Stembridge Mill, High Ham

Stembridge Mill was constructed for Robert Tatchell in 1822. It incorporated parts from the earlier Ham Mill, a few hundred yards to the north east. surrounded by a low wall intended to keep people and livestock away from the sails. Tatchell leased the mill to his son-in-law John Sherrin, who inherited the mill in 1824 following Tatchell's death. When Sherrin died, the mill passed to his three sons, although only one, Robert, worked the mill. Simon Spearing became the miller in 1869. He was later assisted by his son William, who lost an arm when he was thirteen due to an accident at a watermill in Low Ham. By the late 1880s, the mill was being rented by George Parker. The bakehouse ceased to be used around this time. It is the last survivor of five windmills that once existed in the area. In 2009 the sails were replaced and the mill re-thatched and restored by local craftsmen at a cost of a £100,000; the mill was re-opened later that year. The work was funded by the Grantscape Community Heritage Fund. Although the sails do not rotate with the wind, they are moved 90 degrees four times per year for maintenance. Before the restoration work was undertaken surveys revealed that the mill was used as a roost for long-eared and lesser horseshoe bats. It was ensured that the bats would still have access after the restoration. ==Description==

Note: Italicized terms are defined in the mill machinery article. Stembridge Mill is a tower mill, a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The advantage of the tower mill over the earlier post mill is that it is not necessary to turn the whole mill ("body", "buck") with all its machinery into the wind; this allows more space for the machinery and storage. In the earliest tower mills the cap was turned into the wind with a long tail-pole which stretched to the ground at the back of the mill. Later, a looping chain was used which turned the cap with gears, as is used at Stembridge. The other pair has a French Burr runner stone on a conglomerate bedstone. Both pairs of millstones were originally driven overdrift by the windmill, with the mixed pair later being driven underdrift by the steam engine, which also drove a wire machine. The remains of the old bakehouse can be seen at the rear of the mill. ==Millers==

The following millers worked Stembridge Mill: • John Sherrin (1822–?) • Robert Sherrin (1861–69) • Simon Spearing (1869–?) • Joseph Loader (1879–81) • George Parker (1889–97) • Frank Parker (1897–98) • Robert Mead (1898–?) • F. G. Harding (post 1898) • Mr. Hill (post 1898) ==See also==