Mountnessing Windmill

MOUNTNESSING

TQ69NW ROMAN ROAD 723-1/6/473 (North side (off)) 29/12/52 Mountnessing Windmill (Formerly Listed as: BRENTWOOD THOBY LANE, Mountnessing The Windmill)

II*

Windmill. 1807. For the Agnis family, owners and millers. Restored 1979-83. Roundhouse of red brick in Flemish bond, roofed with sheet metal over boarding; brick timber-framed and weatherboarded, roofed with sheet metal over boards. Roundhouse 16-sided, with two C20 plain boarded doors, conical roof. Buck slightly bayed on weather face. Two C20 fixed lights in each side, and 2 more at rear. Tailpole and steps to C20 plain boarded door at rear. Barrel vault roof. 4 single-shuttered spring sails. Sited on a mound. The original cross-trees, quarter bars and post are mounted on stepped brick piers (the W pier repaired, all the packing pieces renewed, bolted splints on 3 of the quarter bars and cross-tree ends). Original tail pole, original large timbers to steps, treads renewed. The buck was rebuilt 1979-83 by Vincent Pargeter, staff millwright to Essex County Council, retaining the original crown-tree, side girts, weather beam, spindle beam, tail beam, 2 sills, and some lesser timbers; the left side girt is reinforced internally with a rolled steel joist. 2 pairs of under-driven head stones of French burr; one runner has been removed for demonstration. Cast-iron windshaft from the working mill, but probably second-hand when originally installed there. Wooden brake wheel and wallower rebuilt, retaining parts of the originals. All the internal fittings and machinery have been built since 1979 by Peter Stenning of Kent and Richard Seago of Norfolk; some framing of the original bins retained and reused. Many graffiti on the post include pictures of windmills, an inscription Penny, 1821' and anotherW Cadman, 1827'. Painted date 1807 on crown-tree. HISTORICAL NOTE: the mill was built and operated by the Agnis family continuously form 1807 to 1924, and again briefly 1932-3, acquired by Mountnessing Parish Council in 1956, and later by Essex County Council. It is the second windmill in Essex to be restored to working order, the first being at Aythorpe Roding. New machinery and fittings. (Farries KG: Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights: 1985-: 80-83; Historic Buildings in Essex 3: Wooding R: Mountnessing Windmill: 1986-: 2-4; Wooding R & Pargeter VG: Mountnessing Windmill, its history, restoration and how it works: undated).

Listing NGR: TQ6309997967