1790
Smock mill built
Lower Mill at Dalham is thought to have been built around this date.
Site overview
Lower Mill at Dalham is a restored smock corn mill. It is thought to date from around 1790 and was damaged in a storm in 1802. The mill worked into the twentieth century and was last operated in 1926.
It was bought for preservation in 1969 and was partly restored in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The four-floor smock tower stands on a stepped single-storey brick base and retains internal machinery, including underdriven stones and a replacement cast-iron windshaft.
Map
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.
No site photograph is currently available. Images will be added as field visits are carried out.
History
Lower Mill at Dalham is a smock corn mill, distinguished from another nearby mill at Ashley. It is thought to date from around 1790 and shares characteristics with other smock mills erected in the region by Ballingdon millwrights. The mill was damaged in a storm in 1802.
The Ruffle family were associated with the mill from about that time until 1855, followed by later millers including J. Dunning, A. Simpson, J. and J. Tabraham, and Robinson and Turner. The mill last operated in 1926. It later lost its fantail but remained preserved and was bought by an enthusiast in 1969.
Restoration followed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The smock tower has four floors above a stepped brick base. The machinery is mostly wooden, with a clasp-arm brake wheel, crown wheel, great spur wheel, wooden stone nuts, sack hoist drive, three pairs of underdriven millstones, and a replacement cast-iron windshaft.
Timeline
1802
Storm damage
The mill was damaged in a storm.
1926
Last operation
The mill was last operated in this year.
1969
Bought for preservation
The preserved mill was bought by an enthusiast.
1970–1989
Restoration carried out
The mill was partly restored during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Sources and records
Windmill World site entry
Mills Archive mill database entry
Historic England National Heritage List entry
Muggeridge Collection photographs
Mills Archive mill database entry
Historic England National Heritage List entry
Muggeridge Collection photographs