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Page 3

Newsletter 127 Winter 2019    © Hampshire Mills Group

 

Lincolnshire Watermills

 

 

Ruth Andrews

 

The report on our Group visit to Lincolnshire would not be complete without a brief word on the two watermills that we visited. 

 

First, Cogglesford Watermill at Sleaford, which we almost failed to visit as we spent too long at Pinchbeck and Pode Hole pumping stations, as reported by Eleanor Yates in the last newsletter.  It was looking quite picturesque in its leafy setting, although close up the building is not particularly elegant. 

 

 

For me, its most striking feature was the gigantic great spur wheel with its very intrusive safety guard.  Apparently the most frequently asked question from visitors is “How did they get it into the building?” 

Note that the millstones are below the great spur wheel and are therefore overdrift.

 

Unlike in most mills the sack hoist is particularly easy to photograph, so I did!  It has a good explanatory diagram, one of many around the mill.

This fully restored working watermill is thought to be the only Sheriff’s Watermill still operating in England. 

 

 

Sacrewell Water Mill at Wansford near Peterborough is a very complete, well maintained, and interesting mill which really deserves a longer report of its own, or a visit if you are in the area.  It is part of Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre. 

 

 

The surviving southern waterwheel is mid-19th century cast iron on an older wooden shaft.  Originally there was also a northern wheel.  This modern steel wheel (left) generates electricity, much like Harry Clarke’s new wheel at Sherborne St John as reported in previous newsletters.

On the right are some of the group at the back of the mill enjoying the sunshine.

The tour was completed with visits to Trinity Bridge at Crowland, Chain Bridge Forge at Spalding, and Fakenham Gas Works Museum.  We failed to visit Batemans Brewery in Wainfleet even though it has an adjacent tower mill as we ran out of time.

 

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