Watermill Blog -  Running Water
1st July 2008

The team working on the Court House have been back on site for a few days now and today they asked for our help.

They needed to fit a grill below the the overspill weir to prevent anything solid from travelling down the culvert, so they asked us to lower the water level to stop the flow over the weir.

As a result we ran the wheel for about half an hour in the morning and then for a couple of hours in the afternoon, the longest period of running attempted so far. The local Parish Councillor was pleased to see the wheel running, the first time he has ever seen it running although he has childhood memories of the mill lying idle. He believes that the wheel last ran in 1925, so it rested (and rusted) for 72 years until we got it moving late last year.

With the weir running dry we lowered the grill into the opening while Kevin from the Court House team crouched below it to mark and drill the bolt holes to fix it into place.

After a brief tea break while the holes were drilled we lowered the grill back down and Kevin bolted it in place. From underneath. He had planned ahead however and equipped himself with a headlight so that he could exit through the culvert. He emerged into the farmyard a couple of minutes later, only slightly damp.

Other jobs today included painting, including one the new windows on the top floor of the mill. Martyn drew the short straw and went up the ladder to do this bit.

Bob stayed firmly on the ground and applied top coat to much of the woodwork that was undercoated last week.

A start was made on fitting new wooden cogs in the crown wheel that drives the sack hoist. This job had to pause while the wheel was running, of course. It would be difficult to insert the cogs into their sockets with the crown wheel doing 50 rpm!

Richard made some progress renewing the glazing bars in one of the remaining casements and Kim glazed another. He has mixed the remaining original glass with new panes and intends to do the same the other side of the front door.

Jonathan made himself generally useful and showed his great expertise cleaning windows by removing all Kim's fingerprints from the new glazed windows.

John did some brick infilling above one of the windows and Derek attacked the weeds and built a bonfire. A satisfying day for all concerned.

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