Watermills

Watermillswereoncecommonplacebut,becauseoftheirdomesticscaleandtheiroftenpicturesquewatersidelocations,manyhavenowlosttheirwaterwheelsandmachineryandthebuildingshavebeenconvertedtootheruses.Waterpowerhasbeenusedforover2000years,initiallyforgrindinggrainandpumpingwater,andlaterfordrivingprocessingmachineryforawidevarietyofindustries,whichhadafar-reachingeffectontheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofBritainfromthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury.Inthisnewbook,watermillexpertMartinWatts,authoroftheShirebook"WaterandWindPower",explainsthehistoryanddevelopmentofwatermillsasworkingbuildingsandtheimportanceofthewiderappreciationofthebuiltenvironmentandtheuseofnaturalsourcesofpower.