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Summary

The site of a windmill. A smock mill built in the early 19th century, the ground floor of brick and the upper floors of timber. Destroyed by fire in October 1903.

Full Description

<1> Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Vol. 14, 1931, p. 19 (Serial). SBD10681.

"The actual site of this windmill is not quite correctly shown on the Ordnance Map of 1902; it was set back 90 yards from 'Windmill Road' and about twice that distance from the road leading to Steppingley. Only a slight indication of where the mill stood can now be seen, save that the bricks have been re-used in the nearby stabling and one of the grindstones serves as its doorstep. This was a smock-mill built by Thomas Course of Bedford; it was burnt down in October 1903, but had ceased to work for some little time previously. It was bricked up to the first floor only, and was of wood above. Robert Deacon was the owner, he being miller there at least from 1894 to 1903; in 1877 it belonged to Richard Sharpe, whose son was killed by one of the sails whilst in revolution; it passed into the hands of Robert and Richard Goodman by 1855. I am informed by William Course that it was erected by his grandfather more than a century ago; the Course family were noted Bedfordshire Millwrights for many generations.

<2> Unknown, Ampthill News, How blows the wind today?; 27/2/1979 (Newspaper Article). SBD10587.

Turn the clock back 70 years in Windmill Road, Flitwick, and you would find this windmill in perfect working order and with its sails turning. It stood on a site near where Flitwick Squash Club now exists and was destroyed by fire shortly before the First World War.
Many senior Citizens will remember the mill which must have been a proud sight in its heyday.
Obviously the miller was pleased to be in the photograph, taken at about the turn of the century by C.H. Litchfield, of Ampthill.
Would it be too much to hope that two pensioners today would be able to say they are the children with the wonam in the picture. Or perhaps someone else could tell us more about the mill and old Flitwick.

<3> Privately donated photos (Photograph). SBD10598.

Copies of photo of mill in early C20 supplied by Mr Gregory, Windmill Road, Flitwick

<4> Transcripts of comments made by individuals to members of HER staff, Notes from Mr Goodman (Verbal communication). SBD10740.

About an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon because of the low supply of the water. But we don't get all that much during the winter now when they built that big new weir a thte old overflow halfway between here & Westoning. Smithy built the M.I. you get catchemnt for about 8 miles of M.I. and you get a terrific lot of extra water and they built this new weir to take the flood water.

At that time there was water rights wasn't tehre but they did away with that by Act of Parilament since the war.

The works by Dunstable Priory ran the original mill. Since the dissolution of the monasteries it was the mill with about 40 acres of ground was handed over the hospital at Wokingham. In 1731 a John Goodman whose father was the miller at Hulcote Mill rented the mill from the hospital at Wokingham. His son Richard Goodman bought the mill. I am the 8th generation.

There was a windmill. The trouble with most of the old windmills th head that had the sails on if you get a sudden gale they run away with themselves and the top came off. Industrial that's what happened here. Well over 100 years ago.

I suppose partly that every market garden always used to keep a dozen or 20 pigs to eat the surplus green stuff and potatos that he couldn't sell and though the number of pigs in the county is the same they are all in giant pig large lumps now and you get most of these farms have got absolutely no livestock at all now. There just is not the demand. Then at one time these mills were the only source of grinding the corn unless some of the bigger farms had a steam engine. The only place you could get your own corn ground using your own corner. Now they all have these small handmills with ….. And can grind their own. Then of course all these old cottages had a pig sty at end of garden and they also kept anything up 1 doz poultry.

Upls 1914 they used to make flow here. But when the modern revolution processor roller machines that made the old stone ground flour out of date.

1778 Nov 30th 2 sacks and ½ £5
3 sacks of seconds £5-11-0
1 sack of flour £2
1778 Nov 18th 1 sack of second £1-1-80

A sack if it was wheat it would be 2¼ cut. If it was barley it would be 2 cut. Probably it wasn't a weight even if was bushels - a measure. 4 bushels.
1807 Joseph Butcher 3 bushes and ½ £1-18-6

Under certain conditions the flow dust is explosive. Also if you were grinding it on the sontes and it ran out of corn and nobody noticed it then it will cause sparks and will set the wood hooping under the stones it will set these on fire. I can remember it running out once it just scorched it but there was somebody here and we caught it in time.

It is built up 10-12 ft. The water is driven off the water wheel.

That is the main drive iron to iron. All the rest of the gearing is run onto wood. See these are wooden cogs here. Recently they have been beech wood. Two pairs of stones and another pair driven by an electric motor. We don't do much grinding now we use the roller crusher is used regularly.

The boarding (?) outside won't take the weight now. Haven't used this for years. At one time they would bring all the gtain in to be shut in the bin and they would be full up. There is no need for that there is plenty of storage on the farms. At one time at harvest time you would buy very cheap but things have got so dear now you only have enough for your demand.
Sack Hoist - it tightens the belt. Hauling up the roller. The demand is more for horse feed than for anything else. Not much for pigs. When I first started they used to be grinding barley from half past six in the morning until 9.00 at night. And then we used to fill up hten bins with barley meal in the winter. If you had a very dry summer you couldn't.

Protected Status: None recorded

Monument Type(s):

• WINDMILL (19th Century to Edwardian - 1800 AD to 1903 AD)

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events: None recorded

Sources and Further Reading

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