Beacon Mill, Rottingdean

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The mill in 2006
The mill in 2006

Beacon Mill or New Mill (TQ 366 025 50°48′22″N 0°03′47″W / 50.806, -0.063) is a grade II listed[1] smock mill at Rottingdean, Sussex, England which has been restored as a seamark.

Contents

[edit] History

Beacon Mill, was built in 1802. There are records of an earlier mill on the site, thought to have been a post mill.[2] during the digging of the foundations, a human skeleton was found.[3] The mill was working until 1881[2] and by 1890 was in such bad condition that demolition was considered. In 1905, the Marquis of Abergavenny had the mill repaired, but she was derelict again by the early 1920s. It was 1935 before she was restored again, the millwrighting being done by Neve's of Heathfield and new sails were made by Holman's, the Canterbury millwrights. In 1969, the mill was leaning to the north east, and Hole's, the Burgess Hill millwrights erected a steel frame inside the smock to support the mill, and fitted new sails.[3] The steel framing was extended into the cap in 1974[2]

[edit] Description

View from golf course
View from golf course
For an explanation of the various pieces of machinery, see Mill machinery.

Beacon Mill is a three storey smock mill on a single storey brick base. It has a Kentish style cap, and four Patent sails sails. It originally had a fantail, but this is now missing.[3]


[edit] Millers

  • Thomas Beard 1802 -
  • George Nicholls 1877 - 1881

References for above:-[3]

[edit] Culture and Media

Beacon Mill featured on the front cover of the album "Vale Industrial" by Brighton band "The Tenderfoot".[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ ROTTINGDEAN WINDMILL AT NGR 365 024, NEVILL ROAD (north off), BRIGHTON, BRIGHTON AND HOVE, EAST SUSSEX. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
  2. ^ a b c (1977) The Story of the Rottingdean Windmill. Rottingdean: The Rottingdean Preservation Society, (leaflet). 
  3. ^ a b c d Brunnarius, Martin (1979). The Windmills of Sussex. Chichester: Philimore, p63-64, 190. ISBN 0 85033 345 8. 
  4. ^ Rottingdean windmill on album cover. Windmill World. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

Hemming, Peter (1936). Windmills in Sussex. London: C W Daniel.  Online version

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Sussex Windmills
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Surviving smock mills
Surviving tower mills
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