From Quern to Computer Milling Journals of the past at the Mills Archive by Mildred Cookson, The Mills Archive, UK
I
am delighted to announce that here at the Mills Archive, we have been successful in gaining a grant from the UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project that is about to get under way. Extending until 2018, we will use the £68,200 grant to preserve records of the history of flour milling, from its ancient origins up to the present day, and to tell this story to you and to people around the world. Participatory elements in the project, “From Quern to Computer”, mean that individuals and milling firms will have plenty of opportunities to get involved, not only in learning about the story (even the most knowledgeable mill enthusiast may be surprised at what they discover) but also in actively shaping the story for future generations and ensuring that key moments in history are recorded and not forgotten.
8 | Milling and Grain
Connecting modern milling developments with what has come before
Humans have used milling methods over thousands of years to make bread and other food products, at first for survival and over time for enjoyment such as biscuits and cakes. While the methods may have changed, it is important to see all the events and developments as part of an evolving story about flour milling, and how this story is relevant to everyone. We will capture the story of flour milling from 6000 BC Foundry drawing of waterwheel detail, 1895
The world’s first roller flour mill archive
For milling firms, the project provides the timely opportunity to ensure that their history is recorded for posterity. We invite suggestions of content to include in the story. We are interested not only in suggestions but the raw material as well. As we are building the first specialist archive for roller flour mills and milling, we welcome the donation of original historical images and documents, so that we can provide a safe home for such items and in time make them available to the public. With over two million historical records of traditional mills and milling, we have acknowledged the need to preserve the story of the advances in milling technology over the last 150 years. This expansion of our original remit, means the Mills Archive Trust will now incorporate the world’s first roller flour mill archive, allowing firms and milling families from around the world to ensure their history is respected and preserved for future generations. The records of the different elements of flour milling – particularly more recent roller flour mill records are at
risk of being lost forever. In some cases this is due in part to a lack of understanding of their historical importance, but more often than not it is because until now there has not been a suitable place to deposit such material. To truly understand the different flour milling “eras” one needs to have an awareness of what has come before and what has since developed.
Horizontal windmill, Islam Qala, Herat, Afghanistan, 1973
Post mill Diderot Encyclopedia, 1763
Great Barton Post Mill Suffolk, 1910