Schellinkhout Windmill

Anyone walking along the Westfriese Omringdijk from Hoorn to Enkhuizen in 1864 would have encountered thirteen polder mills along the way. Of those thirteen, only one remains: the Grote Molen (Great Mill) of the old Schellinkhout polder. 

Originally, there were two mills here: the Small Mill a little further inland (left) and the Large Mill on the dike (right). They pumped the water up into a whirlpool. When the tide was favorable, it was discharged into the Zuiderzee through a culvert in the dike.

We do not know exactly when the Grote Molen and Kleine Molen were built. However, this map from 1575 already shows two mills near Schellinkhout. The Kleine Molen is probably the oldest. It dates from before 1569 and stood alone at that time. The Grote Molen was added sometime between 1569 and 1575. 

Jan van Dalen was the miller of the Grote Molen from 1901 to 1914. Here we see him with his wife, Aafje Houtlosser. Van Dalen earned 115 guilders a year and lived rent-free in the mill. 

As early as 1879, there were calls in the Schellinkhout polder to build a steam pumping station. This did not happen at the time, but in 1900 a small motor pumping station was built next to the Grote Molen. In 1914, this was replaced by a new installation with greater capacity. The windmills then became redundant and the Kleine Molen was demolished in 1915. 

The Grote Molen remained standing because it served as official accommodation for the pumping station operator. However, the sails were sold in 1931. After that, the mill looked like a large pepper pot. 

It proved very difficult to get the restoration of the mill off the ground. A plan had been on the table as early as 1956, but it was not until 1979 that it actually came to fruition. The work was completed on August 7, 1981. On that day, the mill was officially put back into operation. The pumping station has also been restored and is now a listed building.