The smock mill is a variation on the tower mill and is reputed to have got its name from its likeness to the linen smocks that were once the traditional dress of the British countryman. The smock mill is a tapered tower clad in weatherboard and is usually octagonal in shape although there are examples of six, ten and even twelve sided ones. Most of these mills are built on a brick base and this was done to protect the base of the mill from rotting one of the major disadvantages of any timber clad construction.
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The main structure of a smock mill is its cant or corner posts which extended to the full height and converged as it went up. The bottom of these cant post were secured to a wooden sill which was bedded onto the top of the brick base. The joint between post and sill was always a problem and because the post leaned inwards the weight of the mill was bearing down and out at the sill.
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If there was any inherent weakness in the post/sill joint it could cause the post to slip away and the weight of the structure would topple the mill.
Horizontal ledges were fixed at intervals between the posts and spaced evenly up the structure. Extra vertical and diagonal struts were fixed between posts and ledges to form a ridged structure. The outside was usually clad with horizontal weatherboarding although there are examples of vertical clad smock mills
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You can take a closer look by clicking on the picture above and using either your mouse or arrow keys to walk around a 3 dimensional smock mill, (you may see other users doing the same thing while you're there).
Right clicking in the picture will give you some pop-up options to enhance the experience, chat with other users, change the way you appear to other users, stop the mill operating in the controls view etc.
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Ibstone Mill
Smock mills are very pleasing to the eye and to the camera. An example of this is the mill at Ibstone, Buckinghamshire which featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This mill is sited on private property but a good view of it can be had from an adjoining field. Another fine example is to be found in Buckinghamshire and is the Lacey Green Mill (National Grid Reference SP819009). This mill is reputed to be the oldest surviving smock mill in the country and is thought to have been built in 1650.
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