The October monthly meeting will take place in the Wedmore Masonic Hall at 7.30 pm.
The speaker will be David Dixon and his talk will be titled ‘My life with millers, wind and Ashton Windmill’.
Members free, Visitors £3, with free tea/coffee afterwards.
Contact Ian Tomes on 01934 710390.’
David Dixon, a long time Custodian and now Chairman of the Ashton Windmill, which lies beside the road from Weare to Wedmore at Chapel Allerton, came to our Society to give us a talk entitled ‘ My Life with Millers, Wind and Ashton Windmill.’ Before telling us about the intricate workings of the mill, David mentioned that he was a structural engineer and loved sailing. There used to be 130 windmills in Somerset, seven of which were in the Isle of Wedmore. This mill is an 18th century Tower Mill of a typical Somerset design and is sited in a very favourable location as the wind can reach it from any direction.
The listed mill was mainly used to grind corn for flour and beans for cattle food. Sedgemoor District Council took over the ownership of the mill in 1981 and, in fact, prior to that date, the mill, which was first mentioned in 1317, was very run down and various repairs and restorations took place including the painting of the entire stonework. There were millers at the mill from 1737, with the last one, John Stevens, finishing in 1927. David gave an excellent talk and we all left the meeting with a great deal more knowledge about this iconic landmark than we originally knew!
Chris Edwards