spring from the underlying chalk in the field south of the Dunstable Road (see map on Page 3). The small stream flows down under the Tring Road, crossing the field to the south of the village and forming the parish boundary between the parishes of Pitstone and Ivinghoe. After passing under Brookend Mill (formerly the Pitstone Watermill, now a house) and the Marsworth Road, the stream re- emerges to skirt Brookmead School, is joined by two small tributaries, and finally reaches the millpond at Ford End. Excess water in the millpond flows over a bypass weir or on the farm side “spillway” of the pond, into a funnel like cavity, then a 0.6 metre (2 feet) diameter underground lined culvert to rejoin the brook about 18m (20 yards) downstream of the mill. Beyond the mill, the Whistle Brook continues northwards for some 5 km (3 miles) to the site of the former Slaptonbury watermill near Slapton, where it joins the Ouzel, which in turn flows into the Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell and thence to the Wash and the sea. The Waterwheel Leaving the millpond behind, descend the steps to the waterwheel. Ford End has an overshot wheel with cast iron axle and spokes. It is 3.3m (11 ft) in diameter and is 1.5m (5 ft) wide. Originally the 30 wheel buckets were formed by oak boards but were replaced in 1985 by galvanised metal ones as the wooden boards rotted too quickly, through not being kept wet. The late eminent mill expert, Stanley Freese, recorded that the present replaced a wooden one in about 1890. are four main types of waterwheel: the overshot in which the water enters the buckets at the top of the waterwheel as at Ford End; the undershot where water flows underneath the wheel which is more like a large paddle; the where the breastshot water enters the buckets at about the middle of the wheel; and the pitchback in which the water enters the buckets at the rear of the wheel beneath the pentrough (the trough which funnels water from the penstock (sluice gate) on to the waterwheel). 4
spring from the underlying chalk in the field south of the Dunstable Road (see map on Page 3). The small stream flows down under the Tring Road, crossing the field to the south of the village and forming the parish boundary between the parishes of Pitstone and Ivinghoe. After passing under Brookend Mill (formerly the Pitstone Watermill, now a house) and the Marsworth Road, the stream re- emerges to skirt Brookmead School, is joined by two small tributaries, and finally reaches the millpond at Ford End. Excess water in the millpond flows over a bypass weir or “spillway” on the farm side of the pond, into a funnel like cavity, then a 0.6 metre (2 feet) diameter underground lined culvert to rejoin the brook about 18m (20 yards) downstream of the mill. Beyond the mill, the Whistle Brook continues northwards for some 5 km (3 miles) to the site of the former Slaptonbury watermill near Slapton, where it joins the Ouzel, which in turn flows into the Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell and thence to the Wash and the sea. The Waterwheel Leaving the millpond behind, descend the steps to the waterwheel. Ford End has an overshot wheel with cast iron axle and spokes. It is 3.3m (11 ft) in diameter and is 1.5m (5 ft) wide. Originally the 30 wheel buckets were formed by oak boards but were replaced in 1985 by galvanised metal ones as the wooden boards rotted too quickly, through not being kept wet. The late eminent mill expert, Stanley Freese, recorded that the present replaced a wooden one in about 1890. are four main types of waterwheel: the overshot in which the water enters the buckets at the top of the waterwheel as at Ford End; the undershot where water flows underneath the wheel which is more like a large paddle; the breastshot where the water enters the buckets at about the middle of the wheel; and the pitchback in which the water enters the buckets at the rear of the wheel beneath the pentrough (the trough which funnels water from the penstock (sluice gate) on to the waterwheel). 4
Mill%20Guide.docx