Mapledurham Watermill
Coordinates: 51 ° 29 '10 " N , 1 ° 2' 13.7" W.
Mapledurham Watermill is a watermill at Mapledurham in Oxfordshire . The mill is driven by water flowing through the weir in the Thames at the lock Mapledurham Lock is jammed and is still fully functional.
history
There was a mill at Mapledurham at the time of the Domesday Book . The central part of the current building dates back to the 15th century. Originally the water mill only had one water wheel on the river side. The mill was expanded in the 1670s and a bypass was created to attach a wheel to the village side of the mill. This second wheel is still in use today.
In 1690 the mill was leased to James Web for £ 60 a year. Around 1700 he expanded the mill to include equipment that would allow him to produce the fine flour that was popular at the time. His son Daniel Webb took over the mill in 1726 for a lease of £ 100 a year. Thomas Atrum took over the mill in 1747 for £ 150. The lease was increased to £ 205 in 1776. In 1777 a barn was built on Mill Island and a wharf was built to allow the mill to supply London with a boat. However, Thomas Atrum went bankrupt in 1784 .
The mill continued to operate and in 1823 there were plans to rebuild the mill. The advent of cheap flour from North America adversely affected the mill's business, but it continued to operate commercially until after World War II . In the 1980s it was restored and put back into operation.
Sightseeing opportunities
The mill is on the grounds of Mapledurham House and, like the house, is open on weekends and bank holidays from April to September. The mill is usually open on visiting days and visitors have access to both floors of the mill, where they can experience the operation of the mill.
The visit is chargeable. The site is accessible by road from Mapledurham and on opening days there is a boat service from Thameside Promenade in Reading .
Appearance in the media
The mill can be seen on the cover of the debut album of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath . To this day, most of its popularity is due to this.
The mill was also a location in the film The Eagle Has Landed . The mill is crucial in the film, as a German paratrooper disguised as a Polish soldier rescues a local girl there, leading to the group's exposure.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c The Old Watermill . Mapledurham Estate. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
- ↑ a b Opening times, directions and prices . Mapledurham Estate. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
- ^ Boat service from Reading to Mapledurham . Thames River Cruises. Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
- ^ Andrew L. Cope: Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music . Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Farnham / Burlington 2010, ISBN 978-0-7546-6881-7 , pp. 34 ( books.google.com ).
