Boar's Head Mills - engine house.

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 26 Mar 2011

This building that is now used by a firm selling stoves, hence the multiplicity of stove-pipes, was built in 1896 to house an 1897 built horizontal tandem compound steam engine by John Musgrave & Sons of Bolton. This had Corliss valve cylinders of 14" & 28" x 36" and was good for 250 horsepower at 80 rpm. The flywheel had wooden boarding over the spokes and must have driven by ropes. The steam pipe entered the building via the circular opening above and to the right of the main end door. The site made extensive use of water power, first with wheels and latterly with turbines and I do not know if any of these survive. The engine house joins the middle mill of 1796-1801 vintage and to the left of the engine house can be seen an arch that must have been on the tail-race side of one of the two wheels in this mill. Interestingly, one of these wheels was a 'flood wheel' set at a higher level so that it would work when the river was in flood (a term that's new to me). Above the engine house there is a vertical join flanked by a change in style of fenestration and the building to the right of the join is the East Mill of c1818-21.

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