This post was in the Newsletter of 18th March 2026

RECYCLING.

During the post medieval period when the majority of corn mills were still owned by the Lord of Manor the Lord of the Manor would usually  be responsible for providing  the millstones, any wood and iron that was required for repairs. The miller would be responsible for all other costs of repair. There would always be an element of recycling pieces that were redundant or were being replaced.

If we look at Warwick Bridge Corn Mill there are a couple of places where pieces have either   been reused or have been recycled. The first instance is the bearing at one end of the  waterwheel axle. The external bearing is a typical cast metal bearing. But the bearing at the other end within the hurst frame is a stone bearing. This a piece of hardwearing very fine grained stone that has had a bearing surface cut into it, into which the gudgeon of the waterwheel axle fits. It is possible this type of bearing possibly dates to an earlier waterwheel than the present one, which dates to 1843. The other possibility is Mr Bell the millwright was still following old practices and put two stone bearings in, one of which has been replaced by a more modern bearing. This would have been a major undertaking.

THE STONE BEARING AT THE END OF THE WATERWHEEL AXLE.

The other case of recycling also involves a bearing. In this case it involves the bearing at the bottom of the stone axle.  All the stone axle now present in the mill sit in metal bearing on the bridge tree.

BEARING BLOCK AT BOTTOM OF THE STONE AXLE.

If as you come in through the main double door on the middle floor of the mill, look up at the beam above the door and there is an old stone bearing block still set into the wood. The beam is not big enough to have been a bridge tree in the present hurst frame. Was it in an earlier hurst frame and been reused?

STONE BEARING BLOCK IN DOOR BEAM.

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