Our apologies for adding to your inbox for a second time in a week, however, we hope that our update on progress at Swaffham Prior Smock Mill will make it worthwhile!
Christmas Opening Times Correction
Those with a nose for detail might have spotted that our previous message contained a typo! Our final shop opening day is Thursday 16th December, not the 17th as previously advertised.
Smock Tower Update
Our neighbour James Forsyth has been making great progress at the Smock Tower. We share below some recent photos of work to the new mill cap and the Smock Tower itself.
Work has also progressed on trimming back vegetation around the mill to ensure that when the sails are returned in 2022, the mill is able to take full advantage of the available wind from all directions. The decision to withdraw proposals to build on land close to the mill a few years ago has certainly been validated given the future wind requirements of the Smock Tower Mill and the fact that the views of the two mills working (The Smock Tower and Fosters Mill) will be unique to the UK. Swaffham Prior will be firmly put on the map as a centre of traditional windmills attracting numbers of visitors who will come to view both mills working at the same time – the only place in the UK where this is possible with two working mills in such close proximity.
The new Mill Cap
The structure of the Cap is now complete and the windshaft and brake wheel have now been fitted at the International Boat Building College at Lowestoft. See below:
Brake wheel in position on the windshaft
Tail bearing of the windshaft in place
Blocks for the Centering Wheels that will hold the cap in place as it rotates
Work to the Smock Tower
With progress now advanced with the mill cap, James is turning his attention to the smock tower itself. The tower needs to be re-boarded and the timbers adjusted to ensure that the curb (the part the cap sits on) is level. So, an impressive scaffolding tower has now been erected to protect the tower (part of James’s house!) whilst the works take place:
Congratulations to James and his family for their continued efforts to return the mill to working order! We are so looking forward to seeing both mills working together.
