Ovenden's Mill or Mockett's Mill is a
grade II* listedtower 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 ...
at
Polegate
Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It ...
,
East Sussex,
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 restored but is now in a poor state and the tower is not open to the public. The impressive milling museum is open but only on certain Open Days. If you look at the "Polegate windmill" Facebook page you will find more details. We are arranging these days at the moment but the first one should be National Mills weekend with the mill open on the Sunday.
History
''Ovenden's Mill'' was built in 1817 and was working by wind until 1943.
The mill was worked by auxiliary engine, latterly an electric motor, until 1965. By the time the mill stopped working, it was becoming derelict. Eastbourne and District Preservation Trust bought the mill and grounds, and a restoration was carried out by E Hole and Sons, the
Burgess Hill millwrights. One of the new stocks broke in July 1974, bringing the sail with it. This particular stock was only seven years old. Thompson's, the
Alford millwrights fitted a replacement stock and two new sails in May 1976.
Further restoration work was undertaken in 2004,
including the fitting of a
cowl
A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks.
Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...
to the adjoining malthouse.
Two new sails were fitted in 2009.
Description
''Ovenden's Mill'' is a four-storey brick tower mill with a domed cap 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 had 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 impur ...
Windshaft. The Brake Wheel is wooden. The mill drove two pairs of overdrift
millstones, with a third pair driven underdrift by auxiliary engine.
[ The tower is high to the curb.][
]
Millers
*Joseph Seymour 1817–1857
*Mathias Mockett 1857–
*George Thomas
*Ephraim Ovenden 1918–
*Albert Ovenden – 1965
References for above:-[
]
Further reading
Online version
References
External links
Page on Polegate windmill.
{{Sussex Windmills
Tower mills in the United Kingdom
Grinding mills in the United Kingdom
Museums in East Sussex
Windmills completed in 1817
Grade II* listed buildings in East Sussex
Windmills in East Sussex
Mill museums in England
1817 establishments in England