by
Mildred Cookson, The Mills Archive, UK
Three years ago, this column featured a series on successful country mills that managed to adopt a roller system. I started with the Knapp Roller Mills near Bournemouth and concluded with the Earsham Roller Flour Mills on the River Waveney in Norfolk.
Returning to the theme, this one is local to where I live, so I visited it recently to see the mill today. The mill is now converted into private accommodation, but the owners have retained, and maintain in good repair, the two wooden waterwheels and the sluice gear. Set in the wall at the roadside entrance is one of the English peak millstones, a clue that the mill was almost certainly producing grist at one time.
This time, my source is an article in The Miller of May 5th, 1902, which asserted that at no time in the preceding 15 years had so much interest centered around the small country miller, who kept up to date the machinery and business, combining this with the energy, determination and character which they saw as the attributes of a successful man.
The article describes a visit by a party to this mill, notable for it being run by a family of millers and prompting the claim that if one wants something done well, it should be done by one’s self. The large Smith family provided many notable men in every department of the commercial and industrial enterprise; remarkable even in the milling trade which had a fair share of them.
Arriving at Reading by train from London, they were met by Mr Troke, a representative of Messrs JJ Armfield, milling engineers of Ringwood in Hampshire. He took the party on to the mill via another train to the small station at Thatcham, where the Chamber House Roller Mills was located on the River Kennet, set in a pretty spot.
Mr Henry Smith had been the tenant since 1882, when the mill ran with six pairs of millstones producing flour with a very good name. The mill did a splendid gristing trade and this appeared to have helped tide him over the long periods of trade depression and unprofitable flour milling. Mr Smith was described as being an ideal country miller, genial, generous, having a ready sympathy with all who are about him and a kindly interest in the affairs of his less-favoured brethren.
Read more HERE.
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| Mildred Cookson |
Three years ago, this column featured a series on successful country mills that managed to adopt a roller system. I started with the Knapp Roller Mills near Bournemouth and concluded with the Earsham Roller Flour Mills on the River Waveney in Norfolk.
Returning to the theme, this one is local to where I live, so I visited it recently to see the mill today. The mill is now converted into private accommodation, but the owners have retained, and maintain in good repair, the two wooden waterwheels and the sluice gear. Set in the wall at the roadside entrance is one of the English peak millstones, a clue that the mill was almost certainly producing grist at one time.
This time, my source is an article in The Miller of May 5th, 1902, which asserted that at no time in the preceding 15 years had so much interest centered around the small country miller, who kept up to date the machinery and business, combining this with the energy, determination and character which they saw as the attributes of a successful man.
The article describes a visit by a party to this mill, notable for it being run by a family of millers and prompting the claim that if one wants something done well, it should be done by one’s self. The large Smith family provided many notable men in every department of the commercial and industrial enterprise; remarkable even in the milling trade which had a fair share of them.
Arriving at Reading by train from London, they were met by Mr Troke, a representative of Messrs JJ Armfield, milling engineers of Ringwood in Hampshire. He took the party on to the mill via another train to the small station at Thatcham, where the Chamber House Roller Mills was located on the River Kennet, set in a pretty spot.
Mr Henry Smith had been the tenant since 1882, when the mill ran with six pairs of millstones producing flour with a very good name. The mill did a splendid gristing trade and this appeared to have helped tide him over the long periods of trade depression and unprofitable flour milling. Mr Smith was described as being an ideal country miller, genial, generous, having a ready sympathy with all who are about him and a kindly interest in the affairs of his less-favoured brethren.
Read more HERE.
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