c.1910 with steam chimney
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Denver
towermill |
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c.1910 with steam chimney
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Denver towermill was built in 1835 for John Porter and a stone tablet bearing the inscription JMP 1835 was set below the stage on the north side. The mill replaced an earlier postmill on the same site. |
The large six storey mill tower was 59 ft to its curb.
Four double shuttered patent sails were used to power 3 pairs of overdriven stones. One pair of sails had 10 bays of 3 shutters and the other pair had 9 bays of 3 shutters and striking was via lever mechanism. The ball finial topped, horizontally boarded ogee cap had a gallery and held a 6 bladed fan. The stones were on the third floor where a reefing stage gave access to the striking and brake chains. |
The machinery was mainly of wood with an iron mortice spur wheel mounted on the octagonal upright shaft. The wallower had an iron hub and a wooden rim through which 41 wooden cogs were morticed. A small iron bevel ring on the underside of the wallower provided power for the sack hoist, the bollard itself being beltdriven from the geared drive shaft. |
The composite moulded millstones were marked: |
By 1863 John Gleaves had added a 12hp steam engine that drove a further 3 sets of stones in an adjoining building. This was later replaced by a Blackstone oil engine that drove a Tattersall Roller Plant during the first quarter of the 1900s. |
Mention was made in 1974 of 2 millbills welded and pinned together stamped L. FISHER SPALDING |
Six floors: |
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18th May 1979 |
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Tithe map 1837 - as redrawn by Harry Apling |
Tithe Award 1838 |
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No. 254 |
House & Mill |
0a. 2r. 5p. |
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To Millers. To be Let for a term of years from Michaelmas 1863 |
| WINDMILL Well situated for Trade with Stable, Sheds & about 2 acres of LAND, to be Let at Michaelmas. Apply to T. L. Reed, Solr. Downham Market. Lynn Advertiser - 6th August 1870 |
To Millers Denver, Norfolk To be Let or Sold With Possession at Michaelmas next A Brick TOWER WIND MILL driving six pairs of Stones with a Steam Mill attached, with large granaries, excellent Dwelling house, Gardens, Stables & convenient premises. Together with a Paddock & Miller’s Cottage, as now in the occupation of Mr. James Gleaves. A lucrative business has been carried on upon the premises for upwards of 50 years. Apply to T. L. Reed, Solr. Downham Market. |
Denver near Downham Market Valuable Freehold Investments Walter Wayman Is favoured with instructions to Sell by Auction at the Crown Hotel, Downham Market, on Friday May 29, 1896 at 4 o’c in the afternoon precisely, the following valuable |
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FREEHOLD PROPERTIES, viz: |
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Lot 1. All that convenient & well situated brick built & slated DWELLING HOUSE containing six bedrooms, dressing room, drawing & dining rooms, kitchen, scullery, dairy, store room, cellar and coal house adjoining, with pleasure & kitchen gardens in excellent condition; also a Bake house with oven to hold from 25 to 30 stones of bread, riding stable, stable with two loose boxes, gig house, cart lodge, chaff house, straw loft, granary, piggeries; also large Engine house & shed. The outbuildings are brick built & tiled. Also the SIX STOREY TOWER WIND-MILL AND STEAM MILL adjoining, each containing three pairs of stones; also a convenient office. The property is bounded on the north by the road leading from Denver to Denver Sluice, east & west by Denver Common & south by land belonging to CAIUS COLLEGE, Cambridge & has been in the occupation of the family of Mr. James Gleaves, the present occupier, for upwards of 50 years. The Auctioneer desires to call attention of millers, bakers & others to this lot, the position of which affords excellent opportunities for a lucrative & extensive milling & baking business being carried on. Lot 2. All that brick built & tiled COTTAGE containing two bedrooms & two lower rooms with washhouse adjoining, small garden, piggeries, hen house etc. & also an excellent piece or parcel of fine old Pasture Land adjoining, the whole containing two acres (more or less) & bounded on the north by Denver Common, east by land of Mrs. Bell, south by Grass Lane & west by land of CAIUS COLLEGE & now in the occupation of Mr. James Gleaves. Possession of both lots will be given on completion of the purchase. For further particulars & conditions of sale apply to the Auctioneer, Downham Market; to W.A. Mellor, Esq., Solicitor, Downham Market or to Messrs. Reed & Wayman, Solicitors, Downham Market. Lynn Advertiser - 23rd May 1896 |
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Downham |
In the matter of the Deed of Assignment for the benefit of creditors executed on the 27th day of April 1896 by James Gleaves of Denver in the county of Norfolk, miller & baker. The creditors of the above named James Gleaves who have not already sent in their claims are required on or before the 20th day of November 1896 to send in their names & addresses & the particulars of their debts or claims to us on behalf of William Hitchcock of Kings Lynn in the said county of Norfolk, bank manager & Walter Wayman of Denver aforesaid, auctioneer, the trustees under the said deed, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of the dividend proposed to be declared. Dated this 3rd Day of November 1896 |
