Mill Schellinkhout

Anyone walking along the Westfriese Omringdijk from Hoorn to Enkhuizen in 1864 would encounter thirteen polder mills along the way. Of that thirteen, only one remains: the Great Mill of the old Schellinkhout polder. 

Originally there were two mills here, the Little Mill a bit inland (left) and the Big Mill on the dike (right). They milled the water up into a gully. When the tide was favorable, it was discharged through a culvert in the dike into the Zuiderzee.

When the Great and Small Mill were built, we do not know exactly. But on this Map from 1575 two mills at Schellinkhout are already inscribed. The Small Mill is probably the oldest. It dates from before 1569 and stood alone then. The Large Mill was added sometime between 1569 and 1575. 

Jan van Dalen was miller of the Great Mill from 1901 through 1914. We see him here with his wife Aafje Houtlosser. Van Dalen earned 115 guilders a year living in the mill for free. 

As early as 1879 there were calls in the Schellinkhout polder to build a steam pumping station. It did not come to that, but in 1900 a motor pumping station was built next to the Great Mill. This received a new installation with larger capacity in 1914. The mills were then redundant and the Small Mill was demolished in 1915. 

The Great Mill remained standing because it served as the service house for the operator of the pumping station. 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 for this was on the table as early as 1956, but it wasn't until 1979 that it really took off. On August 7, 1981, the work was completed. That day the mill was officially put back into operation. The pumping station has also been restored and is on the monument list.