Remains of sack hoist at Squeen Mill, Ballaugh.
In the study on which this report is based, a watermill is defined as:- Any
plant now, or formerly, driven by a water- wheel - although during the survey,
it was found necessary to extend the study to include horse mills. A great variety
of trades used watermills, and even in a region as small as the Isle of Man,
the variety of uses was quite considerable. The Ordnance Survey, which in Man
roughly coincided with the period of most extensive use of watermills, names
the following types of mills:-
a) Corn or Flour Mills.
b) Threshing Mills.
c) Mine Plant.
d) Textile Mills (several types are specified)
e) Farm Mills.
f) A miscellaneous collection of plants for paper, starch sawing, etc.
The first step in forming a preservation plan is to decide which of these categories deserve to be represented. In the case of the Textile Mills and the miscellaneous group, the question is settled for us; as no examples appear to survive in a reasonably complete state. This may well be the case with the Farm Mills also, although the survey was not thorough enough to firmly establish this.
Fortunately, this is unlikely to represent a serious loss. The main criterion for selecting a type of mill for preservation should surely be that it was important to the economy of the Island, or at least important in the lives of a substantial number of people. The miscellaneous group clearly does not qualify. From their numbers, and the nature of their products, it is obvious that few people could have been employed in them (or even indirectly because of them), and their products could have been replaced by imports with little widespread effect, The textile industries must have had a much greater importance but even this could not have had a central place in the economy.
Among a remainder, the importance of the Corn Mill requires no emphasis. its great numbers are alone sufficient. The threshing Mill requires special mention, as it is in marked contrast with the better known English practice. As yet, no survival of a fixed threshing mill is known in England, and although a few early steam-driven examples are on record, it seems clear that they were never common or important, and that mechanisation came here with the portable threshing machine.
The threshing machine is generally held to have been invented in Scotland in the second half of the 18th. Century, and it was originally constructed there as a permanent mill.
The Isle of Man has clearly followed this lead. Several of the larger corn mills included permanently installed threshing machines, while a number of watermills and a few windmills were occupied solely by threshing. A number of farms also appear to have had their own private threshing mill, either water- or horse-driven. Again, the numbers testify to the importance of the threshing mill in Manx agriculture.
The Mine Plants must also be considered important.
The 1870 maps show a vast number of mine sites, large and small, and even though most of these may have been no more than prospecting, no less than 9 sites outside the main Laxey - Foxdale - Glen Rushen mining areas were conducted on a scale sufficient to require substantial water-powered surface plant. Apart from its economic importance. the daily lives of a very substantial number of people must have been conditioned by the mines, which is surely grounds for giving a high place to the preservation of something representing this activity.
No intact example of an independant water-driven threshing mill survives, although a number of empty buildings remain. It is possible that one survives among the Farm Mills, i.e. as part of a range of farm buildings, but this seems unlikely.
Only three intact fixed threshing machines are known: one at a corn mill (24/033 Squeen Mill Ballaugh) and two horse-driven farm machines at The Grove Ramsey and at Ballellin, Maughold.
The Squeen machine appears to be in sound condition (thorough inspection is difficult), but it cannot be satisfactorily preserved on site. It is situated in a separate building from the corn mill, and was driven from it by a long shaft running across the yard. The threshing mill building appears dilapidated, but is still weatherproof and in occasional use as a workshop. However, the corn mill is now decayed far beyond reasonable repair. Indeed, the whole property including the house, is in a very neglected state, although still occupied. As the essential parts of its setting have been destroyed, and the machine itself is worth preserving, the only course is to remove it, either for display in the museum, or (preferably) for installation in a suitable corn mill.
The horse-driven threshine machine at the Grove is a more primitive design, without sieves or fan; the grain (and dust!) simply falling in a heap under the machine, from whence it had to be shovelled into sacks, and winnowed separately. It is in an extraordinarily good state of preservation. as is its building, and the repairs needed to set it into working condition are negligible.
The Ballellin machine was not visited. I was informed that it was still in working order, and had actually been used within the last three years. It is apparently a later type than that at The Grove being fitted with shaking sieves and a fan.
One of these horse threshing mills, preferably The Grove should be preserved.
Here we have a much wider choice as at least 13 examples survive in a sufficiently complete state for preservation to be possible. This is enough to require an examination of the types of mills used in the Island, to decide whether one example only be adequate to represent the whole variety of these plants. The full discussion of this must be deferred for the full report but I would summarise my findings in the three statements: -
1) Although three distinct types of gearing were found, they are all comparatively late forms, and all are common in England. This variety does not seem an important issue.
