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This mill is fitted with Patent sails which work by opening and closing the slats on the sails in a similar fashion to a Venetian
blind.
This was a major step forward in that the adjustments can be made whilst the sails are still turning & the miller
did not require an assistant to apply the brake whilst sails are adjusted.
This Tower mill is in a low lying area near the river estuary and is built high to catch the wind.
By operating a long chain
- which hangs down to the gallery- the miller can adjust the speed at which the sails turn via a system of gearing & levers
which pass through the cap and onto the mechanisms on the sails. This opens & closes the slats according to the wind conditions.
The
mill also features a fantail mechanism which is an automatic method of keeping the sails turned into the wind by revolving the entire
white painted 'cap' via a gearing on the curb on the top of the tower.
The boardwalk staging permits the miller to walk around
to access the chain and also aids maintenance of the sails.
