Millstones, Ashford Mill

This is an intact pair of millstones and their associated equipment. We have six pairs of these in the mill.

Essentially, corn was poured into the large triangular chute from above. It travelled down the smaller chutes onto the millstones which ground it to flour. The flour was discharged underneath and packed into bags on the floor below.

The arcing metal strip is there to lift the millstones to maintain and clean them. The set here is a mixture of 18th century and 19th century origin.

If there is enough interest, I will post a blip of the actual machinery which turns the millstones tomorrow, it is quite breathtaking to think it is so old and how ingenious our ancestors were!

We are attempting to obtain permission to restore the mill, but it is slow, difficult and bureaucracy has gone mad!!