Windmill

Description

the traditional windmill consists of a surmounted tower of a directional roof in the direction of the wind, which supports the wings fixed at a horizontal axis; it is the mill-turn .
Sometimes, it is all the body of the mill, built out of wood, which is directed according to the wind: it is the mill on pivot known as with candlestick ; The candlestick can be fixed on a support built or sitting by ground on a base out of wooden.
a third type of mill, the Mill cavier, is a little intermediate; in this case, only turns a mobile body supporting the wings and the system of gears, this “hucherolle” being posed on a lower lathe.

The wings, generally four, are generally made of a reinforcement out of wooden supporting a tended fabric. They can be symmetrical, or asymmetrical when the slats which support the fabric are fixed left side of the axis of the wing. The forms and the materials used are very variable from one area to another.

The transmission of the movement to the vertical axis of the grinding stones is done by gears made up of the “wheel”, wheel interdependent of the axis of the wings provided with teeth out of hard wooden, wings which gear on the “lantern” with spindles interdependent of the vertical axis.

The orientation of the mill was done by actuating the tiller, known as also the tail of the mill, using a capstan.

Use

The mills, as their name indicates it, were initially used to grind the Céréale S and other grains. They were also used to pump water, either to drain the marshy zones and the Polder S, or to ensure the Irrigation. Were used they to produce Huile, for the Foulage of the Textile S, or to actuate Scierie S.

History

The windmill appeared in Orient, old Egypt and Iran (it is used in Perse for the Irrigation as of the year 600). The Iranian mills were not of the same type as the European mills. They consisted of a wind with vertical axis, - technique offering of better outputs that the wind mills to horizontal axis, confined inside the mill. Openings in the walls of the mill make it possible the air to be engulfed to actuate the wind mill.

Announced very early in Great Britain (Abbey of Croyland in 870), the windmill spread in Europe about the 12th century, initially on the maritime coasts of the countries of North: Great Britain, Netherlands, then in the countries of the Atlantic edge : Portugal, France, of the Baltic and North Sea: Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and in the islands, including in the Mediterranean. One finds them on eminences, either isolated, or grouped in series, like in places far away from the River. The first certificate of windmill in France, 1170, figure in a charter of the town of Arles.

The Netherlands are probably the country which counted the greatest number of windmills. Elements characteristic of the landscape, they are represented in particular in Flemish painting. The windmills of Kinderdijk were registered on the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO.

The generalization of the electricity in the campaigns, and the appearance of the industrial Flour mill, involved a rapid decline of the windmills during the 20th century. They moreover were disadvantaged by the hardness of the trade of miller and by the layoffs often imposed by the absence of wind.

The appearance of the wind wheel with many blades, invented with the the United States, made them completely obsolete.

Remarkable mills

In France

With Azannes, a mill built in 2003 according to the techniques of the 17th century at the place even where a mill into 1757 was built already which belonged to évêché of Verdun;
With Hondschoote, Meulen North carries on a beam the date 1127;
the windmill of Saint-Pierre-with-the-Fage was renovated in 2006 (official site);
the windmill of Cucugnan was given in exploitation in 2006 (to be seen!) ;
the Mill of the Wafer, or “bolt-end”, with Montmartre (Paris), is classified historic building since 1939;
another windmill historical is that which dominates the hill of Valmy (Marne), place of famous the Bataille of Valmy in 1792; destroyed by the storm of 1999, it was restored again;
the mill of Fontvielle, close to Arles, was made famous for Alphonse Daudet ( Lettres of my Mill );
the mills of Midsummer's Day to Ciotat (Rhone delta), of which one still in operating condition, date from the 15th century;
the mill of Montfuron, village of Provence located at the point Is Massif of Luberon, is the only windmill of the area; 350 year old old man (built under Louis {{XIV}}), it is from now on in a position to function again, having been restored recently;
the site of Villeneuve d' Ascq (northern of France), where one can visit two mills of wood on pivot (a producing rope twister of oil and a producing mill of the flour), as well as a Musée of molinology;
Casteel Meulen, mill of the 18th century, with Cassel (Northern), mill with flour producing today for the tourists, Cassel being known to have sheltered a score of mills at the 19th century;
the mill of Hauville, the 13th century, is one of the mill-turns actuated by the wind among oldest of France;
mills of the mount of the Larks to the Herbaria (the Vendée), mill-turn in activity the summer, which manufactures flour of buckwheat. One of them bears the name of the writer Jean Yole;
the Mill of Sannois, close to Paris, a rare mill out of wooden with pivot of the 18th century, best preserved France of this type;

In Greece

the island of Mykonos is known like “the Island of the windmills”, characteristics with their thatched roof and their wings triangular;

With the Netherlands

the mill De Gooyer;
mills of Kinderdijk.

Anecdote

The novel Don Quichotte of Cervantes puts in the high-speed motorboat windmills, that the main character, become insane, takes for giants.

Language of the wings of mills

The mills were also stations of monitoring with their coded messages. They were also used to announce a family event or a military conflict:

the wings stopped in Croix of saint André (in district) announced a happy event at the miller or the return to a state of calm in a military conflict;
the wings in Greek cross (in end of foot) called with the gathering;
on the left tilted, they alerted of a military danger;
on the right tilted, they announced a mourning in the miller or an isolated military danger.

Gallery photographs

See too

External bonds

Federation of the mills of France
French federation of Associations of safeguard of the Mills
Mills of Corbière

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