One of my interests (in terms of vernacular architecture) are Water Mills, and naturally I enjoy making paper models of these - as and when I find the models - there are not as many models of water mills as you one would think) - as well as the time to make them!
I have 3 or 4 now waiting to be built, so decided I would now start one – an interesting little model from Richard Vyškovský – a Boat Mill!
An explanation here is probably needed, as most people have never heard of boat mills....
SOME BACKGROUND HISTORY
From the Middle Ages on, water mills were a really important power source in Europe, but eventually suitable sites for them were used up. This resulted in a need to find other sites and other ways of harnessing water power, which then lead to the development of bridge mills (mills mounted on bridges), hanging mills (mills suspended from a fixed structure), and boat mills.
As well as the need for a suitable site, water used for mills also had to be controlled – remember that water levels fall and rise.
Undershot water wheels (powered from the bottom - see
Picture 1 below) were very prone to this, with mill ponds being used to a degree to control the water flow to them.
Another (more efficient) type of wheel used was the overshot water wheel, where the water was directed from above the wheel using channels and troughs. See
Picture 2 below.
Both methods ideally also used small dams and sluice gates to control the water – and things could get quite complicated in the search for the delivery of a constant controlled flow of water.
Boat mills overcame much of the above issues.
- They could be anchored in the middle of wide streams, or wherever the current was strongest.
- They were unaffected by rising of falling water levels.
- They could be used in cities (where the river banks were crowded).
- And importantly, the (undershot) water wheel was always kept at the optimum level for the best power generation.
Boat mills date from the 6th Century and two types existed.
One type had wheels on either side of one hull, like a paddle steamer (
Picture 3) shows this type, while the second type had two hulls on either side of one wheel -
Pictures 4 and 5.
The second type of boat mill was far more common (two hulls on either side of one wheel), as this design had a number of additional advantages.
- Firstly it further channelled the water between the two hulls, thereby increasing power output.
- Secondly the use of the two hulls enabled a larger mill wheel to be supported.
- Thirdly control gates could be used to control wheel speed, while lastly the two hulls meant greater stability.
Richard’s model is of this later type.
This type of boat mill had some generally standard design features worth noting……..
- The one hull was firstly bigger than the other – this housed the actual mill and often the miller’s house.
- The second hull was a lot smaller – it only needed to house the axle bearing and a number of rocks (used to balance the mill).
- In actual use the mill was always used with the large hull on the river bank side, and was generally accessible by a wooden bridge from the bank.
- More rarely it would be anchored mid-stream – then boats had to be used!
- Another difference was although water mills were used for all other tasks – including minting, oil mills, sawmills, oil mills, cotton mills etc., most boat mills were only used as corn mills.
Boat mills spread in the 9th century to the Middle and Far East.
The demise of boat mills basically came with the introduction of steam power – which especially led to steamboats and the related need for more open navigation channels, which in turn lead many authorities to ban boat mills. In later years boat mills survived on only in Turkey, Germany, Bosnia, Serbia, Slovakia, Japan, Hungary and Austria.
THE MODEL
As mentioned Richard’s model is of a boat mill with two hulls and central wheel.
It represents a fairly typical central European grain mill, complete with the millers’ residence.
The instructions follow Richards’s normal style and have the usual exploded diagram as the main reference source. After a bit of studying this looks clear enough, and I will cover any issues (hopefully few or none) as I go along. A lot of the artwork is more “subdued” than normal. All in all a very nice and unusual little model.
I have done my usual and reduced it to 1/160, printing it on 120 grm paper which seemed about right for me.
Warning – this will not be a quick build as I have plenty of other things on the go at the moment, but I will try to devote time to it on a regular basis - starting with some work later tonight!
Picture 1 shows a typical undershot water wheel.
Picture 2 shows an overshot wheel.
Picture 3 shows the first type of (less popular) boat mill – two wheels either side of a hull. This is actually a photo of a Chinese mill.
Pictures 4 and 5 show two hulled boat mills (with a central wheel). This the type of mill I will be making.
Picture 6 lastly shows the component sheets for the model– lots of fiddly small pieces, even more so in 1/160!