Thelnetham Windmill
The earliest record of a windmill in Thelnetham was a post mill which was shown of Joseph Hodgkinson's map of Suffolk of 1778.From 1892, a portable steam engine was used as auxiliary power, driving an extra pair of millstones on the ground floor.[3] The mill passed to his daughter, who sold it in 1974 to Mr and Mrs Humphries,[5][9] who intended to convert it into a house.[10] Thelnetham windmill was purchased by five members of the Suffolk Mills Group in November 1979, and plans for restoration were made.The Locomobile lorry that George Vincent had lived in, now restored to its original army condition, was present.Polythene sheets were spread on the dust floor of the mill to prevent further water penetration of the structure.[3] On 3 August 1980, the windshaft and remaining sail fragments were removed by a mobile crane, followed by the cap frame and the cast-iron curb sections.Some of the joists were made from pitch pine from the Eastbridge Windpump, which, following its collapse on 19 February 1977,[10] had been re-erected at the Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket.New floorboards were laid in the dust floor, the 1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) thick elm boards being double-grooved with a metal tongue between them.The top four courses of brickwork of the mill tower were removed and work began on rebuilding them, aided by a trammel attached to the upright shaft.The dust floor window had a reinforced concrete lintel cast as the tower was weak at this point and had distorted.[9] After the work-in had finished, the boarding of the stone floor was completed and the mill thoroughly cleaned in preparation for an open day which was held in late autumn.The project received further coverage in local media, the Eastern Daily Press,[11] and South Norfolk News.The mill was generally made as safe as possible inside in preparation for scheduled visits, including one from the Wind and Watermill Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.The weather hampered the work initially, but the application of a modern microporous paint, designed to withstand normal movement of the timber and yet remain waterproof, was completed in time for the lift-on.Pakenham Watermill had previously benefited from the project, and its owners, the Suffolk Preservation Trust, had suggested that Thelnetham Windmill would be a good candidate for the scheme.An underground cable was laid with assistance from British Telecom who were trialling a thrust borer which had been developed at their research facility at Martlesham Heath.[22] Other work undertaken by the apprentices involved repairing some frost damage to the foundation brickwork, digging a drainage trench around the mill and moving the auxiliary engine into position.A 21 horsepower (16 kW) Ruston & Hornsby 4YHR diesel engine had been purchased in 1981 and was fitted onto a permanent concrete base with the aid of a mobile crane.The original brake wheel was 6 feet (1.83 m) diameter to allow the Common sails to run at their optimum speed.The opinion of professional millwrights was sought, and it was decided that a scaled-up version of the original brake wheel would be made, but retaining the cast iron teeth segments.[22] The stocks and sails were made during the two work-ins held in July and August, a total of 41 people attending over the two weeks.The timber used was 1+1⁄2 inches (38 mm) thick and nine laminations were required at the centre, where the stock passes through the poll end of the windshaft.Four 27 feet (8.23 m) long whips were cut from a baulk of pitch pine obtained from a demolished maltings at Bury St Edmunds.Other work included a new frame for one of the ground floor doors, cleaning and painting ironwork and further repointing on the brickwork.In the end, the removal was not proceeded with, and Mr Benham allowed the donation to remain with the Thelnetham Mill Preservation Trust.[5] The four-storey tower is built of brick, and stands 31 feet 5 inches (9.58 m) from ground level to the curb.The pepperpot cap sits on top of the tower, giving the mill an overall height of 45 feet (13.72 m) to the finial.The cast-iron wallower, which is driven by the brake wheel is carried at the top of the upright shaft, in the centre of the mill.A third pair of 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) diameter French Burr millstones is located on a hurst frame,[5] driven by the auxiliary engine via a fast and loose pulley.
Corn millTower millDouble Patent sailsCast ironFantailPortable steam engineoil engineRuston & Hornsbydiesel engineGrade II* listedThelnethamSuffolkEnglandMill machinerypost millNorfolkmillwrightKing's LynnKenninghallHornsbyGarboldishamLocomobilepolling stationEuropean Parliament election in MayGeneral Election in DecemberScaffoldingpitch pinemaltingsBury St EdmundsjoistsCommon sailEastbridge WindpumpMuseum of East Anglian LifeStowmarketSt Edmundsbury Borough CouncilBBC Look EastEastern Daily PressEast Anglian Daily TimesDaily TelegraphRadio OrwellmillstonesDeath Watch beetlestrammelfinialHistoric Buildings CouncilSociety for the Protection of Ancient BuildingswindlassnoggingsgalvanisedmicroporousAdnams BrewerySouthwoldBlo' NortonWomen's InstituteNational Association for Gifted ChildrenEastern Electricity BoardPakenhamWatermillelectricityBritish Telecomresearch facilityMartlesham HeathFrench drainDouglas firlaminatedeccentricEnglish HeritageHervey Benhamderelict post mill buckAnglia TelevisionAbout Angliaflour dresserHistoric EnglandNational Heritage List for EnglandRamsey WindmillBedfordshireCambridgeshireAshdonAythorpe RodingBocking ChurchstreetClaveringDebdenFinchingfieldFryerningGreat BardfieldGreat DunmowMountnessingOrsettRamseyRayleighSouth OckendonStansted MountfitchetTerlingThaxtedTiptreeToppesfieldWhite RodingHertfordshireArdeleyBrent PelhamCroxley GreenKing's WaldenNorth MymmsWestonAslactonAylshamBlakeneyBillingfordStaitheCarbrookeCastonCatfieldDenverEast DerehamEast HarlingEast RuntonEast WrethamGaytonGreat BirchamGreat EllinghamHicklingHindringhamIngleboroughOld BuckenhamThrigbyWest Winch