2023

SD3342 : Marsh Mill, Thornton - tentering governor

taken 2 years ago, near to Thornton, Lancashire, England

Marsh Mill, Thornton - tentering governor
Marsh Mill, Thornton - tentering governor
This is the governor on one set of French burr stones and is actually on the shaft that supports the runner stone. This is akin to pulling oneself up by your bootstraps.
Marsh Mill

Marsh Mill is an 18th-century tower windmill in Thornton. Built in 1794 by Ralph Slater for local landowner Bold Hesketh, it functioned as a corn mill until the 1920s and has since been fully restored. Although the sails do not turn at present, there is much original machinery. It is a good example of a complete English windmill and has been designated a Grade II* listed building (English Heritage Building ID: 184793 LinkExternal link British Listed Buildings). Standing at over seventy feet in height, Marsh Mill is the tallest in Europe (LinkExternal link ).

Wyre Council provides a brief history of the mill at LinkExternal link .

Tentering - molinological application

In a mill context, tentering is changing the distance (gap) between the runner stone and the bed stone. Decreasing the distance results in a finer grain. As the stones go faster there is a natural tendency for the runner to rise and the tentering mechanism can be adjusted to counter this. In many windmills this is done by a governor that automatically compensates for the tendency of the runner to rise. In watermills it is done by hand with mechanisms of varying elegance. In this case, the second order lever at the bottom raises or lowers the footstep bearing that the spindle carrying the stone nut is supported by. The adjustment is by a vertical lead screw on the other side of the frame and in easy reach of the miller.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Chris Allen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Place: Thornton Primary Subject: Windmill other tags: Tower Windmill Fylde Milling Machinery Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
SD3342, 63 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Chris Allen   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 17 September, 2023   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 24 November, 2023
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 3356 4255 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:52.4927N 3:0.7216W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 3356 4255
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Image Type (about): inside 
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