Blackdown Mill, Punnetts Town

History

Blackdown Mill, was originally built at Three Chimneys, Cranbrook, Kent where she was known as the Cherry Clack Mill. She was dismantled and moved to Punnetts Town in 1859 to replace a post mill that had burnt down. The move was done by Neve's, the Heathfield millwrights. The mill was working by wind until the 1920s, when the mill became unable to turn to wind because of a broken curb. The mill was stripped of machinery and the cap and sails removed by Neve's in 1933.

In 1946, Archie Dallaway decided to restore the mill back to working order. A new cap, of a different design to the original was built. A new fantail fitted, and the windshaft from Staplecross Mill, which was demolished in 1951, was installed. Four new sails were made and fitted in 1972. Two pairs of millstones were installed, one pair coming from a watermill at Polegate. A third pair of stones was added later.

Description

Blackdown Mill is a three-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. It originally had Kentish-style cap, winded by a fantail. When last working for trade she had four patent sails. The mill drove two pairs of overdrift millstones, with a third pair worked by engine. A saw was also worked by the mill.

As restored, a beehive cap clad in aluminium is now carried, and the sails are now common sails. The sails are 26-foot-6-inch (8.08 m) long and 5-foot-3-inch (1.60 m) wide. The cap is winded by a 6 feet (1.83 m) diameter fantail. The cast-iron windshaft carries a 8-foot-4-inch (2.54 m) diameter oak brake wheel, which drives the original cast-iron wallower on a cast iron upright shaft. The great spur wheel is a replacement, built by Mr Dallaway. Three pairs of millstones are driven overdrift. Recent photos show that the mill is missing two sails and the fantail.

Millers

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