Winchester City Mill - Part Two

There's a lot to see at Winchester City Mill.

On the floor above the Mill Race you can learn about "The Story of Bread".  It shows you all the different stages.

First you have to plant the wheat and wait for it to grow.

Then you harvest and thresh it ready to be milled.

And only then, when it's been turned into flour, can you make the bread.

Did you know that much work went into making your morning slice of toast or your lunchtime sandwiches? I didn't.

Barnaby

Winchester City Mill - Part One

After we’d looked at the statue of King Alfred we went to visit Winchester City Mill, which is looked after by the National Trust (just like Hinton Ampner where we went the day before).

For most of the 20^th century it wasn’t a working mill – it was even used as a Youth Hostel – but when the National Trust took it over in the 1980s they began restoring it and now you can buy flour that’s been milled here in the attached shop.

This diagram explains how the flow of the river is used to turn the water wheel which then powers the milling stones.

   

As you can see from this picture the wheel turns very quickly. That's why it's called a Mill Race.

I was a bit worried I would get wet.  As you can see I'm only a few inches above the water.

Barnaby