De Rat, IJlst
| De Rat, IJlst | |
|---|---|
De Rat, June 2011, 300 years old
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| Origin | |
| Mill name | De Rat |
| Mill location | Sneekerpad 16, 8651 NE, IJlst |
| Coordinates | 53°00′46″N 5°37′37″E / 53.01278°N 5.62694°ECoordinates: 53°00′46″N 5°37′37″E / 53.01278°N 5.62694°E |
| Operator(s) | Stichting Houtzaagmolen De Rat |
| Year built | 1828 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Sawmill, formerly also a Corn mill |
| Type | Smock mill |
| Storeys | Two-storey smock |
| Base storeys | Three-storey base |
| Smock sides | Eight sides |
| No. of sails | Four sails |
| Type of sails | Common sails, leading edges on the Fok system |
| Windshaft | Cast iron |
| Winding | Tailpole and winch |
| Auxiliary power | Electric motor |
| Type of saw | Vertical frame saws |
De Rat (English: The Rat) is a smock mill in IJlst, Friesland, Netherlands, which was originally built in the seventeenth century at Zaanstreek, North Holland. In 1828 it was moved to IJlst, where it worked using wind power until 1920 and then by electric motor until 1950. The mill was bought by the town of IJlst in 1956 and restored in the mid-1960s. Further restoration in the mid-1970s returned the mill to full working order. De Rat is working for trade and is used as a training mill. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument (No. 39880).
De Rat was originally built in the seventeenth century in the Zaanstreek area of Noord Holland. It was known there as De Walrot (English: The Water Rat) which was generally shortened to De Rot. Earlier it was thought the mill was in existence in 1683 but archival research, dendrochronology and an inscription in an old beam show the mill was actually built in 1711.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, the mill fell out of use. At the same time, agriculture in Friesland was enjoying a boom, with many farms being built or having their old buildings replaced, creating a demand for sawn timber. In 1828, De Watterrot was bought at auction by William Ringnalda and Hessel Aten Vellinga. It was dismantled and shipped across the Zuiderzee to IJlst, where it was named De Rat. In 1852, the mill was in the joint ownership of Jan Janszoon Ringnalda and his wife Boukje Hessels; and Gerben Ringnalda and his wife Johanna Hartgerink. In 1854, the firm of H A Ringnalda & Co was formed. The Leeuwarden Courant reported that the mill was also a flour mill at this time.
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