2) All these mills operated a great variety of processes, which are of great interest in themselves. It is here that we can come nearest to defining a distinctive 'Manx' type of mill.
3) Two distinct types of mill can be distinguished; the "country mill" and the "town mill". These are easier to recognise than to define; the most striking differences being the scale of the buildings and the amount of storage capacity.
The aim should be to preserve an example of each type ("town" and "country") complete and in working order for all processes. This is not possible if we merely accept the surviving mills as they stand, as all are now incomplete in some respect or other. However, complete examples can be prepared by"cannibalising" i.e., completing a mill with parts removed from others. This should be justifiable in moderation:- providing really suitable machines are used to replace missing parts, and installed as the missing machines formerly were; and, proper records are kept of all changes made. Fortunately, the Manx mills show considerable standardisation of detail, which should make cannibalising a fairly simple matter.
Many of these mills can be firmly rejected. Milntown (24/031), Cregg Mill (24/(32), Colby Mill (24/061), Lhen Mill (25/001), and Baldwin Mill (24/055) are too incomplete or too decayed to be preferred over examples in better condition, and Kella Mills (24/026) at Sulby is untypical, besides having lost all its small machines.
Glen Helen Mill (24/053) may also be rejected, because although much of the old plant is intact and in use, so much modern plant has been added that it could not possibly be presented to visitors as an example of an old mill unless these modern additions were removed. This could hardly be done without losing the goodwill of the present miller, whose work they are, Since Glen Helen Mill is otherwise unremarkable this means that its one special advantage, that of being the last watermill on the Island to be still using its waterwheel for regular commercial work, cannot be utilised.
Among the large town mills the choice is probably between Meadow Mill Castletown (24/026), and Glenfaba Mill, (24/038). (Nunnery Mill, near Douglas, might be a possible choice, but it was not visited). The Castletown Mill appears decidedly better. Its corn mill plant is complete except for the pearl barley stone, and the waterwheel of its threshing plant is intact, although the threshing machine itself is missing. The watercourses are neglected and overgrown, but apart from this little repair ie needed. Glenfaba Mill is even more complete, retaining even its pearl barley stone and a modern threshing machine, but it is completely disused and in comparatively poor condition. The building appears sound. but the waterwheel requires much repair and many minor repairs are needed to the interior, The cost would be at least as great as at Castletown, and more skilled supervision would be required.
The "country" mills vary in size, the smallest being at Cornaa (21/047) and Kentraugh(24/037). These two are very similar, Kentraugh being a slightly better choice, (In Cornaa one of the 3 pairs of stones is modern, and belt driven; it contrasts strangely with the other two).
Another pair of similar mills are Ballagawne mill, and Glen Wyllin Mill. These are somewhat larger examples with more storage space (Ballagawne shows clear signs of having been raised one storey, and both have very large overshot waterwheels fed by head troughs, The obvious choice between these is Ballagawne, & it is far more complete (only the pearl barley stone is missing). However, Glen Wyllin has more of its original wooden gear remaining than any other mill on the Island, and is still operating as a business. It would be a reasonable choice but for the very large amount of cannibalising needed to replace two pairs of stones and all the small machines.
Abbey Mill, Ballasalla, does not fit into a well-defined category. While in fair condition, and quite suited to preservation and display (though the re-establishing of the water supply might prove difficult), it is not recommended unless all other attempts fail, as it does not appear to be typical of Manx mills.
I must also recommend the rejection of the Lower Foxdale Mill, though on rather slender grounds. I did not manage to get into it, and had to rely on hearsay for information on the interior The main gearing is complete, (a conventional layout built in cast iron), but most, if not all, of the small machines have been removed. Although not remote, access is decidedly awkward. Altogether, it must be dismissed as no better than unpromising.
The preferred choice then is down to Meadow Mill, Castletown, representing the "town' mills, and Kentraugh or Ballagawne to represent the "country mills". In deciding between Kentraugh and Ballagawne to represent the "country" mills most factors favour Kentraugh. Its building is smaller and uncomplicated by alterations, and probably very representative of the older country mills. It has by far the neatest interior layout, still in the most perfect condition, and a significant part of the main gearing is still wooden. The repairs needed (kiln floor, waterwheel buckets, and watercourse clearance) should be no more serious than those required by any other worthwhile example. The neat interior layout is particularly important from the museum viewpoint. Since a high proportion of visitors would not have any great mechanical aptitude, a very cluttered interior with what are actually separate and distinct machines packed tightly together would prove difficult to explain Indeed, it could easily look so complicated that many visitors would be deterred from making any attempt to understand it. For the purpose of explaining the operation of all the processes worked in a watermill, the Kentraugh layout could hardly be bettered.
