AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE
National Mills WEEKEND
National Mills Weekend is an annual festival of milling heritage when many windmills and watermills open, some of which are not normally accessible to the public, this year it took place over the weekend of May 14-15 and we select three quite differing examples Shirley Windmill
It might be hard to imagine, but only a few miles from the South London metropolis of Croydon there is a remarkably well preserved windmill. Shirley Windmill is one of the last windmills to be built in England, writes James Hamilton. Where once it stood in open countryside it is now incongruously surrounded by newbuild housing. The mill is owned by Croydon Council and opened on the first Sunday of each month from June to December as well as National Mills Weekend. The windmill, visitor centre and cafe are run and managed by knowledgeable volunteers who give guided tours on open days. Built in 1854 to replace a previous post mill that burnt down the mill was used until 1893, when it conceded to the power of steam. In terms of windmills it is one of the most modern with all the features that had been developed to make the miller’s work easier. After the mill ceased to work it was left virtually untouched, lightning strikes caused some external damage due to fire but the inside remained untouched and relatively complete. It has been restored on a number of occasions from the 1920s to the present, although never into working order, and today provides a fascinating glimpse into a past way of life.
Shirley Windmill, Croydon, looks incongruous among the encroaching new houses. BOTH: JAMES HAMILTON 72 | AUGUST 2016 OLD GLORY
Chesterton Windmill near Warwick is architecturally striking. BOTH: BARRY JOB
Chesterton Windmill
Situated five miles to the south east of Warwick, Chesterton Windmill can readily be viewed externally from the adjacent footpath but visitors only have access inside on two weekends a year, writes Barry Job. It was designed by Sir Edward Peyto and could be seen on its hilltop from his adjacent manor house, so, standing on six arches, the cylindrical tower is architecturally striking. For Mills Weekend, wooden stairways were constructed within the arches to allow visitors inside. It was built in 1632 and the machinery, although functional, is thus to an old-fashioned design. With canvas cloths spread across the sails to catch the wind, with a steady rumble the wooden gears engaged and a smell of warm flour began to fill the mill as it emerged from the meal spout to fall into a hessian sack. The mill worked commercially until 1910 when it slowly began to deteriorate. In the 1960s Warwickshire County Council, the mill’s custodian, restored it so that it can work again today. Unfortunately the wind direction continued to change over the weekend necessitating the whole cap and sails being turned into the wind, this is achieved by a hand winch, rather an arduous task as it is very low geared. The mill will be open and working again the second weekend of September.