Watermills were once commonplace but, because of their domestic scale and their often picturesque, waterside locations, many have now lost their waterwheels and machinery and the buildings have been converted to other uses. Their place in the townscapes and countryside of Britain is a significant one, however, as each mill required its own water supply, which usually had a noticeable effect on its immediate surroundings. Water power has been in use for over two thousand years, initially for grinding grain and pumping water, and later for driving processing machinery for a wide variety of...
Watermills were once commonplace but, because of their domestic scale and their often picturesque, waterside locations, many have now lost their wa...
For thousands of years British fields were ploughed not by horses but by oxen, usually working in teams of two or four, noted for their strength, docility and economy. This is a survey of their use in Britain, their impact upon the countryside, and the relics that can still be found: yokes, bows, shoes, housing and place-names. Martin Watts is curator of the Ryedale Folk Museum in North Yorkshire.
For thousands of years British fields were ploughed not by horses but by oxen, usually working in teams of two or four, noted for their strength, doci...
Windmills have been in existence for over eight hundred years and, although only a fraction of those that once ground corn, pumped water and provided power for industry and -agriculture now survive, they are still a distinctive and often -dramatic presence in the British landscape. Among the most -important features of these survivors are the -variations in -design that have come about through their different -origins, the use of local materials in their construction, and the -influence of millwrights and millers - those who built and worked them - in different parts of the country....
Windmills have been in existence for over eight hundred years and, although only a fraction of those that once ground corn, pumped water and provid...