Against this Ballagawne offers a better situation, better access and a much more dramatic waterwheel and watercourse system. Repair should be quite moderate, and the plant is quite complete (except for the pearl barley stone) but the interior is a baffling jumble of machines that visitors could find most difficult.
A possible compromise would be the selection of Kentraugh as the main 'museum mill', together with the exterior preservation of Ballagawne. This might prove possible at a much lower cost than the complete preservation of both, while retaining those distinctive features of Ballagawne which are of most value.
In this field, water power was but an ancillary part. The essential feature of mining, the underground workings, are presumably all inaccessible and not in a condition to permit safe visiting, so at least something of the surface plant should be kept. There is of course only one surviving example; the "Lady Isabella". This is also more than just the only piece of Manx mining plant remaining intact, but this aspect has already been so well covered by Anders Jespersen that I can add nothing to it. Although preserved after a fashion in private hands, it appears that some assistance may be needed and it must feature in any official preservation plan.
As an outdoor 'museum exhibit', a mill gains immeasurably from being shown in operation; besides deteriorating less than it would if left standing idle. However, there are degrees of 'operation' ; at the least, the wheel may be kept turning, while a more ambitious plan would be to have the mill in actual production, working all the various processes for which it was designed.
Keeping the mill in real work is obviously by far the better, but it could involve much greater expense. Any care- taker might start and stop the wheel, but anything more would require a miller and consumable grain.
If the Manx legal situation permits, a good compromise could be to subsidize a working mill. The advantages of this method are:-
1) The museum need not be faced with the full cost of purchasing the property, (though some compensation might be required for an agreement not to make changes).
2) Staffing problems are eased; a miller would be available, and any others required need not be directly employed by the museum.
3) For as long as there is any demand for its products, even if such demand is partly maintained by low prices a flow of raw material is ensured, and this will make at least some contribution to the running costs.
To realise these advantages, the essential requirement is that the mill should still be operating as a business, irres- pective of whether water power is still used. Disused mill plant can be repaired, but it is unlikely that a lapsed trade could ever be recovered.
The only case which presents a possibility of preserva- tion on this basis is Meadow Mill, Castletown; the determining factor probably being the question of whether the co-operation of the miller can be obtained.
The case of the "Lady Isabella" is perhaps in the same category , as it seems that difficulties with its water supply are beyond solution by the present owner, who has otherwise kept his wheel well. However, this should present less difficulty than a corn mill, as "operation" merely means keeping it turning.
For any other mill, such as Kentraugh, the only solution would seem to be ownership and operation by the museum, In this case, the operation would best be by regular operation for short periods as demonstrations. If the Castletown mill can be preserved by subsidy, the cost of running another mill could be reduced by the 'sharing of work'. The value of an existing business is based on the ability to find a market for the mills' products , and it is immaterial to the customer where it was ground - Castletown or, say, Kentraugh,
Admitting large numbers of visitors to a working mill raises difficult questions of safety. I have yet to see a watermill anywhere which would be completely safe if filled with perhaps careless or irresponsible crowds, and the Manx mills have much less enclosure of gearing than is usual in, say England. From what I saw at Cregneish, I suspect that many visitors may arrive by coach, in large parties, which would lead to severe crowding in a small mill, and make the safety problem even more acute. The wholesale enclosing of moving parts would defeat the object of display, and barriers to limit access to part of each floor would lose much of the atmosphere that these mills still possess. The best solution, if it could be afforded might be to have two attendants, to watch the ground floor and first floor while the mill is running. Any upper floors need not be supervised, as there is little danger there. A further valuable precaution would be a rule that a mill must never be started while visitors are inside; it being far safer for them to enter once the mill is running.
A related question is that of access. Fortunately, all the most suitable examples are well placed in this respect. At Laxey, conducting visitors to the wheel is a long-standing activity. The Castletown mill is exceptionally well sited. It is near enough to the town to be visited on foot, and the yard is large enough to accommodate both cars and coaches. In moderate numbers, such parking would not even spoil the external view of the buildings. The Kentraugh mill is comparatively isolated, and there is no Public transport. Though near to Port Erin and Port St. Mary, it is farther from there than most people are prepared to walk, There is no yard, and the only parking space is the road. This is quiet, and would be adequate for a few cars, but coaches would present a problem, At The Grove, Ramsey, there is a yard, but so closely associated with a private house that it could not reasonably be used by visitors' vehicles, As it is so close to Ramsey, this may not be important.
