Elphin Windmill
| Elphin Windmill | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Origin | |
| Mill name | Elphin Windmill |
| Mill location | 53°51′07″N 8°12′19″W / 53.85188°N 8.2053°W |
| Year built | c.1730 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Corn and flax milling |
| Type | Tower mill |
| Storeys | Three storey tower |
| No. of sails | Four sails |
| Type of sails | Common sails |
| Winding | Tailpole |
Elphin Windmill is a fully restored 18th-century tower mill in Elphin, County Roscommon, viewed as a rare piece of Irish industrial architectural heritage,[1] and possibly the oldest operational windmill in Ireland.[2]
History
Elphin windmill is a circular, three-stage windmill, dating from around 1730.[1] It was built by Edward Synge, a local landowner and Bishop of Elphin.[3] The mill provided corn meal for the local people,[4] as well as milling flax.[2]
The windmill has four timber sails and unusually the rotating roof is thatched, originally in rye. The timber tail pole is connected from the roof to a cart wheel on the ground guided with a groove, which was used to change the direction of the sails.[1][5]
Current use
The windmill had fallen into ruins by 1830. It was extensively renovated over the course of three years, starting in 1996, by a FÁS scheme and Elphin Area Community Enterprise Ltd.[1] The interior was reconstructed using wood.[2] The windmill is now fully functional, and was officially opened to the public in 2000[4] by actor Gabriel Byrne.[2]
There is a modern addition of a small building, known as Windmill Cottage, that houses a visitor's centre.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Elphin Windmill, Windmill Road, Elphin, County Roscommon". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Restoration of windmill puts wind in sails of Elphin". The Irish Times. 23 June 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Rynne, Colin (2003). "Development of Milling Technology in Ireland, c.600-1875". In Bielenberg, Andy (ed.). Irish Flour Milling: A History 600-2000. Dublin: The Lilliput Press. p. 27. ISBN 1843510197.
- ^ a b "Elphin, Co Roscommon windmill, Ireland". Windmill World. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Hamond, Fred; McMahon, Mary. "Recording and Conserving Ireland's Industrial Heritage: An Introductory Guide" (PDF). Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 June 2015.