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© Courtesy of David Hutton |
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Going through the mill |
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Post mills, one of the earliest types, were named as such because of the large upright post on which the body or main structure was balanced. These mills were powered by animals, with the miller constantly checking the wind's position. Post mills were consequently difficult to operate.
Smock mills superseded post mills. Their name came from the agrarian worker's costume they resembled. These mills had a fixed wooden body with a rotating cap. Their main advantage was their increased size, enabling increased productivity.
© Courtesy of David Hutton
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Finally, the tower mill arrived. The wooden body was replaced by bricks, making it bigger and stronger. The tower mill had a rotating cap powered by fantails, meaning the miller no longer had to check the wind direction.
Marsh Mill - A turbulent past
Fields of oats, corn and barley surrounded the hamlet of Little Thornton. Villagers from Little Thornton and Thornton Marsh used Marsh Mill to grind their corn; hence the mill became an essential part of daily life from its inception in the late 1700s.
© Courtesy of David Hutton
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Completed in 1794, Marsh Mill was commissioned by local squire Bold Fleetwood Hesketh. The Heskeths were an influential family. Fleetwood's ancestors built Meols Hall in Southport, a distinctive local building. Hesketh decided to build the mill after draining much of the land around Thornton Marsh, transforming it into fertile arable land.
Designed by Ralph Slater, Marsh Mill was a testament to the engineering of the time and is still one of the largest mills in Europe. It stands at 70 feet (21 metres) tall.
In Victorian times, the mill belonged to Bold's nephew Peter, a business risk-taker. His failing fortunes forced him to sell the mill to Parkinson and Tomlinson in 1896.
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