Preston Mill

The last time we were at Preston Mill it was closed so today we took advantage of a tour. The mill itself is to the right of the photo, the 'witches hat' is the kiln, where grain was dried before grinding. There has been a mill on the site since the C16 but this dates from C18.

The extra is the pattern used for stone-dressing. In this sketch the black lines show how the bedstone (the lower, fixed, stone) is cut, the red lines show the runner (the upper stone, that rotates). In use, this causes the furrows to cross one another, giving the effect of scissors, and the product to move to the edge for collection.