Milling in
Northern
Europe
A historical overview
Northern Europe has a unique
place in the history of milling.
Fortunately there are sufficient
remnants of the distant past
to stimulate interest. Although
much is now consigned
to museums and archives
such as the Mills Archive
(www.millsarchive.org),
many European countries
feature active groups of
professionals and amateurs
keeping traditional skills and
techniques alive!
by Mildred Cookson
F
provender mills recorded,
by 1887 there were
461 roller process mills
and Milling magazine
suggested that in 1901
there were over 1,000
complete roller mills in
the British Isles.
Roller milling
transformed flour
production across
Northern Europe, and
gradually the likes
of Simon, Buhler
etc., with their roller
systems allowing proper
adjustment and requiring
less attention, offered
higher capacity, and
more grades of flour. The
roller flour revolution
had begun and was here
to stay.
In my travels across
Europe during the 1980s
and again in early 2000
I saw that in many villages in Hungary, Germany, France and
Denmark the wooden post mills were still being used, adapted to
roller milling to grind local cereals such as wheat, rye and spelt.
The Mills Archive is intending to set up an archive devoted to
the history of roller flour milling across the world. A heritage
spanning almost 200 years has been sadly neglected and we plan
to offer a safe home to documents and images that cover not only
the transition from traditional to modern flour milling, but also
the stories of the people and firms involved in the drive for more
efficient flour production.
If you can help in any way or would like to know more please
email mills@millsarchive.org
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