This lower storey, called the roundhouse, was constructed of stone and further strengthened by four buttresses. It had a height of 18ft. while on the ground the diameter was 18ft; the top was somewhat less. Horizontal cross beams were let into the walls, on these rested the massive central post.
A broad stairway, from under which near the top projected the tall beam, led up to the first floor above the stonework.
This mill [the "East mill"] is the larger of the two - a great part of which is still standing [in 1925] - was brought from Hucknall in the early days of 19th century. Mention of it is made in an ancient directory of 1832 when Mr. Jos Sills was the miller.
 |
A.S. Langton's original 1925 poster
|
 |
Painting based on A.S. Langton's drawing
of Lawn Mills in their prime |
The sails
A peculiarity of this mill was that the sails were of two kinds :
- one pair consisted of wooden slats on cross pieces which could be adjusted on the principle of the Venetian blind to close and open at any angle according to the pressure of the wind and the requirements of the miller.
- the other pair were covered with canvas to give a sure surface to the wind and this canvas could be detached when the mill was not in use in order to lessen danger from storms.
The part above the round house was framed up in wood and contained two storeys, 3 sets of millstones and the machinery. When a good breeze was blowing 40 horsepower was developed which, properly harnessed, did useful work.
 |
May 1947 - The spur wheel in the larger "East mill".
"Spur wheel under cross trees. At lower end of shaft traversing bored post" |
 |
May 1947 - The "East mill" showing main post.
"Roundhouse, post and crown tree. Bored post. Spur wheel over crown tree" |
The Miller
Mr. William Widdowson, who was at the Strelley Mill in 1834, left to go to the Lawn Mill. Here his trade increased so rapidly - for he not only ground corn but baked as well - that he found it necessary to erect another mill. This he obtained from Windmill Hill on Nottingham Forest [The Forest] where from time immemorial the citizens of Nottingham had had their mills. Both these post mills were ancient structures when brought to Kimberley.
William was born in 1808 and helped out at
Lord Byron's famous funeral in Hucknall in 1824...
"he was the son of an innkeeper at Hucknall and had seen a great deal of the poet, Lord Byron, in boyhood. On the day of the Byron funeral William had much to do attending to his father's guests and horses."
 |
Windmill Hill - The mills above The Forest, Nottingham.
One of Kimberley's mills was moved from there. |
Steam mill
Mr. Widdowson's prospects still brightening, he built a steam mill in 1844. This was worked by a 6 HP engine, which was supplied with water from Lawn Spring some distance away. Pipes connected the spring with a triangular shaped pond - now filled in and used as a garden. The water was pumped up by means of a small windmill built near the spring. Mr. Widdowson was now a very busy man and was highly respected throughout the district; he made and delivered 50 stones of bread daily.
 |
William Widdowson,
the Lawn Mills miller
b.1803-d.1870 |
Fire at the millAbout this time he suffered a severe loss. Early one Saturday morning in the summer of 1865 the inhabitants of the higher parts of Kimberley noted with consternation that the post mill last erected was on fire. The conflagration attracted the attention of people for miles around. The mill was completely destroyed, since when it has not been rebuilt. Its ruined stump of native limestone is the only evidence to mark the vanished uses of the place.
As showing how events are interrelated with their cause and effect, one result of the calamity was the loss of a day's wage to the men who worked at the ironstone pits on the Dorvers, for the boys who worked for the men trooped off to see the fire, their only grievance being that the conflagration had not occurred on Nov. 5th
 |
The "Somercotes" mills,
actually in Riddings,
visible from Lawn Mills |
Panorama
The large windmill was an imposing structure and a picturesque landmark for miles around. From its upper storey could be obtained a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding country, such distant places as Somercotes which boasts two tower mills being easily discerned.
Mrs Widdowson saves the mill
As in the case of Strelley Mill, night work was often necessary. On one particular occasion Mr. Widdowson's son William, who was studying for the ministry, took his father's place in the mill.
All went well for a time, the regular swish of the sails as they cut through the air, the rhythmic pulse of the machinery, the grinding of the corn, all made harmony. But in the still watches of the night there was a discord, at least so thought Mrs. Widdowson, whose residence was close to the mill, and whose keen ears had detected a false note.
 |
Rev. William was the miller's
son from the saving the mill story
b.1826 d.1910 |
She quickly got up, put on her overalls, ascended the creaking wooden stairway, entered the mill and there found her son poring over his books, totally oblivious of the fact that the rapacious maw of the mill required satisfying with a
constant supply of corn. The old proverb which states that when a mill has nothing to grind, it grinds itself, had quite escaped his memory.
The good lady, having soundly admonished him, sent him to bed. A finely made woman, endowed with great physical strength, she speedily restored to the mill its wonted melody and the grinding of the golden grain proceeded once more to the accompaniment of the beautiful thrum thrum of the sails as they thrashed round through the air. The Rev. W.R. Widdowson lived to a good old age and served faithfully the Church he so much loved.
The end of the mill
 |
Above - Lawn Mills "East mill"
15th May 1932 by Karl Wood
He visited and drew 3 mills that day at Castle Donnington,
Kimberley and Blidworth.
Below - Karl Wood's watercolour of the same... |
Karl Wood (1888-1958) was an artist and teacher who travelled Great Britain on a bicycle, with the goal of painting pictures of all the windmills in the country...
