The estate of Twickel and its watermill

Yesterday's walk took me to Twickel, near Delden, The Netherlands. It is an old estate of about 10000 acres, first mentioned in 1347. The oldest parts of the current castle on the grounds date back to the 16th century, but it has been modernised several times over the ages. It is now inhabited by Roderik Count zu Castell - Rüdenhausen.

Olympus Stylus 1s, 28mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/60s

There are, of course, swans in the moat, the possession of which was once the prerogative of the nobility:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f2.8, 1/50s

The estate consists mainly of woodlands, interspersed with (operational) farms:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 85mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/80s

What I came to see, however, were the waterworks and the water mill. This is the path leading that way:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 65mm, ISO200, f4, 1/25s

This is the Oelerbeek that powers the water mill:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO200, f4, 1/30s

It is fed by several streams that come from the forest:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 85mm, ISO200, f4, 1/30s

Just before the water mill, there is a small lake, well, it's more pond-sized actually, for storing water to power the mill:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 28mm, ISO200, f8, 1/20s

Finally, I arrived at the water mill. It is a small oil mill, with just one water wheel:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 75mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/50s

Its original form dates back to before 1347. It used to be a double water mill, but the grain mill was taken down in 1820. The oil mill, however, is still operational and occasionally used for what it was intended for: squeezing oil from rapeseed and linseed.