MEOPHAM WINDMILL RESTORATION

• Meopham Windmill

Available material:

An account of the restoration - Peter Cobley

Listed Grade II*. This smock mill was built in 1821 by the Killick brothers, a well-known Kentish milling family and is the last in a line of mills serving Meopham. It was built as a 'model' mill to demonstrate milling and was consequently very well constructed. John Norton and his nephew took over the mill from Thomas Killick in 1889, and in 1959 the Nortons transferred the mill to KCC. The machinery is complete and capable of grinding if the surrounding screen trees are removed. The mill is situated within the Green Conservation Area in the centre of Meopham and forms a highly distinctive feature in the village. The original engine house is used as the parish office and the ground floor of the mill for parish meetings.

When surveyed, the mill was found to be in reasonable condition. The weatherboarding, though not tarred for many years, only needed replacing on the cap and minor repairs were needed to the structure. I took the decision to remove the cap in any case and as a result the cap frame and smock curb and curb cogs could be properly assessed. This exposed structural problems that had to be dealt with because the cap is unlikely to be removed again for many years. The breast beam and one failed rib has been replaced and one other rib part- replaced with a wedged scarf matching the other ribs. All the timber cogs have been replaced in the smock curb. The fact that the mill continued to turn satisfactorily for many years is very much to the credit of the original builders particularly since some of the replacement cogs were made from mahogany furniture legs.

The opportunity has been taken to improve the weathering details of the fan stage frame and modify the weatherboarding at the cap ridge, the latter being a weak point for water ingress in all our mills. Late in the contract, removing oak slats on the reefing stage exposed wet rot in the supports. Replacement of these and all the slats was considered essential. In order to extend their life, the supports have been tarred and new oak slats bedded in wet tar.

As with all the mills, I commissioned a millwright knowledgeable in Kentish mill detailing to produce a drawing enabling the restoration of the original sweep design to be reproduced.

Discussions with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Wind and Watermills Section and the HLF monitor are closely maintained on this and all the other mills. The award of a Hanson Land Fill Tax grant and a grant from Gravesham Council means that three funding bodies are involved and this complicates the administrative process. Mature trees are a problem since they block wind and prevent the mill turning and restoring its setting should also be a priority.

The photograph above shows the mill during the course of restoration work. The cap has been removed and the curb is being inspected by Mildred Cookson, Heritage Lottery Fund monitor. The millwright in charge of the repairs, Anthony Hole, looks on.