Post Medieval Post Windmill Roundhouse, Chatham Green (EHER 47634)

Two-storeyed `roundhouse' for a post windmill built in the 19th century, in the grounds of the `Windmill' public house. Windmill taken down in 1931. White painted walls with a felt roof. Used as a store.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. JOHN BOOKERS SURVEY, 23/11/1971 Roundhouse of former post windmill, Chatham Green in private ownership. Two storey brick roundhouse with two hatch doors surviving from a post mill (of no great antiquity) now in the car park of the Windmill Inn. The mill itself was down by 1931. Great Waltham. Post Mill. Roundhouse preserved adjacent to the Windmill Inn, Chatham Green, 300 yards west of the Braintree road (A131). Formerly in Great Waltham, now in Little Waltham(1983). TL 716152. The roundhouse is substantial, being two-floored and 24ft. internal diameter, built entirely separate from the four brick piers, behind which it passes. It stands 12ft. high to the eaves, and is stepped inwards by 2½in. at 7ft. over ground level. Two windows and a stable door were provided on each floor; the absence of a second door at either level suggests a tall body with sails revolving well over the ground. The four brick piers are lightly stepped on all four faces to give an upward taper and are each over 6ft. tall, so giving freedom of movement beneath the crosstrees. These are still in position, with part of the main post and small sections of the quarter bars. The lower crosstree is 14in. wide by 13in. deep, and is rebated on the sides at the junction with the post, and cut down 4in. under the upper crosstree, a gap of 1in. being left between them. The quarter bars, 11in. by 10in., are of ‘boxed’ heart of oak, and are secured by an iron strap and footed with double birds mouth joints. One crosstree has been repaired by scarf jointing; the overall length of the splice being 46in., and the need for this may have hastened the addition of the roundhouse. The presumption that it was added, based on three points of evidence implicit in the above survey, is further strengthened by the fact that the ends of the crosstrees in at least two cases were weathered with lead. The base today contains two floors, of which the ground floor has at various times served as a pigsty, a dance floor and a beer saloon. Farries also notes in a caption that the mill body was presumed removed shortly after 1902. Present Use: Bedroom accommodation on two floors for adjoining pub and restaurant Condition: Very good condition cosmetically, however the brickwork piers and the entire trestle described by Farries have been removed since his survey. According to Farries, the first references noted to Chatham Green mill dated from 1829, when it entered the land tax records, and more particularly from 1833, when on June 21st the proprietor, Thomas Child, inserted an auction notice in the Chelmsford Chronicle referring to “ a capital new erected Post Windmill situate at Chatham Green…drawing 10 yards of cloth, the going gears of the best description, containing a wallower nut, spur wheel, and stone nuts, with two pairs of French stones, on centre irons, cast iron stone boxes and bridging ditto, sack tackle, flour mill and jumper. Also a dwelling house. The detached buildings comprise a bake office with new erected 5-bushel oven and patent irons complete.” <1> Field Survey 2011 According to the present owners, the Windmill Inn closed in 1993 after which time the roundhouse and the surrounding buildings deteriorated. It was reopened in 1997 after considerable ‘careful’ restoration. Other original buildings comprise the bake office and dwelling house, as described in the 1833 auction details and which now form part of the pub. The roundhouse is in a good state of repair externally. Access to the ground floor bedrooms is via a short corridor form the ground floor entrance. Access to the first floor is through a separate external staircase to the rear of the building. However, the building has been converted to ensuite bedroom accommodation on both floors. No trace of the piers or trestle was found within the ground floor rooms and it is thought that these were stripped out during the conversion. The loft contains the water tank for the bedrooms and another visit may be necessary to thoroughly check for any remaining timbers. A local resident recalls seeing the body of the mill lying across the road after collapsing in a westerly gale in 1931, and not removed shortly after 1902 as Farries suggests. <2> Additional references <3> <4> <5>