Debden Windmill

Debden Mill
Origin
Mill name	Debden Mill
Mill location	TL 555 336 51°58′44″N 0°15′47″E / 51.979°N 0.263°E / 51.979; 0.263
Operator(s)	Private
Year built	1796
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Four storeys
Number of sails	Four sails
Type of sails	Double Patent sails
Windshaft	Cast iron
Winding	Fantail
Number of pairs of millstones	Three pairs

Debden Windmill is a grade II listed^[1] Tower mill at Debden, Essex, England which has been converted to residential use.

History

Debden Windmill was built in 1796, replacing a Post mill which stood nearby. It was insured in 1797 by William Thurgood for £500 including the going gears and stock in trade. The fantail was blown off the mill on 26 March 1882 and the cap and sails were blown off on a Sunday in October 1887.^[1] Repairs were completed by 15 March 1888.^[2] The mill was working until 1911, in which year the sails and windshaft were removed. The mill was used as a scout hut in the 1930s and was little more than a shell in the 1950s. In 1957, a new cap was fitted and the mill converted to residential use.^[1]

Description

For an explanation of the various pieces of machinery, see Mill machinery.

Debden Windmill is a four storey tower mill. When working it carried a conical cap with a gallery, winded by a fantail. The windshaft was cast iron and carried four double Patent sails which rotated clockwise. The Brake wheel was wood, driving a cast iron Wallower carried on a wooden Upright Shaft. The wooden Great Spur Wheel drove three pairs of millstones.^[1]

Millers

• William Thurgood 1797
• Isaac Thurgood 1832
• John Holland Jr 1844
• John Dennison 1855
• Frank Holland 1870–1874
• Alfred Ely 1878–1890
• Charles (Clap) Ennos & Sons 1894 - 1910

References for above:-^[1][2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Farries, Kenneth (1984). Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights - Volume Three - A Review by Parishes, A-E. Edinburgh: Charles Skilton. p. p110–112. ISBN 0-284-98642-9. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Farries, Kenneth (1988). Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights - Volume Five - A Review by Parishes, S-Z. Edinburgh: Charles Skilton. pp. p122. ISBN 0-284-98821-9. 

External links

• Windmill World webpage on Debden Mill