This article was in the Newsletter June 3rd 2026. To see more articles sign up to our newsletter on this website.

WHO MADE THE WHEEL?

One of the few pieces of machinery in the mill which we can date accurately, and we know who made is our waterwheel.

The wheel is known as a high breast wheel. This means the water falls vertically into the buckets on the wheel, if you were looking at the side of he wheel it would enter the buckets at about 2 o’clock. The wheel is 15 feet in diameter and 10 feet wide. It is the width that makes it fairly unique as a corn mill waterwheel.

The right hand shroud plate (the side plate to the buckets) has cast into it W Bell, Carlisle, 1843.

So who was W Bell?

W Bell was probably William Bell a millwright in Carlisle. William was the foreman for James Milligan a Carlisle millwright. William took over the business in 1841 when James Milligan died and William advertised his new business in the local paper.  His premises were in White Lion Lane with a yard in Lowther Street and Drovers Lane.

Who actually cast the parts for the wheel isn’t known, but there were a number of foundries in Carlisle at this time.

What else do we know about William?  By the 1851 census we find William living at 1 Spring Garden Lane, Carlisle, he gave his age as 45 years born in Kirklinton. His occupation is given as millwright and employing 19 men, so a reasonably large business.

He was associated again with our mill in 1860 when Mr Waugh the then miller advertised for an under miller and applications to be sent to Mr Bell.  By the 1861 census he is still employing 14 men and his son, also William aged 20 is described as a millwright.

Mr Bell died in 1898 and a large obituary appeared in the Carlisle Journal part of which is below

‘Mr William Bell, Millwright, Carlisle.

The death occurred on Monday at the ripe old age of 92 of Mr William Bell, formerly millwright in this city, but latterly living in retirement with his son in Lorne Street. Mr Bell, whose figure was familiar to almost everybody in the city, was able to go about until just before his death. He was the son of a famer and was born at Moat Hill, Kirklinton in 1806. He received what was in those days was a liberal education. He served his apprenticeship as a millwright with James Milligan, of Lowther Street, whose premises were on the site of Bank Street. When Mr Milligan died he purchased the business and carried it on at the original premises until 1845 when Bank Street was opened out and Mr Bell moved to premises on the corner of Lowther Street and Drovers Lane. His business underwent rapid improvement and gave employment to 60 to 70 men, but he was more of an engineer than a business man and in 1863 he gave up the business. He used to do the whole of the engineering work for Messrs Carr and Co, and Messrs Dixon and Co., before those firms obtained engineers of their own, and did a great amount of work for the farmers of the county.’

The Obituary is obviously at variance to the advert from 1841 which already states that Mr Bell already had his yard at the corner of Lowther Street and Drovers Lane. There is also a  slight exaggeration in the size of the business and the number of men employed compared to the census returns.