Duck End Mill, Letch's Mill or Finchingfield Post 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 Ir ...

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 ...

Finchingfield Finchingfield is a village in the Braintree district in north-west Essex, England, a primarily rural area. It is approximately from Thaxted, farther from the larger towns of Saffron Walden and Braintree. Nearby villages include Great Bardfield ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

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 ...

which has been restored.

History

''Duck End Mill'' was built in the mid eighteenth century, dates of 1756, 1760 1773 and 1777 being recorded in the mill. It was originally built as an open trestle mill, the roundhouse being added in 1840. The mill was insured for £50 in 1790 and £100 in 1794. The mill was working until c. 1890, and had an all wood windshaft to the last. This was replaced by the

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 impu ...

one from Gainsford End Mill,

Toppesfield __NOTOC__ Toppesfield is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. The village is approximately north from the county town of Chelmsford, and west from the village of Great Yeldham. The parish contains the hamlet ...

in the 1950s. A replacement wooden windshaft has since been fitted.

Description

''Duck End Mill'' is a post mill with a single storey roundhouse. The mill is winded by a tailpole. It has four

Spring 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 ...

. There was one pair of millstones, driven by an Brake Wheel. The body of the mill measures by in plan.

Millers

*Samuel Stammers 1790 - 1807 *Edward Stammers 1807 - 1817 *Edward Letch 1817 - 1852 *Edward Letch Jr 1852 - *Andrew Luke Letch -1890 References for above:-

Public access

The mill is open to the public on the one Sunday of each month in the summer.

References

External links

Essex Country Parks
webpage on Finchingfield Post Mill.

webpage on Duck End Mill. {{EssexWindmills Post mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Industrial buildings completed in 1756 Grade II listed buildings in Essex Museums in Essex Mill museums in England Windmills in Essex Finchingfield Grade II listed windmills