the sack hoist at the foot of the
stairs and adjacent to the hoist,
on the floor, the trap door
through which the grain was
hoisted in sacks from the first
two storeys. But if you look
carefully at the floor boards near
the tower wall you will notice
changes in their pattern. There
are four oblong shapes. These
could be removed and grain
hopper bins replaced which
stood about 18’’ to 2 feet high.
The sack hoist received its power
from the floor below by a belt and
pulley driving device. The belt was
loose and slipped under the lower
pulley on the 4th storey when the
sack hoist was out of use.
a rope which ran down through
all the floors was heaved on and
through a pullley block raising
the lower beam on the back frame
of the hoist gear which in turn
lifted a second beam carrying the
bearing of a large drum pulley,
so tightening the belt which was
capable of reaching the ground
floor onto itself, lifting the sack
as it reeled in. The bollard has
iron slats spaced round it at
intervals to prevent wear on the
wooden barrel. There are four eye
bolts set in the tower walls.
warbler or alarm bell, would
keep these bins supplied with
their appropriate grades of grain
from the sacks, each bin
connecting by shutes to its own
stones for grinding. Some Mills
had grain cleaning machinery
on this floor but in Marsh Mill
this was done in the first two
storeys.