Photo Print of Tread Mill, Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, from negative made from transparency lent by S. J. Russell Esq., Falcon Hotel, Ryde

The tread mill has been employed as an animal power prime mover from early times to the present, in a number of different forms, for such purposes as raising water, turning a cooking spit, or as a means of punishment. The model represents the mill at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, as originally constructed. It is said to date from 1588, and was in 1925 still in use for drawing water from the old well of the Castle. The well was 161ft deep, and twenty turns of the wheel were required to bring the barrel filled with water from the well to the surface.