Charing Windmill

Charing Windmill
The converted mill.
Origin
Mill name	Field Mill
Grid reference	TQ 957 503
Year built	Early nineteenth century
Information
Purpose	Corn milling
Type	Smock mill
Storeys	Three storey smock
Base storeys	One storey
Smock sides	Eight sided
Number of sails	Four
Type of sails	Two Common sails and two Spring sails
Windshaft	Cast iron
Winding	Fantail
Fantail blades	Six
Number of pairs of millstones	Three pairs
Other information	Was painted white when a working mill, tarred black since conversion to a house.

Charing Windmill is a Grade II listed^[1] house converted smock mill on Charing Hill in Kent in southeast England. It is sometimes known as Field Mill, but that name was also used by a watermill in Charing.

History

Charing Mill was built in the early nineteenth century. It was marked on the 1819-43 Ordnance Survey map and also on Greenwood's 1821 map of Kent. It was working until 1891, when the business was transferred to Field Watermill,^[2] although two new common sails had been erected on the mill by Holman's of Canterbury the year before. The sails were removed in 1917 after being damaged in a gale.^[3]

Description

For a description of the machinery, see Mill machinery.

Charing Mill is a three storey smock mill on a single storey base. It has a Kentish style cap. It had two Common sails and two Spring sails and was winded by a fantail.^[3]. The cast iron windshaft carries a wooden Brake Wheel driving a wooden wallower, carried on a wooden upright shaft. The Wooden clasp arm Great Spur Wheel survives, but the three pairs of millstones have been removed.^[2] The mill was originally painted white overall, but the body of the mill was creosoted in 1969.^[4]

Millers

• Thomas Parks 1823 - 1827
• Richard Chapman Jennings 1839
• A Sidders
• S Andrews
• Robert Millgate 1878 - Charing Heath windmill?
• Pay 1878 - 1892 Field watermill?
• Pope 1878 - 1892 Field watermill?
• William Smith
• George Smith 1887
• Walter Hicks 1891

References for above:- ^[2][3][5]

See also

• Wikipedia books: Windmills in Kent

References

1. ^ "CHARING WINDMILL, BOWL ROAD, CHARING, ASHFORD, KENT". English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=2&id=180700. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} West, Jenny (1973). The Windmills of Kent. London: Charles Skilton Ltd.. pp. p28–30. SBN 284-98534-1. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Coles Finch, William (1933). Watermills and Windmills. London: C W Daniel Company. pp. p177. 
4. ^ "View up towards cap. No sweeps or stocks". The Mills Archive Trust. http://www.millsarchive.com/aspx/secured/item.aspx?intItemID=24308&strTitle=View%20up%20towards%20cap.%20No%20sweeps%20or%20stocks. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
5. ^ "Directory of Kent Mill People". The Mills Archive Trust. http://www.millarchive.com/kent/millpeople/Kent%20Mill%20People.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 

External links

• Windmill World page on the mill.

Coordinates: 51°13′1″N 0°48′8″E / 51.21694°N 0.80222°E / 51.21694; 0.80222