TedsWoodworking Plans and Projects

Gayle Mill , Wensleydale ~ Yorkshire

Gayle Mill , Wensleydale ~ Yorkshire

Gayle Mill , Wensleydale ~ Yorkshire

Gayle Mill was crafted in 1784-5 by Oswald and Thomas Routh, who saw the business enterprise options opened up by the building of a turnpike highway from the west and the stop of the American War of Independence which allowed a higher stream of raw material from the United States.

It began everyday living as a cotton-spinning mill, run by a 22′ diameter overshot waterwheel, and around the upcoming century, as economic circumstances in the Dales adjusted, was also utilized for spinning flax (briefly) and then wool for the nearby knitting cottage market in the valley. For 30 a long time in the center of the 19th century, it was utilised for domestic accommodation (and it also housed army engineers all through Entire world War II).

In 1878 the Mill took on a new lease of industrial everyday living when, because of to advancements in engineering, a local businessman, John C C Routh, transformed it into a sawmill. The waterwheel was taken out and replaced with a Thomson double-vortex turbine, designed by Williamsons (now Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd) of Kendal. The 11.2kW produced by the turbine drove a range of woodworking equipment (planer, lathes, circular saw, bandsaw, morticer) by a sequence of belts and pulleys off a central line-shaft.

In the early several years of the 20th century, Routh put in an electric generator to mild his residence in Gayle village. In 1915 the Hawes Electric Business was founded and leased section of the Mill and turbine for their individual generator, and in 1925 a secondary turbine was set in to generate better capacity. A fuel engine (now removed) was also set up to be ready to generate the generator when there was inadequate drinking water to run the turbine.

In 1959 all electrical energy materials from the Mill to the exterior environment ceased, leaving the 1925 generator to supply all electrical necessities for just the Mill. The Williamson turbine ongoing to provide the motive energy for the woodworking equipment till the company shut down in 1988.

It took 4 extended many years of get the job done to restore this treasure to its previous glory as a single of the BBC’s “Restoration” tv collection projects. (2004)

Info’ : www.gaylemill.org.british isles

Posted by ~ paddypix ~ on 2009-12-14 14:17:56

Tagged: , gayle , mill , hawes , wensleydale , yorkshire , dales , nationalpark , heritage

#home furniture #Do-it-yourself #woodwork #woodworking #freedownload#woodworkingprojects #woodsmith ,wooden craft, wood planer, good woodworking, wooden chairs, wood performing tools, common woodworking, woodworking publications, woodworking workbench programs