Threshing Mill

128/0/10009

DALSTON HAWKSDALE PASTURE Threshing Mill

13-JAN-03

II Farm outbuilding. Late C19 with minor C20 alterations. Rubble sandstone with sandstone dressings, quoins and a Westmorland slate roof laid to diminishing courses.

PLAN: Linear plan with integral wheelhouse and wheelpit.

EXTERIOR: West elevation. 3 storeys, 5 bays with 2 window openings to ground and first floors, and 3 smaller openings to first floor, all with flush surrounds. Tall taking-in door to south end of upper floor. At ground floor level towards south end, wide opening below shallow arch with dressed voussoirs, now blocked, formerly access to internal wheelhouse. North gable with quoined doorways at north-west corner to ground and first floors, the latter now a window. Small rectangular opening to gable apex.

INTERIOR: The building retains an internal wheelhouse, with wheelpit and undershot water wheel, an upright shaft with toothed drive wheel and spur wheels to transfer the power through horizontal line shafting, some of which survives in-situ. Timber floors with closely-spaced joists are supported on heavy cross beams. In situ threshing and chopping machinery, and powered hoist mechanism. Tie beam trusses with diagonally-set ridge purlins and trenched and lapped side purlins.

A well preserved and little altered example of a late C19 powered farm outbuilding designed to house processing machinery driven from an internal waterwheel, and which retains its wheelhouse, water wheel, power transmission and some processing machinery.