Cover Story
October.

'Did I not tell you they were windmills, and that nobody could think other wise, unless he had also windmills in his head.'
(Cervantes 1547-1616)

So said the servant Sancho Panza to Don Quixote after the old knight had done war with his chimaeras, and tilted at windmills. This is certainly a windmill and is a photograph of the Bungay round windmill taken circa 1910. The mill has a fantail to keep the mill to windward and she appears to have patent sails fitted on both pairs of sails. It was William Cubitt, a miller's son from Norfolk who invented the combined spring and roller reefing sail in 1807. The full ogee cap is of the kind fitted by Whitmore and Binyon, the famous Wickham Market millwrights founded circa 1780. It is a member of the Binyon family who's words we hear every Remembrance Day. Although this windmill is still standing, it has not been used as a mill for many years. It went out of commission after being struck by lightening, now, like many of the remaining windmills it is a private dwelling. It was over 80 years ago that the last windmill was built in East Anglia and of the 40 millwrights in Norfolk and Suffolk of a hundred years ago, Thomas Smithdale and Son of Acle, who closed the business over 20 years ago, was probably the last of the old wrights.

As we travel round East Anglia and see the remaining windmills and pumps they look like permanent structures and landmarks, but during the heyday of the mill it was quite a regular thing to see windmills for sale for removal to other sites. Often the mills were transported by barge. Many of the round windmills started life as post mills but were converted or rebuilt after moving. Great Yarmouth boasted the tallest windmill in England.

Sadly, many windmills have now been demolished and only the place names are left to remind us of this once vital trade. Score 1 point for every 'Mill Hoo," Mill Hill' or 'Mill Lane" you have seen whilst travelling round East Anglia! There are now several windmills that have been restored to former glory and are open to the public; these are well worth a visit.

It is many years ago that I was lucky enough to visit a working windmill, the elusion of tranquillity as the sails waft around on a hill top in the distance, was soon evaporated as, once inside you could hear the clatter of the sails, the creak and crunch of gearing and the grinding of the stone. It was more akin to being on board a sailing clipper than in an English village.

It is sad that these fine-engineered ladies are all but gone, their era was the 60's, real 1860's 'flour power'.

October Roman; Octo, the eighth month,
Saxon; Wynmonath, wine month or Winterfulleh, winter hill moon.
Old French; Vende Maine, time of vintage.