A HISTORY OF BUCKLAND WINDMILL
Yewdells
Yewdells is a timber-framed cottage, listed as Grade II, believed to have been
built in 1713. It is within the old boundary of the Buckland Court Estate, 2
miles west of
Reigate
. The Estate
owned the house until 1924. Early
tenants of the house were three generations of the Udall’s family
(c.1690-1740), after whom the house is now named.
John Udall (1688-1782) is recorded as a carpenter who trained
apprentices.
The 1841 census is the first record of the Sanders family being the tenants of
Yewdells, since when five successive generations have occupied the house through
to 1985. The first four generations
were each carpenters for the Buckland Court Estate: James Sanders (1762-1839),
his son James (1801-1868), his son Thomas (1835-1917), and his son Francis
(1867-1955) who purchased the house from the Estate in 1924.
Discovering
the Windmill
In the
garden
of
Yewdells
is a windmill which for many years was not well maintained,
and used as a coal and wood store. It
was largely hidden from view of the road by a mature yew tree, whose trunk was
only 1 foot from the mill. Many
components of the mill, including the four shuttered sails, fantail and several
cog patterns were stored and in good condition.
There is no surviving evidence of millstones or other machinery which the
mill might have powered.
In
January 1995, the new owners of Yewdells contacted the Society for Protection of
Ancient Buildings (SPAB, Mills Section) asking for an opinion on the windmill.
We were visited by several windmill experts during 1995, and all were
surprised by its’ existence. This
is not least because
Surrey
and Inner London was subject to a comprehensive published
study of windmills past and present, by Farries & Mason in 1966.
Buckland mill was not mentioned in their book.
The
experts were of the view that it was ‘designed to work’, but the components
showed so little sign of wear that they may never even have been assembled.
In other words, the project may have been abandoned before completion.
Sawmill
Workshop
Three elements of circumstantial evidence point to the Buckland mill being
designed as a sawmill and workshop. Firstly,
the size and structure is smaller than a grain mill, but similar to a limited
number of wind-powered sawmill workshops around the
UK
, including Punnett’s Town (
Sussex
), Freckleton (
Lancashire
) and Horsell (
Surrey
). Although
documented, none of these small sawmills now survive.
Typically, they would have powered a circular saw bench (perhaps outside
to allow access for long timbers), a lathe, drilling and morticing machines and
grindstones for tool sharpening.
Secondly, is the fact that Yewdells has been the home of the estate carpenters
for generations, creating the need for powered saws and giving access to
materials and building skills.
Thirdly, Yewdells was the site of a commercial,
outdoor steam sawmill from 1892 to 1950. Francis
Sanders is described in directories of the time as ‘Steam Sawyer’.
A ‘Wantage’ Traction Engine, bought by Mr Sanders for £475 in 1900,
was linked to stationary sawing equipment from 1900 to 1950.
Yewdells is still registered as a sawmill in Kelly’s Directory of 1951.
Buckland Mill is therefore probably the only wind-powered sawmill
workshop surviving in the
UK
.
Date
of Construction & Millwright
The
yew tree growing just one foot from the mill was felled in 1995, with
permission. It had 120 rings, and as
the mill almost certainly pre-dated the tree, this suggests a construction date
of pre-1875. The
1846 Tithe Map and Ordnance Survey maps of 1869 and 1914 all show outbuildings
in the approximate location of the windmill, but there is no windmill symbol,
and thus the maps offer no particular dating evidence.
Inside the mill is a cast-iron plaque naming "W Cooper,
Engineer, Henfield". William
Cooper was a millwright, working from
Henfield
,
Sussex
, who probably designed the workings of the mill. William’s
company was active from 1854 to his death in 1876, when he was shot by his own
son, who served 20 years in prison for his misdemeanour!
Thus
the best indicative date of the Yewdells windmill is c. 1860-1876.
Construction
Standing
on a shallow brick foundation, the mill is a 12 x 12 foot, two-storey structure
with a flat lead roof, from which rises a tapered round tower to a height of 9
feet.
The small (3 ft) cap sits on top of the tower,
enabling the 9 foot shuttered sails to rotate above the flat roof.
The overall height to the top of the sails is 38 feet.
Some of the structural timbers are 'adzed' rather than
sawn and are probably significantly older than the date of construction.
The village
church
of
St Mary
the Virgin was rebuilt in 1860, and as this date is
contemporary with the likely build-date, some of the timbers used in the mill
may be from the old church. The internal structural timbers are arranged in X-patterned
panels, with timbers up to about 8" x 6".
It is clad in black coal tar-stained weatherboard, with riven oak
shingles on the steeply pitched roof and tower (1996).
The first floor is reached by a ladder staircase, and further steps give
access to the turret above.
Listing
In June 1997, at the owner’s request, the
Windmill was granted listed Grade II status by the Department of National
Heritage. They confirmed that this
is the only known surviving wind-powered sawmill in the
UK
.
