Historic mill unearthed -- The site, at Greenwich Wharf, is the earliest tide-powered mill to be discovered in London and was an extraordinary feat of engineering when it was built in the late 12th Century.
Posted on 02/17/2009 8:00:25 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists from the Museum of London have discovered the foundations of an 800-year-old water mill in south-east London.
The 12th Century water mill found at Greenwich Wharf is believed to be one of the earliest tide-powered mills to be found in the capital.
The 10m (32.8ft) by 12m (39.3ft) base of the mill supports a 5.2m (17ft) wheel. Both are well preserved.
Diggers chanced upon it while digging for a housing development.
The riverside peat deposits preserved the large piece of intact wheel and an enormous trough made from a single oak beam.
Even the carpenters' construction marks are visible on the centuries-old wood.
The remnants of the tide mill has been dismantled, and key sections have been moved to York Archaeological Trust for conservation work.
Simon Davis, contract manager for Museum of London Archaeology, said: "Tide mills may have been numerous along the Thames foreshore in the early medieval period.
"However, little evidence of mills in use in the early medieval period has been found on archaeological sites, so the discovery of a 12th Century tide mill at Greenwich is very significant and exciting."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Historic mill unearthed -- The site, at Greenwich Wharf, is the earliest tide-powered mill to be discovered in London and was an extraordinary feat of engineering when it was built in the late 12th Century.
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Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
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Just wow. Imagine that this exact mill ground flour for the various English armies that sailed to war in the 3rd Crusade. That is just mind blowing.
1936 app. Medieval watermill. This ancient mill just collapsed in the late 1930's and was not rebuilt. The river Dommel was rerouted and nowadays this spot is a pond 'Molenwiel' (mill wheel) with some of the old mill stones as a monument. The mill was built in the 12th century and it was in use until it collapsed.
Think of how many generations were born, raised, and died working at the same mill. That is something.
I bet their last names were “Miller”.
Vandermolen, or Termolen. Got several of those around here (Grand Rapids, MI area)
12th century, eh? Will Ken Follett please pick up the white courtesy phone.
I thought of “Pillars of the Earth,” as well!
Yeah, really!
Amazing! Thanks for the pic!
So was my last wife.
WAY COOL!!
Great - now I am going to nuts trying to design a tide-powered mill.
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