Never thought

Nooitgedacht is a flour mill that is located at Noordeinde in the Dutch town of Spijkenisse, next to the old pumping station "De Leeuw van Putten". It is a round brick scaffolding mill. The first mill on this site, a wooden, octagonal upper porter, burned down in 1839. In 1840 a new one was built, made of stone. Until recently it was assumed that it dates from 1840, but recent architectural research has shown that the mill from 1840 was demolished in 1860 to make way for the current mill. An outbuilding had been built against the hull of the mill. It contained engines that could be used to grind even on windless days. Until 1911, the mill was owned by successive millers. In 1911 the mill was sold to a newly established cooperative, 'Ons Belang', in which local farmers participated. The cooperative employed several millers. From 1918 Jan van Kranenburg became a senior miller. Initially, he was still employed by the cooperative, but in 1937, when the cooperative was dissolved, he took possession of the mill. The name 'Nooitgedacht' was coined by him: because he had 'never thought' to own his own mill. The mill then remained in the family: his son and his grandson also became millers in Nooitgedacht.Because more and more farmers disappeared from Spijkenisse, and therefore there was less and less corn to grind, the mill ground corn for the last time in 1965. After that, a pet shop came in and the blades only turned every now and then. Between 1972 and 1975 as well as in 1982, the mill was renovated, both times thanks to government funding. At first only the outside, in 1982 the reticle was made rotatable again. After a restoration in 2000, the mill is running regularly again. The pet shop remained there until 2009. Then a major renovation began, in which the mill was raised seven meters, so that the municipality could realize its building plans in the immediate vicinity without being obstructed by the windage. The National Agency for Archaeology, Cultural Landscape and Monuments thought the elevation was too large and for a while there was talk that Nooitgedacht would lose its status as a national monument. However, that did not happen. After the completion of the renovation in 2010, a restaurant was added to the mill.

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