The Old Mill (Shenton's Mill) is a restored

tower 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 ...

located on Mill Point in

South Perth, Western Australia South Perth is an inner List of Perth suburbs, suburb of Perth, the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia. Its Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area is the City of South Perth. South Perth is separat ...

. Today, restored to its original 1830s condition, it is one of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

's best known historic landmarks and serves as a sightseeing attraction.

History

The

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

was commissioned by William Kernot Shenton, on a foundation stone laid by Governor James Stirling in 1835. The original mill, the colony's first wind-powered industry, was built by Paul and James Lockyer and operated by William Steele. Peak production was of flour per day. Operation ceased in 1859, due to unprofitability and the unsuitable location. The cogwheels were hewn from a nearby tree known as tuart, the highly valued species ''

Eucalyptus gomphocephala ''Eucalyptus gomphocephala'', known as tuart, is a species of tree and is one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia. The trees usually grow to a height of and mostly have a single stem, but can have multiple stems under some condit ...

''. The site was located near the earliest housing and agriculture of the colony, and was used for industry before being adapted to commercial, then residential, purposes. In 1880, an engineer known as "Satan" Browne established a dance hall and

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

known as Alta Gardens. The alterations by Browne remained, although the venture was a failure, and it found use as a chicken run and house instead. The address of the site is now listed as Mill Point Road, South Perth. In 1957, the proposed route of the Narrows Bridge was deviated to preserve the site, after a campaign by public officials, and a

folk museum A folk museum is a museum that deals with folk culture and heritage. Such museums cover local life in rural communities. A folk museum typically displays historical objects that were used as part of the people's everyday lives. Examples of such ...

was established on the grounds. The site was received by the City of South Perth, repaired and upgraded and was placed on the register of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

in 1992. The buildings and site is noted as having permanent entry on heritage registers for its architectural and historical significance, and conservation "... for their own sake, and as a museum, is important".

References

External links

* {{Windmills by Country Landmarks in Perth, Western Australia Tower mills Windmills in Australia Windmills completed in 1835 Museums in Perth, Western Australia Mill museums in Australia South Perth, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the City of South Perth

History

References

Further reading

External links