Ballagawne Mill has a yard, but it is too small for coaches, and any cars in it would ruin the view of the mill. Although its conspicuous siting on a sharp bend on a busy main road would certainly draw attention to it, this is not without its dangers, as it might encourage would-be visitors to attempt to park on the road. Public transport includes the Electric Railway, and this could be a very useful means of visiting the mill. Garwick lies on the busy southern section of the line, and a station stands just behind and above the mill. If land ownership permits, a path could be made from this station alongside the leat, and down past the waterwheel, to the road. This would give a superb view of all the best parts of the exterior of this mill.
To keep any of these mills in Operation, the question of water rights must be studied. The main danger here is the demand for domestic water supply; a demand we can expect to increase. Of all the recommended examples, only Ballagawne mill is unlikely to be affected. As it relies on a high fall rather than a large flow, it has only a small catchment area unlikely to provide sufficient water to be really useful as a public supply. In the cases of the Castletown and Kentraugh mills, I am not sure whether water is already being taken from the Silver Burn and the Colby River, but the water supply authorities should be consulted at once on both their present operations and future plans. The Silver Burn appears to have enough water at present to operate he Castletown mill in at least intermittent operation. While this might not be enough to keep the business going, water could be conserved by retaining the electrically-driven hammer mill, now used in place of the old plant, for most of the regular work. Kentraugh mill would only require to be operated intermittently, but the present supply may be inconveniently small even for this. No doubt the water supply authorities' engineer could advise on the flow that may be expected.
All the recommended mills are in reasonably good condion, but all would require at least some repair. The main items are listed below.
1) Meadow Mill, Castletown
The building seems to need no immediate repair, and neither does the internal plant. The waterwheel has been standing idle for several years, and it is to be expected that one of the wooden parts would need early, if not immediate, replacement. The watercourse is dry and overgrown, and would need clearing. The only missing machine in the corn mill section, is the pearl barley stone. Its former position is not obvious, but it seems unlikely that such an important mill was without one. The missing threshing machine could be replaced by the one at Squeen Mill, Ballaugh.
2) Kentraugh Mill
The pond is dry and much overgrown, and would need to be thoroughly cleared. All the wooden parts of the waterwheel must be replaced (the buckets have completely gone). The building is sound apart from the ventilator on the kiln roof, and the iron kiln floor, both of which need replacing. The internal plant is in superb condition, and requires little or no attention. The only missing item is the pearl barley stone, but its former position is clear, and the drive pulley for it remains.
3) Ballagawne Mill
Although the mill was apparently stopped by the wheel coming into contact with the walls of its well, this may not prove to be a serious matter. It appears that the outer wall moved forward, (parallel to the mill wall), carrying the outer bearing, and so throwing the wheel at an angle to the well. This easily be rectified without disturbing any of the masonry; all is needed is to move the cast-iron bearing back about 3 inches This would be permanently effective if the wall has ceased moving. So the advice of an architect should be sought on this point The major repairs required would be to the wooden water trough. It is not possible to inspect this properly from the ground , but a number of defects were obvious. Since these troughs make notoriously heavy demands on maintenance, and this one has been disused and neglected for several years, the repairs might well amount to virtual replacement.
4) The Threshing Mill, at The Grove
This mill appears to need no repair beyond replacing part of the sheet-iron concave,
Since these are definitely the preferred examples, they are the only ones for which repair need be discussed in detail. However, if circumstances force the selection of others, it can be assumed that repairs of roughly similar type and extent would be required.
The most urgent need is therefore to acquire and store all available pearl barley stones. (Of the three known examples, the one at Cornaa is presumably not 'available').
1) Full Preservation Plan
Laxey Wheel
Kentraugh Corn Mill (With pearl barley stone from Glenfaba Mill).
Meadow Mill, Castletown (With the Squeen Mill threshing machine and pearl barley stone from Ballasalla)
Ballagawne Mill (Exterior only)
The Grove Threshing Mill
2) Substitutes
Cornaa Mill could replace Kentraugh
Glenfaba Mills Peel could replace Castletown
Glen Wyllin Mill could replace Ballagawne
Ballaellan possibly could replace The Grove (based on hearsay)
3) Minimum Preservation Plan
Laxey Wheel
Kentraugh Corn Mill
The Grove Threshing Mill
If it is found impossible to afford the full plan, and therefore the amount of preservation attempted is reduced, this would be the least that could be called at all representative.
If all else fails, it may be necessary to select whatever example can be obtained, but though far better than nothing, it can scarcely be described as a plan.
4) Urgent Action
Without waiting for a decision on any specific mills, two of the three surviving pearl barley stones should be immediately acquired, removed, and stored.
The owner of Squeen Mill, Ballaugh, should be approached over the possibility of ultimately acquiring the threshing machine there, and an occasional check made on its condition.
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Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The
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