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The penstock acts as a vertical gate within the pentrough to
control the quantity of water flowing onto the top of the overshot
waterwheel. As the water fills the waterwheel 'buckets', the
weight of the water starts the wheel rotating. The power produced
by the waterwheel turns the pitwheel, and the pinion on the main
horizontal shaft, to drive the Millstones
through the bevel gears, stone nuts and stone spindles. The main
shaft also carries a large wide-faced pulley that powers an
overhead shaft fitted with a pulley wheel for the canvas belt
driving the Aspirator in the Garner.
The penstock control is located inside the mill, close to the Meal Bagging area and within easy reach of
the miller. The lever, when moved around the semicircular board,
rotates the penstock chain drum to raise or lower the penstock in
the pentrough outside. This controls the flow of water from the
pentrough onto the Waterwheel which
in turn controls the rotational speed of the waterwheel and the
millstones. A sluice gate is installed upstream of the pentrough
to control the quantity of water, or to stop water, entering the
pentrough.
The Pentrough and Penstock were
renewed in 2014 to replace those that were installed during the
restoration in the 1970's.
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