Cann
Parish Shaftesbury St Rumbold
O.S Grid Reference ST 872 208 [Lat 50.9864 - Long -2.1837]
Nearest contour height 107m
Topography Unusual ! Windmill built on watermill in a valley
Archaeology Now demolished but workings understood
to be stored on site (2009)
Earliest Dating Built in 1969-1971 by Derek Ogden (well known millwright)
as a reduced scale replica C18th Portuguese mill.
Records See The Mills Archive - one of 3 Dorset windmills featured.
Documents Presumably Planning Permission !! (Plan of 1968)
Maps
Early maps
Ogilby 1675
Taylor 1765
Tithe Map (c1840)
1st Edition OS map
Present OS map Shown as windmill
Google Map :
The windmill Portuguese tower mill reduced scale replica with jib sails
The Millers Mr Michael Stoate (owner / commissioned the windmill)
Present site condition Sadly demolished in 2008 / 2009
Left : Photograph from Dorset Magazine February 2008 (shortly before mill was taken down)
Above : From Mills Archive
Notes and comments
This replica C18th Portuguese windmill with multi triangular canvas sails was built in 1969-1971 by the well known millwright Derek Ogden for Mr Norman Stoate[1] the owner of the existing Cann watermill[2]. just to the south of Shaftesbury. Built to be used commercially. The Stoate family took over the Cann mill in 1947 having formerly been milling in Watchet, Somerest since 1832.
The water mill, on the delightfully named Sturkel brook, has existed in the site for centuries (possibly from the C11th) but the old mill burnt down in the 1955 and the present watermill is therefore modern. The windmill was built directly on the concrete roof of the reconstructed watermill.
It was a working mill with a pair of 3ft 6in diameter stones which produces wholewheat flour. It is shown on the current OS 1:50000 map and was featured in the Observer newspaper (16th April 1978).
The National Mills Archive (www.millsarchive.com) has some good photographs of the windmill and watermill (old & new) together with Derek Ogden's drawings etc. There is also a drawing in the Goodrich collection (1875) located The Mills Archive Trust (Watlington House, Reading - T/602) which appears to be an earlier proposal for a windmill at Cann.
Sadly, due to structural problems with the tower and the need to replace the timber cap and sail poles, the windmill was demolished in 2008 /2009 but the workings have been stored on site in the hope that it may be rebuilt on another site in the future.
More information can be found : www.windmillworld.com/news/item720.htm
There is also extensive information on the Mills Archive website - link below :
Left : A rather poor photo (RC) taken January 2012 from road showing new profiled metal roof on mill building where the windmill once stood.
Notes :
[1] SDN&Q Vol XXX1 p11-18 & Dorset Evening Echo article 20th August 1971.
[2] The sale of the corn and grist water mill is recorded in the Salisbury Journal of 14th
October 1782 (tenant Samuel Neave) [from extract by Ken Kirsopp Mills research Group
March 1999]