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Stembridge Tower Mill - WindmillHigh Ham, Somerset The Last remaining Thatched Windmill in England
Stembridge Tower Mill in High Ham, Somerset, is the last remaining thatched windmill in England. It is the last survivor of five windmills that once existed in the area. A Tower Mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The advantage of the tower mill over the earlier post mill is that it is not necessary to turn the whole mill ("body", "buck") with all its machinery into the wind, this allows more space for the machinery as well as for storage. In the earliest tower mills the cap was turned into the wind with a long tail-pole which stretched down to the ground at the back of the mill. Later an endless chain was used which drove the cap through gearing as is used at Stembridge. Constructed in 1822, including parts from the earlier Ham Mill which stood nearby, it was damaged by storms and left running via steam by 1897/8 and last used commercially in 1910. In 1969 Professor H. H. Bellot left the windmill, cottage and garden to the National Trust in his will. The mill has four floors, a thatched cap and is constructed of local limestone known in the area as Blue Lias. The remains of the old bakehouse can still be seen to the rear of the mill. Based on information from Wikipedia. The mill can also be rented as a holiday home. When we visited I was aware it was owned by the National Trust but unaware we could go around the outside of the mill when it is not open. However I don't think I would have got any better photos from inside the National Trust grounds. I was able to get the top left photo from the road and the top right from a field next to the mill. There is a limit to the angle that you can take from, the hedge was immediately on my left, the other option would be a high vehicle or steps to get a view over the field hedge. Further information Grid
Planning Grid
Please let us know any other information that we can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote the CIN Page Ref at the bottom of the Planning Grid above. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area. Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow. |
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