Geograph - photograph every grid square

Two Mills and Local Churches

The last few days have been quite busy, I was planning to go to Denver windmill as it was closer than Lode watermill. However I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and try and look around Pakenham windmill (on the way to LWM). I had seen four old pictures of the internals on flickr of PWM but other than that there was nothing on the internet. Externally there are many on geograph (including mine from the summer) and around the web. I called the owner and arranged a visit, I was first blessed with the mill in the correct position facing the sun and a blue sky. The weather forecast was cloudy (although this later caught up on me).
I was given the key and had free access to the entire building. On entering I found it was still in use, bags of animal seed and industrial hoppers. The nice thing was that it was still commercial and had not been tourist proofed meaning no guards to hamper photography.
The next floor (out of 5) was sited the governors (2) along with the tentering beams and flour bins. The flour machinery hasn't been touched in years resulting in cobwebs. Up again gets me to the stones, there are two in this room along with a modern rolling machine for the animal feed. Also the great spur wheel and stone nuts provide the gearing.
One floor up is the bin room, very cramped with a modern machine (possibly a sifter of some sort) and the old grain bins. A window provides a view of the watermill in the same square. One more small set of ladders and I'm in the cap, the large brake wheel and wallower take up most of the space. There are also two sack hoists, one is in use and driven by electric. The modern one uses chain, this saved the mill in the 1970s when it was struck by lightning, earthing the energy. The simple cap turning mechanism can also be seen and is like that at Great Bircham.


In the same square is Micklemere reserve, when I visited in the summer this was as good as a grass field, not much in terms of species. However in the winter some of the land had flooded bringing in many geese and others. The hide giving a good view of the action in front.


Next was Lode watermill at Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge, this was a fair old drive for me on my scooter and even though I had learned from previous trips and prepared I still froze. It was worth the pain though as the mill was wonderful. First of all I had to walk at a fast pace to beat the large cloud formation threatening to block the sun. I just made the last few bursts of sunlight before it said goodbye. First passing the impressive Himalayan birches that are cleaned twice a year!
Inside is the usual mill type stuff, a nice on show pit wheel and wallower along with tentering beams. No governors in this example. Upstairs are four pairs of stones, one working, one complete but unused and the other two in bits. A nice working flour sifter can be seen as well. Upstairs is the grain cleaner and grain bins along with information about the mills past. Interesting pictures show its former use as a cement works. Alongside were 6 limekilns and I think a quarry, all linked with a tramway. A glimpse can be made of the sack hoist on the final level (closed).
Outside a volunteer had opened the wheel house giving a good view of the breast-shot wheel, then they started it for 5 minutes pleasing all the visitors.


A few days before I have been out for an hour (to get some fresh air), I geographed the churches of Ellough, Weston and Hulver/Henstead. These are already well geographed but nothing wrong with a few more. Plus the fact they are only a short drive from where I live. The Norman doorways at Henstead were certainly worth a look although a dog walker looked at me rather funny.

When

Thu, 6 Jan 2011 at 11:46