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Reed & Wayman Downham Market, Solicitors for the above-named Trustees |
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William Hitchcock manager of Messrs. Gurneys, Birkbeck, Barclay, Buxton & Cresswell, bankers. (Barclay & Co., Ltd.) Lynn Advertiser - 7th November 1896 |
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May 1993 |
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In December 1937 the Society awarded their Certificate No. 13, 'A record of the Society's appreciation of zeal in the maintenance of these beautiful structures' to |
THOMAS EDWIN HARRIS DENVER MILLS, NORFOLK |
| Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings - Windmill Section - 1937 |
Mr. C. J. Staines, son-in-law of Thomas Edward Harris and William Chapman both worked for Thomas Edwin Harris. |
Denver … This is a magnificent specimen of a tower mill with two galleries, four shuttered sweeps, fantail & dome-shaped cupola. It is over a hundred years old, but it is still working regularly, grinding barley-meal & other grain. It is a five storied building. Under the cap is a storeroom, under that the meal room, with the hoppers to feed the two sets of millstones on the stage floor, below which are the bins & the weighing room. This mill has been recently overhauled & is now fitted with electric light. There is an adjoining building in which an oil-engine is used for grinding wheat for flour, the windmill dealing ... ? |
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Mill catchment area for grist grinding - drawn by Harry Apling |
Norfolk County Council. |
DEED OF GIFT |
Bartle M. Edwards |
... it was mainly grist work, grinding other people's corn from the scattered farms around Welney & Hilgay Fen ... |
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When windmilling
ceased in 1941 after the mill was struck by lightning, the far sighted
Thomas Edwin Harris ensured that the mill was repaired and maintained
with a view to its eventual preservation. |
The preserved outbuildings include the mill house, steam mill, granary and stable block. One of the outbuildings directly under the mill originally had a section of its roof lowered to allow for the passage of the sails. The original wooden curb was replaced by reinforced concrete. |
... the gales on the night of 2nd January 1976 lifted the cap & damaged the kerb. It was apparent that the cap had dropped back onto the kerb after being lifted, landing with its full weight on one set of wheels. The impact shattered the reinforced concrete kerb & cracked the brickwork below. |
In April 1978, John Lawn had one of the old sails at Caston. The 10 bays of 3 shutters gave an overall length of 29ft and the 8ft 6ins width was made up of 1½ins - 2ft 6ins - 1½ins - 18ins - 1½ins - 4ft - 1½ins |
STAINES - On July 3rd, 1983, peacefully, at her home, The Mill, Denver, EDITH MABEL, beloved wife of John, dear sister of Blanche and Dorothy. (Funeral service at St. Mary's Church, Denver, on Thursday, July 7th, at 2.30 p.m., followed by internment in the cemetery. Family flowers only please; donations, if desired, for cancer research and St. Mary's Church Restoration Fund at the church.) |
No damage in the hurricane of 16th October 1987. However, the recently renovated cement rendering on the tower is breaking off. Court case pending. |
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14th March 2008 |
In doing a research into my familys' history I found that I was related to John Porter who is recorded as being responsible for the building of the current Denver Tower Windmill in 1836. John Porter was my Gt, Gt, Grandfather. He was born in 1801 and died in 1862. In the Census for 1841 he is recorded as being a Corn Merchant and living at the Blue Lion Public House in Norfolk Street Kings Lynn. In the 1851 Census he is recorded as being an Innkeeper and Merchant. My relationship with the Porter family is through his youngest daughter Emma who married a local farmer named Hodgkinson.and subsequently went to live in Gooderstone. To date I have been unable to obtain any other information regarding John Porter and his family and would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have any knowlege about John Porter and/or his family. His wife's name was Alpolonia Bays and they had 2 sons and 4 daughters. |
I think that my family may be connected to John Porter who built the mill. My ancestor, also John Porter, was born in Denver in around 1775 and married Sarah Smith there in 1799. They subsequently moved to Willingham, Cambs, where he worked as a millwright. They are connected by marriage to the Gleaves family of Willingham who occupied the mill in the 19th century. If anyone else, knows what the connections may be, please would they let me know. Thanks. |
Denver towermill
will be open and working throughout the year - see its own website for times etc www.denvermill.co.uk Contact tel. 01366 384009 |
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Mill working 9th November 2008 |
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Mill site with mill working 9th November 2008 |
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White's 1845: Philip Beeton, millwright |
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1835: Towermill built for John Porter, replacing the earlier postmill
White's 1883: James Gleaves, corn miller
Kelly's 1892: James Gleaves, miller (wind & steam) |
If you have any memories, anecdotes or photos please let us know and we may be able to use them to update the site. By all means telephone 01263 713658 or
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| Nat Grid Ref TF60500121 |
Copyright © Jonathan Neville 2004 |