Wednesday 11 April 2012

Shepherds Wheel

On our walk through the woods on Sunday, we happened upon the Shepherds Wheel on the Porter Brook which has recently been restored by volunteers and enthusiasts.


The wheel was working.
Inside, a volunteer told us all about the work that the men would have undertaken in this little hamlet. They used to grind knives and blades of all kinds. The contraption below is called a mule and the man would sit on it in the saddle and the grinding stone in front would have been turning really fast.



The wheels were wurring away really fast, but apparently they would have been going 3 times faster in the olden days.

It had turned fairly cold outside, and the roaring fire inside was hard to leave!

11 comments:

greenthumb said...

It's nice to see that they haven't let it go to ruin.

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Great restoration - the old hearth looks so cosy! Just had an idea - why don't they set up a knife sharpner at the gym and then all those people on bikes could at least be doing something useful why they pedal aimlessly!
Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

Rosie said...

Looks fascinating, Diane - no wonder you didn't want to leave the warmth of that fire:)

Young at Heart said...

ooh my .......you do get to do some fascinating stuff.....getting all seasons on a daily basis here!!x

A garden just outside Venice said...

I'd love to have such a roaring fire in my office right now!!! The weather has gone crazy, Winter is back and it's pouring with rain!!!
xxxx

Lisa said...

Isn't it fab that there are places around that are still looked after by clever and enthusiastic people so we can all enjoy and learn.
Lisa x

Sandies' Patch said...

I love a good bit of restoration!
I suppose you didn't see it working? ?'elf and safety got their oar in LOL!

Thanks for showing us.

Sandie xx

Jo said...

How wonderful that there's people willing to give up their time and knowledge to make sure that everything isn't lost.

BadPenny said...

looks like a wonderful place to visit

Rowan said...

It's time I went to see Shepherd Wheel, from your photos it looks as though it's worth visiting. With having Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet on the doorstep I tend to forget about Shepherd Wheel.

Patricia said...

It looked like a great visit and the fire does look very inviting.