Eling Tide Mill is a water mill that harnesses the power of the tide to grind wheat into wholemeal flour.
Situated on the edge of Southampton Water beside the renowned New Forest, there has been a mill on the site for over 900 years, although it has had to be rebuilt several times, with the current building being some 230 years old. Tide mills were once an important part of the economy of many countries, such as Great Britain and the United States of America - the latter having many hundreds of tide mills on the eastern coast from the 17th to 19th centuries. Tidal power was harnessed in this fashion not only for milling flour, but for everything from sawing lumber and operating the bellows and hammers in ironworks, to manufacturing paper and cotton, to grinding spices, pepper and gunpowder. Before the advent of the steam engine they were the one kind of large-scale mill that was pretty much guaranteed to be able to run 365 days of the year.
Unfortunately they suffered far more than the river and wind mills after they were gradually abandoned in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and very few survive even as derelicts. There are only four tide mills open to the public in the entire United Kingdom, and none at all in the U.S.A.
Eling Tide Mill, although abandoned in the 1940s, had the great good fortune to survive until it was restored between 1975 and 1980, at which time it re-opened as both a working mill, and a museum to this part of our industrial heritage. It is the only fully working and productive tide mill in the United Kingdom, once again producing flour as it had throughout the last Millennium. It is, in fact, one of only two productive tide mills in the entire world (to the best of our knowledge), and the only one producing what it was built to produce.
Flicka has been trying to get inside a Forest Pub ever since she arrived. Today we had a meeting at the Turfcutters Arms and she insisted on coming. Whilst we were talking Flicka drank all the beer!
Well at least she is quiet tonight and she has been sleeping ever since we came home!
Flicka in Southwark cathedral
One of many Living Statues along the Embankment. I think he was feeling a little blue!
The British Airways London Eye is the world's tallest observation wheel at 135m high. Located on the banks of the River Thames it offers unrivalled views over London. Each rotation takes 30 mins, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop.
St Pauls lit up in the evening sun.
Watching the planes fly over the Eye.
Flicka posed one last time in front of the London Eye
Flicka Snored all the way home on the train!
Karen and I went to the Lymington and keyhaven nature reserve today. When we got there it poured with rain but within half ann Hour it was sunny again. it was however very windy and it was hard work keeping the camera steady for shots.
The colouring here was very interesting. I am not sure what plant is so red.
We were surprised to see the Black swans, they must have escaped from somewhere!
We saw this little wheatear.
And I wonder where this Pink Flamingo came from!
Little Egret
Heron
Flicak and Little Flicka have a picnic
Great crested Grebe
In between sorting the canadian photos and walking the dogs we have been showing Flicka the New Forest. First we stopped off at St Michaels and All Angels to sshow her the grave of Alice in Wonderland
Then it was on to Minstead, where Flicka was soon in trouble and in the stocks. Fortunately no one was around to throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at her
Flicka Enjoyed sitting on top of the Rufus Stone, supposedly commemorating the spot where the Oak tree, that deflected the arrow killing Willaim Rufus, stood
We finished up watching the ducks at Cadmans Pond
