John Gruber Chesterton Tower Mill Model
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| Model Type | Tower Mill |
| Model | Chesterton Tower Mill |
| Model Maker | John Gruber |
| Height | 41cm |
| Circumference | 43cm |
| Power | 1xAA battery |
| Switch | Rotating pennant |
John Gruber's Chesterton Tower Mill model is of the tower mill (grid reference 52.231°N 1.49°W) outside Chesterton in Warwickshire. The limestone tower of the original is built on six semi circular arches on piers.
In the Gruber model, the pennant flying from the cap can be rotated to point towards the sails to turn on the motor.
As with several other Gruber mill models, the cap is attached to the buck via a descending dowel. In this model the dowel is fastened to a metal retaining bracket, rather than a wooden retaining plate. Removing the retaining bracket, by loosening a couple of screws, gives access to the motor, switch and battery. The sails can be removed from the 'windshaft' by loosening a cross-head screw on the poll end. The switch is a leaf switch attached to its own bracket fastened to the inside of the cap. The pennant is attached to a pin bent at the opposite end which slots through a hole in the switch bracket such that rotating the pennant will engage or disengage the switch.
John Gruber has faithfully rendered the six limestone arches of the original mill with sandstone detailing - see photograph on the left which also shows the steps descending and a grain sack on the end of a chain which would be being raised into the mill via the manual hoist of the original.
The photograph on the right shows the exterior of the model's cap with the pennant switch.
Below, left shows the interior of the model cap with the motor assembly held in place by a retaining bracket to which the dowel is also attached. It may be necessary to remove this bracket to gain access to the battery holder. If the sails are removed from the shaft, the retaining bracket is removed and the motor assembly and shaft gently slid out of the cap, the switch retaining bracket will be exposed. This should not need to be disassembled for regular maintenance, but if attention is required, care needs to be taken on re-assembly to ensure that the pennant's bent pin is correctly slotted through the hole in the switch bracket so that rotation of the pennant will engage and disengage the leaf switch.
Maintenance Records
| Date | Status | Action | Maintainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/06/2022 | Battery dead. | Battery replaced. | Jeff Best |
