Callington Mill is a "Lincolnshire" tower mill, a tapered stone tower carrying a cap, fantail & sails. Callington Mill had patent sails which enabled the miller to adjust them while the mill was working to ensure a regular operating speed.
The curved, gradually tapering tower and narrowing thickness of its sandstone blocks all demonstrate that it was built by a master mason, well versed in the art of windmill construction. It is said to have been built by the firm of Cleghorn & Anderson, well known as builders of mills throughout the colony. The machinery was imported and erected by two of the colony's most important millwrights, Easby & Robertson. It originally had two pairs of French burr stones. These stones are still regarded as the finest in the business, imported from a small area near Paris. Nothing but the best for John Vincent & his mill!!
At the time, Callington Mill was the biggest and best mill in the district. But two years later, Vincent has apparently had enough of milling, for he advertised his mill for lease as "one of the first rate windmills in the country and surpassed by none in the business". Despite its obvious attractions, the mill failed to sell and eventually Vincent sold it to his son, John Jnr. In 1845, John Vincent Jnr commissioned engineer Alexander Clark to install an eight horsepower steam engine and another pair of French burr stones. No longer at the mercy of the unreliable wind, he was able to advertise that "the utmost expedition of any orders may now be depended upon". This masive investment must not have paid off for by the early 1850s, young John was on his way to the Victorian goldfields to seek his fortune. Over the next 13 years, the mill was often up for sale, its price declining each time it changed hands.
Thomas Jillett bought the mill in 1853 and in the early 1860s, he added another pair of millstones to the steam engine. The next owner, John Bradshaw, installed a new pair of millstones, Boddingtons Patent Millstones, which could produce more flour to the bushel than the burr stones.
Finally the heritage value of the mill was recognised and over the past 40 years, the mill has been gradually restored through the enthusiasm of community groups, the National Trust, corporate sponsors and local, state & federal governments. Callington Mill has now become a unique example in Australia of an active, working colonial tower windmill with the restoration completed in 2010. The mill site comprises the windmill, a granary, stables, millers cottage and mill owners house.
Callington Mill c1890
Text, Historic Photos & Information sourced from Website: http://www.callingtonmill.com.au/