Industrial History Online
Gibbet Mill
Key Words :- windmill
Address :- Ferry Road, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7DW
Grid Ref :- TQ 91648 20321
Co-ordinates :- Lat 50.950457 , Long 0.727066
Local Authority :- Rother District Council
Pre 1974 County :- East Sussex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1251517,
Description and History of Site:-
Restored smock mill which occupies a site in Gibbet’s Marsh where a windmill has stood, in one form or another, since at least the 16th century.
The Symondons map of Rye created in 1596 shows an illustration of a windmill in the exact spot where today’s mill now stands.
The first recorded owner of a Rye Mill was Thomas Chatterton who built a 'post mill' in 1758. After his death his widow, Mary, passed it on to a Frederick Barry who demolished the 'post mill' in 1820 to erect a 'smock mill'.
Milling continued until 1912 when the premises became a bakery, eventually to be owned by the Webbs, a family of Rye bakers who were to become custodians of the windmill for over 60 years.
In 1930, the ovens of the bakery overheated and destroyed the wooden structure on the mill, leaving just the two story brick base. The mill was reconstructed in 1932 and it continued as a bakery until 1976. The ovens were put to good use when the mill became a pottery. The original oven doors can be seen in the base of the windmill.
B&B guesthouse since 1984.
Further Reading and References:-
Haselfoot, A J. 'The Batsford Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of South-East England'. Batsford, 1978
https://ryewindmill.co.uk/about-rye-windmill/
https://www.sussexmillsgroup.org.uk/wind.htm
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Grid Ref :- TQ 91648 20321
Co-ordinates :- Lat 50.950457 , Long 0.727066
Local Authority :- Rother District Council
Pre 1974 County :- East Sussex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1251517,
Restored smock mill which occupies a site in Gibbet’s Marsh where a windmill has stood, in one form or another, since at least the 16th century.
The Symondons map of Rye created in 1596 shows an illustration of a windmill in the exact spot where today’s mill now stands.
The first recorded owner of a Rye Mill was Thomas Chatterton who built a 'post mill' in 1758. After his death his widow, Mary, passed it on to a Frederick Barry who demolished the 'post mill' in 1820 to erect a 'smock mill'.
Milling continued until 1912 when the premises became a bakery, eventually to be owned by the Webbs, a family of Rye bakers who were to become custodians of the windmill for over 60 years.
In 1930, the ovens of the bakery overheated and destroyed the wooden structure on the mill, leaving just the two story brick base. The mill was reconstructed in 1932 and it continued as a bakery until 1976. The ovens were put to good use when the mill became a pottery. The original oven doors can be seen in the base of the windmill.
B&B guesthouse since 1984.
Haselfoot, A J. 'The Batsford Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of South-East England'. Batsford, 1978
https://ryewindmill.co.uk/about-rye-windmill/
https://www.sussexmillsgroup.org.uk/wind.htm
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Contributor :- Sussex IA - 9 September 2023
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Sussex IA
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Sussex IA