Mr Monkey looked at a small exhibition about the mill, then examined the mill stones. If the mill had been working, grain would be poured down the wooden chute from the floor above into the hopper above the stones, and then down into the shoe. A four pronged spindle called the damsel shakes the shoe, and makes the grain fall into a hole in the centre of the top stone, which would be revolving about 108 times a minute. Caught between the moving stone and the stationary stone, the grain would have been ground up into tiny pieces. As the mill wasn't working, Mr Monkey had to imagine all this.
There's an interesting page about making and using millstones at the Whitemill website.
Return to Mr Monkey at Nether Alderley Mill
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 15 June 2007