De Grote Molen () is a smock mill in Marrum,

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

which was built in 1845. The mill has been restored to working order. It is listed as a

Rijksmonument A (, ) 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 had 61,822 l ...

, number 15637.

History

''De Grote Molen'' was built by

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

J T Kingma of Ternaard in 1845 to drain the Marrum-Westernijtjerk

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

. As built, the mill was fitted with

Patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different forms, 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 r ...

. Later,

Common sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different forms, 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 r ...

fitted with streamlined leading edges on the Dekker System were fitted. These were later replaced by Common sails with leading edges on the Fok System. The mill was restored in 1957-58, 1965, and again in 1968. On 4 May 1976, the mill was sold to

Stichting De Fryske Mole The Stichting De Fryske Mole (; ; ) is a foundation for the preservation of windmills in the Dutch province Friesland, owning 42 of the 124 windmills in Friesland and closely co-operating with the Gild Fryske Mounders with which it publishes a q ...

(). A further restoration was undertaken in 1978-78. Auxiliary power is from an EMF Dordt electric motor.

Description

''De Grote Molen'' is what the Dutch describe as a ''Grondzeiler''. It is a two-storey smock mill on a single-storey base. There is no stage, the sails reaching almost to 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, Phragmites, water reed, Cyperaceae, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), Juncus, rushes, Calluna, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away fr ...

ed. The sails are Common sails, fitted with leading edges on the Fok system. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft''. which was cast by Prins van Oranje,

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

in 1868. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 65 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (33 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'' the ''crown wheel'', which has 49 cogs drives a gearwheel with 45 cogs on the axle of the Archimedes' screw. The axle of the Archimedes' screw is diameter. The screw is diameter and long. It is inclined at 19°. Each revolution of the screw lifts of water.

Public access

''De Grote Molen'' is open to the public by appointment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grote Molen, Marrum Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1845 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands