Monday, March 29, 2010

The mill


Early in exploration of the UK we went to see the site of a flour mill operated by one of Phil's ancestors. This week we went to see a working flour mill, the Stainsby Mill. It's owned at operated by the National Trust and is on the Hardwick Hall estate. The volunteer guides were excellent and we were very pleased we'd called in to have a look. It's a three-story building, deceptive when you see one level from the road, has a millpond from which they regulate the water supply to the wheel, and grind various grades of corn and wheat. The grinding stones have to be reground every now and again and eventually replaced so they are often part of garden landscaping.



I was very interested to see that the millers traditionally wore smocked uniforms - often made by their wives.


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