41BIG WHEELS, KEEP ON TURNING!

Pincombe’s Pond in Strathroy is the site of one of the town’s first industries: Milling. Millers were an essential part of early communities. Without them, farmers would have to travel long distances to have their grain turned into flour. Before James Buchanan built the first mill in 1832, settlers in the Strathroy area would have to walk 40km to London to have their grain milled. So having a miller in your community was very convenient.

This diagram shows how a mill works. Water falls onto the wheel at left, turning the gears. This turns the millstone, grinding the grain.
This diagram shows how a mill works. Water falls onto the wheel at left, turning the gears. This turns the millstone, grinding the grain.
Pincombe’s Pond is named after Richard Pincombe, who learned his trade at the mill in Napier and moved to Strathroy in 1860. He bought the mill James Buchanan had built, which was now owned by Timothy Cook. In 1879, Pincombe bought a steam-powered flour mill in Alvinston, and moved it to Strathroy. Pincombe’s son continued in the family business, and started a sawmill, a flour and feed store, and an ice-selling operation.

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