De Verrekijker, Bergharen

De Verrekijker (English: The Spyglass) is a tower mill in Bergharen, Gelderland, Netherlands which was built in 1904 and has been converted to a holiday cottage. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument.

De Verrekijker, Bergharen
The mill in September 2010
Map
Origin
Mill nameDe Verrekijker
Mill locationMolenweg 53, 6617 BC, Bergharen
Coordinates51°51′20″N 5°40′30″E / 51.85556°N 5.67500°E / 51.85556; 5.67500
Operator(s)Private
Year built1904
Information
PurposeCorn mill
TypeTower mill
StoreysThree storeys
No. of sailsFour sails
Type of sailsCommon sails
Windshaftcast iron
WindingTailpole and winch

History

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There was a post mill on this site in 1313, when it was sold to the Cistercians of Alten Camp, near Xanten (now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). A post mill was struck by lightning and destroyed on 31 December 1486. It was replaced by a new mill.[1] The mill immediately preceding the current mill was a post mill that was struck by lightning in 1903 and destroyed,[2] but not by fire; the damage done rendered the mill beyond repair.[1]

De Verrekijker was built in 1904 by millwright Willem Coppes of Bergharen. In 1962, the mill was stripped of its machinery and converted to a holiday cottage. The mill can turn in the wind. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, № 9303.[1]

Description

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De Verrekijker is what the Dutch call a "Beltmolen". It is a three storey tower mill built on a mound.[1] The cap is covered n dakleer.[3] Winding is by tailpole and winch. The sails are Common sails, which have a span of 25.10 metres (82 ft 4 in). They are carried on a cast iron windshaft which was cast by Merckx in 1897. The windshaft also carries the brake wheel, which has 86 cogs. No other machinery remains.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Bergharen, Gelderland" (in Dutch). Molendatabase. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  2. ^ "De Verrekijker 2e voorganger, Bergharen" (in Dutch). Molendatabase. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  3. ^ Stenvert, Ronald. "Bergharen (gemeente Wijchen)" (in Dutch). Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren. Retrieved 26 October 2014.