SRS event in June 2003 –
The Three Mills Tour
A tour to the biggest
tidal mill in UK - the House Mill
Last year, some research students founded the Society
of Research Students (SRS) at City University, in order to overcome the
isolation of a postgraduate study for Master or Doctor of Philosophy. Our
mission is to create a university wide research student community. We meet up
regularly, exchange information, and organise common events. Every research
student can join us and propose his/her own ideas for an event.
In June
2003, we organized a trip to the biggest tidal-mill in the UK, the House Mill,
which is located on the Three Mills Island between Stratford and Bromley by
Bow, East-London. At this Web-side, we show some pictures from this trip.
Now, it may be time to introduce myself. My name is
Reinhold Kloos and I am a PhD-student at the department of computing, School of
Informatics. As a co-founder of the SRS, I have organized some events in the
past. Since I have been a tourist guide at the House Mill for a quite long
time, it was clear that I would invite fellow research students for a
sightseeing-tour. On 12th June, the expedition started. Here we have
just arrived at the Three Mills Island. In the background is the clock mill
with one of its kilns (a granary with a chimney like facility on the top of the
roof for drying stored grain). On the left, mainly covered by the sign, is the
above-mentioned House Mill, the object of our tour.
The
Three Mill island is one of many islands in the long-time industrial used river
Lea running through East London. The river Lea flows into the river Thames. The
tidal differences of the river Thames also generate differences of the water
level of the river Lea in this area, which are up to 7 metres. We arrived at
Three Mills, when it was obviously low tide. Thus, we had a good chance to look
under the House Mill, with its four waterwheels and the tidal passage in the
middle. Visible are also the facilities at the end of this passage, where in
former time was a tidal gate, which automatically opened, when the tide rose
and closed, when the tide went out. This led to a damming of the water on the
other side of the mill. The dammed tidal water provided then the energy for the
running of the mill (up to 8 hours!).
The
grain was delivered in sacks. Thus, it is a good idea to have a sack hoist in
the mill. Here, I am standing on the highest level of the house mill with the
machinery of the sack hoist in the background. From this level, the grain was
distribute
d into
several granary bins on the next level.
In the picture, my fellow students were just standing
in such a bin. The round covered holes in the floor were openings to the next
level: the smutting and dressing floor.
The
Smutting and Dressing Floor were a muddle of machinery, gearing, and chutes.
The chutes delivered the grain from the granary of the upper level for cleaning
before the milling process (smutting process).
In the
picture, I show the trap door of the sack hoist. The miller had to count the
number of banging noises of these trap doors, in order to figure out at which
level the hoisted sacks just were. In order to gain cleaner flour for bread and
cake, the flour had to be cleaned again. Therefore, sacks of flour were again
lifted from the ground level to this level for the dressing process.
In the picture
models for explaining the functioning of a water mill and a tidal mill
specifically are shown.
Theory is one thing; to test the gearing of a mill is
another one!
The milling floor is located under the smutting and
dressing floor. Hoppers delivered the prepared grain to the milling stones. I
always loved to give a history of milling stones at this level.
A complete pair of stones, with a hopper, a shoe, and
a damsel. A damsel scratched and shuffled the grain between the stones. This
process was very noisy. Maybe this was the reason that this term found its
entrance in the English language with a transferred meaning!
Finally, we arrived at ground level of the mill, which
hosted the waterwheels, the gearing, and control facilities. Compared with a
ship, the ground floor was machine room and bridge at the same time. The
picture shows the gearing. It is easy to prove that the model fits with the
real gearing. I wished that the proof of theory could be just as easy in my
studies, too!
These are the chutes, which delivered the flour
directly from the milling stones into sacks. In the background is one of four
waterwheels.
The tour is over! A last group picture in the miller’s
house.
We had to
say farewell to the mill, shown from the rear in the picture. There is a lot
more to say about the mill, but I do not have the space here. For all, who want
to get more information about the mill, here is a web-address: http://home.freeuk.com/david.charters/threemills/contents.htm.
Perhaps, it is me, who will show you around.
At least, my fellow students enjoyed their experience:
Yours sincerely
Reinhold Kloos