Archaeologists find iron-age diff!

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

[Welly Jen]

Is that a pre-lit chassis around it? Needs some POR15.

Jen

[dombanks]

Oooooarrrrrr Tony! There's some lovely rust down-ere

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

It needs woodworm treatment on the crown wheel teeth!

[Thrustyjust]

Stolen the design from Fords lsd 

[pistonbroke]

I'm guessing an old sluice gate valve 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

I am not sure Bernie, but it's either from a windmill or, according to local wisdom, something to do with a creamery/dairy. The house from which it came is called something like 'Old Dairy'. I'll get a full height pic when I next go past.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Bernie, here's some more informative shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pistonbroke]

Seen at a wider angle perhaps it may have been belt driven, or driving a belt  ? 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

It has got a (broken) broad pulley typical of the sort you'd have found in industry before about 1960. The Sanderson's wallpaper factory near where I grew up was driven by overhead belting powered from some diabolical engine in the bowels of the factory. This device might have been wind powered - there's the site of a long-lost windmill just up the hillside and a still existing one across the valley. It is unlikely to have been water powered as the valley it's in is dry and the nearest water of any magnitude is the Thames at Marlow or the Thame at, well, Thame, Oxon. Both are more than ten miles away at a guess. The trouble with asking old locals is that mythology and surmise are rife. It is located on a well trodden route for the daily exercise so statistically I'll bump into the owner of the driveway that leads to a couple of houses sooner or later.

[pistonbroke]

The top part had me intrigued , looking again and from what you say perhaps it could that be the lower half of a millstone ?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Yes I thought that was a possibility too, but it seems to be in sections - would that be normal?

[Welly Jen]

Those sort of wooden teeth in a cast iron wheel were used on slow running low power 19th century gear wheels on things like wind and water mills. The teeth were often apple wood. Mill stones for corn were in one piece, or at least the ones I've seen. Could be for grinding something else though and not just organic materials. There is a water powered mill in Cheddleton, Staffordshire for example to grind flint for pottery glaze. Maybe a sectional bottom mill stone would work better for whatever was being ground. Might even be in sections to keep the weight down for replacement.

 

Just some thoughts,  Jen

[Northwarks]

I found this amongst the fossils on Kilve beach 

 

 

Quite how they get 'washed up' bewilders me but has been about a while .... 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

There's the odd 'fossil' like this on the shore by Beachy Head - it's all that remains of cars that were driven off over the years.