Somerset East is ready to rollout its fully-functional historic watermill which has been painstakingly refurbished over the past year as part of a proud new tourism drive.
The project has been a labour of love for the Brown family of Glen Avon Farm to recreate the masterful craftsmanship of years gone by, but did so in the hope of the family uplifting the local economy and its people.
The Brown's have been farming for eight generations on Glen Avon and the mill was built with local stone in the 1830s.
Initially it had a wooden waterwheel but in the early 1860s this was replaced with a 9m diameter steel “overshot” waterwheel and a third story of baked brick was added on top of the two-story stone mill building.
Fiona Brown, 45, said the family had initially tried to source funding for the refurbishment of the mill from various government entities but to no avail.
“The adage n' Boer maak n' plan became the order of the day.
“Creative solutions were found, and a lot of man-hours were put in by friends, family and staff to make things happen.
“Many thanks for the donations of scaffolding from local engineering works and to Woodoc for treating all the woodwork, which helped make the dream a reality.”
She said there were very few watermills in SA where all the components were fully functioning.
“The motivation to restore Glen Avon Mill was borne out of our love for heritage and history.
“But it has been more than a sentimental pursuit.
“We believe that the restoration of the mill has great potential not only for those immediately associated with the project but also for the greater community of Somerset East, and this sadly neglected part of the Eastern Cape.
“It's vital to preserve this historical artefact for the intellectual and aesthetic benefit of future generations.
“We want to show people the ingenuity and awesome mechanical engineering of a bygone era — this is how flour and mieliemeal was produced in ‘the olden days’.”
She said the restoration was also part of a bigger plan.
“The idea is to add value to the tourism sector in the Somerset East district by offering something different for tourists to experience — like a fully-functional nearly 200-year old watermill.”
A watermill uses the power of water to turn a waterwheel that, through an intricate system of shafts and gears, turns the millstone to grind grain into flour.
At Glen Avon, the water is channelled from Mill Dam through the headrace and launder to turn the wheel as it tumbles over it, thereby turning the pit wheel, the wallower the spindle and the top millstone.
Bags of grain — delivered in the old days by horse and cart and lifted through an upper story window — are emptied through a chute into an opening in the centre of the top millstone.
The grain is ground into flour between the top and bottom millstone, which is fixed in place, and then emptied through another chute to the ground floor where it is bagged.
Brown said the family had already enjoyed one batch of mealie meal ground by the watermill.
She said the mill would be officially opened to the public in a fun event on October 1, starting at 11am
There will be tours, bass fishing for the kids and bicycles are welcome.
Lunch will be sold and hay bales will be available for seating or else people can bring their own camp chairs with bookings available at 074-342-9550.
HeraldLIVE
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