"One mill took him farther than ever before - a tower mill on the remote island of South Havra in the Shetland Isles. Arriving in July 1949, Wood undertook a 700-mile journey by bicycle and boat on this remarkable adventure to sketch Britain’s northernmost windmill.
His aspiration was to publish a book, 'The Twilight of the Mills', but he unfortunately never completed his quest. In September 1951, Wood was arrested on charges of gross indecency and sentenced to four years in prison. [He was secretly gay and homosexuality was illegal].
After his release from prison in 1954, feeling shamed by his conviction, he moved away from his home town. Wood joined the monastery at Pluscarden Abbey in Moray, Scotland. He was held in high regard by the monks, sharing meals with them and even starting a stained-glass business in collaboration with one of the Fathers. During this period, Wood often cycled through the surrounding countryside in search of inspiration for his paintings. On 21st May 1956, he completed what would be his final windmill painting, depicting a mill at Hopeman, Moray."
Gross indecency cases like Karl's are today pardoned as the law now says those convictions were unfair. Oscar Wilde and Alan Turing suffered a similar fate.
In his lifetime, Karl visited around 3000 windmills across Britain, and he drew over 1400 of them.
The online exhibition in the notes below walks you through his journey, using guided tour maps, highlighting the incredible adventure of his life.
 |
The smaller Lawn Mills "West mill"
8th Dec 1932 by Karl Wood |
 |
Remains of one of the mills c.1947
Courtesy of Paul Browne on Facebook |
 |
| A more intact picture date unknown - post 1900 |
 |
The "limestone stumps" are all that
remains of the "West mill" today.
Pic courtesy of Ken Brockway. |
History of English Windmills
An old English folk verse sums up the old windmill's function...
The windmill is a couris thing,
Completely built by art of man,
To grind the corn for man and beast
That they alike may have a feast
The Mill she is built of wood, iron and stone.
Therefor she cannot go aloan
Therefor to make the mill to go,
The wind from some part she must blow...
This 1968 BBC documentary called
"The Story of the English Windmill" is a journey through English windmills, exploring their history and construction. The documentary details various types, from post mills to tower mills, showcasing their unique designs and inner workings. Witness the dedication of individuals preserving these historical structures.
Lawn Mills in DH Lawrence
Finally, a few words from DH Lawrence's novel "Sons and Lovers" when the main characters Paul and Clara have an intimate moment one night at the ruined Lawn Mills windmill on the way to the train station in Kimberley....
 |
A watercolour of a windmill dated 1906-08
supposedly by DH Lawrence
but I am unable to verify it (yet). |
"...she let herself be helped over the stile, and she walked in silence with him over the first dark field. It was the way to Nottingham and to the station, she knew. He seemed to be looking about. They came out on a bare hilltop where stood the dark figure of the ruined windmill. There he halted. They stood together high up in the darkness, looking at the lights scattered on the night before them, handfuls of glittering points, villages lying high and low on the dark, here and there. “Like treading among the stars,” he said, with a quaky laugh. Then he took her in his arms, and held her fast. She moved aside her mouth to ask, dogged and low: “What time is it?” “It doesn’t matter,” he pleaded thickly. “Yes it does — yes! I must go!” “It’s early yet,” he said. “What time is it?” she insisted. All round lay the black night, speckled and spangled with lights."
 |
c.1900 - Lawn Mills was on the high ground
between Gilt Hill and Alma Hill |
 |
Strelley Mill (possibly) by Baker, Paul H J
It was located above Swingate between the TV mast and the M1 |
 |
c.1900 Strelley Mill again
From Strelley Village FB group |
 |
June 2024 - Bike ride to Heage Mill with Mrs.A.
It's still working and grinding flour.
Fancy being a miller? They are always looking for volunteers |
------------- END -------------
Notes, Sources and Picture Credits
Main article by by A.S.Langton - 1925. From Kimberley British School poster from Carolynn Hobbs.
Mill pictures of Kimberley and Strelley - Name of creator - Baker, Paul H J; Repository - Mills Archive.
Other pics from Facebook local history groups, Paul Browne and Steve Adams.
Animation made from a TW Hammond sketch c.1900 - Thomas William Hammond 1854-1935. Born in Philadelphia of Nottingham emigres, and orphaned at the age of four, he came to England with his younger sister Maria and lived for a short while with his grandparents in Mount Street. In 1868 age 14 he enrolled in the Government School of Art. On the 1871 census he is described as a lace curtain designer, and in 1872 he was awarded the 'Queen's Prize for a Design of a Lace Curtain'. Other prizes followed and in 1877 he was again awarded the Queen's Prize, this time for the design for a damask table Cloth.
Hammond was an indefatigable worker, and soon began to use his skills as a draftsman to record aspects of the changing town. He began showing his work at local venues in 1882 and in 1890 exhibited for the first time at the Royal academy. His real hobby was black and white sketching in charcoal. He drew about 350 pictures all together mainly scenes of a Nottingham he knew but which have largely passed away today.
Extracted from 'The Changing Face of Tom Hammond's Nottingham' by John Beckett which is the introductory essay in 'A City in the Making Drawings of Tom Hammond'.
Comments
Post a Comment