Waterhall Mill, Patcham

Westdene Windmill
The mill in 2005
Origin
Mill name	Westdene Mill
Mill location	TQ 292 086
Coordinates	50°51′43″N 0°09′58″W
Operator(s)	Private
Year built	1885
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Four storeys
No. of sails	Four sails
Type of sails	Spring Patent sails
Windshaft	cast iron
Winding	Fantail
Fantail blades	Five blades

Waterhall Mill, also known as Westdene Windmill, is a grade II listed tower mill at Westdene, Sussex, England which has been converted to residential use.

History

Waterhall Mill was built in 1885 by James Holloway, the Shoreham millwright. It was the last windmill built in Sussex, and was working until 1924. In World War II it was used by the Home Guard as a lookout post. The mill was converted into a house in 1963, retaining the machinery and externally restored. New sweeps (Sussex dialect for sails) were erected in 1972 The cap was partly rebuilt and new sweeps erected following a lightning strike in December 1990.

Description

For an explanation of the various pieces of machinery, see Mill machinery.

Waterhall Mill is a four-storey brick tower mill with a domed cap winded by a five-bladed fantail. It had four Spring Patent sails carried on a cast iron Windshaft. The iron Brake Wheel is fitted with Holloways screw brake. The mill drove three pairs of underdrift millstones.

The tower is 19 feet (5.79 m) diameter at the base and 13 feet (3.96 m) diameter at the curb, having an overall height to 40 feet (12.19 m) to the curb.

Millers

• Joseph Harris 1885 - 1903
• Bull - 1924

References

Bibliography

• Brunnarius, Martin (1979). The Windmills of Sussex. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-345-8.
• Nairn, Ian; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1965). The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071028-0.

Further reading

Hemming, Peter (1936). Windmills in Sussex. London: C W Daniel. Online version

External links

• Windmill World Page on Waterhall windmill.