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Introduction
Early Days
Mr Waud's New Mill
Journey through the working mill
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Journey through the working mill
Location: York
As we walk up the stone steps to the mill we begin to realise the impressive nature of the building, pleasing to the eye, beckoning you to it,, the sounds and smells welcoming you through the door.
Ground floor
The ground floor (bagging floor) has much machinery moving effortlessly with a reassuring rumble and a proud miller eager to show you this magnificent mill. On your right is the automatic tentering (the adjustment of the gap between the stones depending on the speed of the sails), the governor’s weights raising and lowering making minute, almost imperceptible changes via leverage/pivot system. Above you is a small crushing/roller mill driven from a lay shaft and quite rare.
Further into the mill is another rare find; a fireplace uncovered by a council workman in recent times. Because flour, in certain circumstances, can become combustible, and the very nature of the mill fittings being mostly wood, such fire places are not in common use. Towards the opposite door is a desk, the business end of a miller’s life, twine for fastening and the repair of sacks and general useage. A set of scales and their weights, and flour sacks ready for despatch with the Holgate Windmill emblem upon them. A sack truck, stiff brush, scoop electric motor and four iron support pillars complete the equipment on this floor.
The Stone floor
A set of wooden stairs lead up to the first floor (the stone floor). Dominating this floor are the four pairs of stones (three French Burr and one Peak) surrounded by wooden vats or tuns, horses, hoppers, shoes or slippers. The grain comes into the hopper through a chute from above into a shoe and into the eye of the stones to be ground into flour and down a chute for bagging. Here also are the tools to dress the stones; mill bills, thrifts, a tri-laminate proof wood, a proff steel in its box and a stiff brush. There are ropes, pulleys to raise the stones for dressing and various wedges including a manyheight.
The drive to the stones comes from the great spur wheel via stone nuts (small gear wheels) and quants. A lay shaft takes power elsewhere and the essential ‘hours run stone dressing reminder board’ hangs on the wall.
The bin floor
Next is the second floor. Not much room in here, just four bins for grains with chutes to the hoppers below a grain mixing spade. There are tie rods to the curb ring and a lay shaft probably for a bolter or grain cleaner and a pair of sack hoist doors. The only activity is the turning of the huge wooden vertical shaft in the middle.
The dust floor
And so to the third floor and the inner workings of the cap. The cap covers and sits on the mill body on a toothed curd ring which is geared to the fantail so that if the wind blows to one side or the other it will drive the whole cap round, keeping the sails facing the wind. Trundle wheels keep the cap centred and storm hatches give access to the sails and fantail. On the windshaft (axis for the sails) is the massive brakewheel that transfers the power from the horizontal to the vertical by use of the wallower which is intimated by its name, has a brake band encompassing it operated through a lever.
The cap
From the storm hatch we view the striking gear to the patent sails, fully shuttered and automatically cvontrolled via a bar which goes through the middle of the windshaft to a rack and pinion drive and then on to a wheel with an endless chain (weighted to one side) by which the miller can control the speed of the sails by opening and closing the shutters, gathering and spilling the wind depending on its strength.
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