Harnessing the Tides
Harnessing the Tides
| Author | Thomas McErlean |
| Author | Norman Crothers |
| ISBN13 | 9780337088773 |
| Published | 2007 |
| Published Price | Stg£25.00 |
| Publisher | The Stationery Office, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 1PD |
| Type | Book |
Harnessing the Tides is the publication of the archaeological investigation of the horizontal tide mills at Nendrum on Strangford Lough in Co. Down. The first tide mill (two on site at different eras) at this location was dated to AD 619 - 621. This made it the earliest surviving example of a tide mill found to date (the second eldest tide mill found was also in Ireland - dated to AD 630 - at Little Island in Cork).
The advantage of a tide mill is that it is capable of year round operation (riverine mills tend not to be able to operate in summer months due to a lack of water). However, a downside is that the timing of milling is dependant on the tides and therefore night-time milling would have been required if the timing of tides made it so.
The work carried out by the archaeologists is detailed and includes plans and maps of both tide mills uncovered. The first tide mill is estimated to have lasted for 170 years. The second tide mill was built on the same site and used a smaller millpond (filled by the flow of the tide) - being a subset of the first and larger mill pond. An interesting feature of the Nendrum mill was the use of a stone penstock (as opposed to wooden).
In addition to the mills, the published research also encompasses the history of the Nendrum monastery site and its associated saint.
The cost of Stg£25 for a 468 page hard back book is well worth it and I recommend this publication.
