, organist and composer, now chiefly remembered as the founder of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the compiler of ''The Parish Psalter''. Li ...

, had the mill made weatherproof but plans for further repair and restoration were thwarted by his death the next year. Local villagers raised money for two new sails in 1957, but the cap was found to be unsafe shortly after and the sails had to be removed. By the late 1970s the mill was on the point of collapse, but a restoration programme was put in place and the mill was fully restored, and fitted with

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 ...

as the windshaft was found to be suitable for these. During its working life, the mill had spring sails. A complete new smock tower was built, and restoration completed in 1986. In May 2010, a new stage was made and fitted to the mill.

Description

Lower Mill is a three-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. It has a Kentish-style cap and is winded by 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 as " ...

. There is a stage at first-floor level. It has four 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 impuriti ...

windshaft. The Brake wheel drives a wooden Wallower mounted on a wooden Upright Shaft. The Great Spur Wheel also survives. The mill drove three pairs of millstones overdrift.

Millers

*Peter Davis 1820 *John Parton Sr. — 1831 *John Parton Jr. — 1852 *W & J Rayner — 1852–1867 *J Tanton 1867 — 1899 *Albert Tanton — 1899–1926

References

External links

Friends of Woodchurch Mill
on the mill {{Kent Windmills Windmills completed in 1820 Windmills in Kent Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Smock mills in England Scheduled monuments in Kent Grade II* listed buildings in Kent Museums in the Borough of Ashford Mill museums in England Octagonal buildings in the United Kingdom