Horse Mill - Horse Mill at Beamish Museum

Horse Mill At Beamish Museum

This horse mill has not been used since about 1830 when it was superseded by portable engines. It was rescued from Berwick Hills Low Farm in Northumberland by the museum, repaired and set up in their own gin gang at Home Farm as a non-functioning exhibit. The top of the mill's main vertical axle and the end of the main drive shaft are pivoted at the centre of their own separate tie beam which is below and parallel with the main roof tie beam, and set in the gin gang's side walls at either end. The mill's tie beam has to be stabilised with two massive oak beams which run, either side of the drive shaft, from tie beam to threshing barn wall. A large and basic engine like this can create great stresses from the torque engendered.

  • Main axle of mill. Roof truss above is separate; mill's own tie beam visible between.

  • Housing for top pivot of main axle, bolted to its own tie beam, separate from roof truss (visible above)

  • Drive shaft gear resting on main horizontal gear wheel which is attached to top of main vertical axle of mill

  • The two pivots: end of drive shaft (centre) and top of main axle (behind)

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