HORSE POWERED HERITAGE
Horse powered mills came in a variety of sizes and styles and featured one or more horses harnessed to a mill. By travelling around and around the main shaft, the animal could provide enough power to grind corn or pump water.
Animal powered mills were used for all manner of work. In large blacksmith’s shops, they could provide air to the bellows, and in cider farms, they could crush or press the apples. They could also be used in sawmills and stone crushing mills, but grain crushing and water pumping were probably the most commonplace applications.
The animal powered mill is thought to have been invented in what is modern-day Tunisia in around 400BC. The concept of these mills spread through Italy and Spain, and examples of stone mills designed to be powered by animals were even found in the ruins of Pompeii.
Most horse mills in the UK were built from the 17th to 19th century, with a real peak taking place between 1800 and 1830. By the late 19th century, horse-drawn mills were gradually replaced wiThengine power. A survey conducted in 1976 found there were 1300 horse mills in existence in the UK, but sadly many have since been destroyed.
Some horse mills
