THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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a good king post roof exposed in the chancel and probably continued under
the plastering of the nave ceiling. The chief feature of interest was un-
doubtedly the 14th century E. windows in both N. and S. aisles ; during
some repairs to the brick-surfaced wall at the E. end of the S. aisle in 1927,
the workmen discovered a stone moulding behind the bricks, whereupon
a few courses of the brickwork were removed. This removal dis-
closed a traceried window of good design which had been bricked up both
inside and out, the outside brickwork being of later date than that inside
Subsequently the whole window was revealed and very carefully restored,
while a similar window, in rather better preservation, and with some
original glass, was found in the N. aisle; both windows are now restored
to their original appearance and purpose.
Taking leave of the rector after expression of thanks for his kindness
in coming to Buttsbury on this occasion, the members continued their
way to a lane bordered with meadowsweet, which offered shade and
rest for lunch.
Some threequarters of an hour were occupied by lunch and discussions
and then the lane was followed eastward past Imphy Hall, which appeared
to be of considerably earlier date than its Georgian brick facade suggests.
Although the deeply-cut lane and wooded banks held some botanical
interest, the majority of the collections were made earlier in the course
of the walk.
Stock village was approached from a bye-lane leading to the cross
roads by the Bear Inn. The interior woodwork of the inn could not,
unfortunately, be inspected, owing to the hour of our arrival, but the
carved barge boards on one of the 16th century gables proved of interest.
Passing across the village, the party reached Stock Windmill, a tower
mill of the late 18th or early 19th century.
By the courtesy of the miller, Mr. Semmens, members were permitted
to inspect the interior of the mill. Nearly all the party clambered up the
five storeys of the brick tower, and some more adventurous members
gained the staging outside the cap, from which position, some go or 60
feet above the grounda, a fine view of the countryside was obtained.
The gearing and brake mechanism contained in the weatherboarded
cap were of great interest and measurements were made of the principal
details. The main shaft ("wind shaft") carried a 9 ft. diameter gear
wheel, the teeth of which were of applewood ; the circumference of this
wheel acted also as the brake drum by which the rotation of the sails could
be checked. The pair of millstones, five feet in diameter, are reputed
to be the largest in any Essex mill. Mr. Salmon sends the following notes
on Stock Mill, compiled during this visit and on other occasions :—
" The mill still works one pair of stones by wind ; other stones are
worked from an engine in an adjoining shed. The weatherboarding
of the cap was renewed in 1929. Structural evidence suggests there
was originally a gallery for opening and shutting the slots of the sails,
but Cubitt's automatic reefer was subsequently installed. There is a
weighing machine by Pallet, London, dated 1831. Mr. Thurston
Hopkins, in Old Watermills and Windmills (1930), gives the date of
the mill as 1730, but that was almost certainly the date of an earlier
post mill on the same site; the present mill possibly dates from about