At the time of the Domesday Book there were about
370 mills in Somerset but these were all driven by animals or were water
powered. Only Norfolk and Lincolnshire had more mills at this time.
The earliest reference to a windmill in Somerset was at Seavington near Ilminster
in around 1212. References to windmills became more common from the 13th
century onwards. Many of the early windmills were erected on land which
belonged to Glastonbury Abbey e.g. the Polden Hills, which had good soil for
growing corn.
The earliest windmills were post mills. These
continued to be used until the 19th century. Bishops Lydeard church has a
15th century carving of a post mill on a wooden bench end.
Post mills consist of a timber
body containing the machinery and carrying the sails, which pivots around a
single massive vertical timber post, so that the sails can be turned to face
the wind. The post is held in position by 4 diagonal quarter bars, which are in
turn fixed to 2 timbers known as cross trees at ground level. Post
mills were often set upon specially constructed artificial mounds or sometimes
made use of existing round barrows (ancient burial mounds).
In the 16th century the power of the abbeys and manors
began to decline and many windmills were abandoned. By the early 18th
century tower mills were replacing post mills in Somerset. They
were more stable than post mills and also had more storage and working space in
them. In a tower mill only the cap and sails had to be turned to face the
wind. In many cases the tower mills were built on sites that had
previously been occupied by post mills.
Many of Somerset's windmills ceased to be used by the
mid-19th century. After the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, cheap grain
imports from the Americas flooded the market and prices dropped. Imported
grain was milled close to the ports where it arrived in the country. The
decline in Somerset’s windmills was accelerated by a move away from arable to
pasture and a series of bad harvests in the 1870s.
No post mills have survived in Somerset to the present day.
Only 2 windmills in Somerset today are in working order - Stembridge Mill
at High Ham, which is owned by the National Trust and Ashton Windmill at
Stone Allerton, which is owned by Somerset Council. Both are
open to the public on certain days. The truncated remains of tower
windmills can be seen at Walton, Watchfield, Uphill, Worlebury, Portishead, Felton, Locking, Brockley Wood, Hutton, West Monkton and Weare. Replica
windmills have been constructed at Kenn and Windmill Hill near Ashill.
Ashton Windmill, Stone Allerton
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Ashton Windmill, Stone Allerton
The earliest reference to a windmill on this site on relatively high ground near Wedmore was in 1317. The mill was rebuilt in 1549. The current tower mill was built between 1760 and 1774. The cap was originally thatched. The last miller was John Stevens, who bought the mill in 1887 and owned it until his death in 1938. Auxiliary power was added by a steam engine in 1894. In 1900 Ashton Mill was refitted with gear taken from the tower mill at Moorlinch, which was being demolished. At the same time 3 iron hoops were put round the tower to strengthen it. Parallel sided towers are weaker than those with tapered walls. In its later years the mill was used only to grind animal feed and it stopped working altogether in 1927. It was used as a Home Guard post during the Second World War. It fell into disrepair but was restored in the 1958. It was cared for by Bristol Museum from 1966 but needed to be restored again in the 1970s. It is now owned by Somerset Council. More information about it can be found here:
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Stembridge Mill, High Ham
Stembridge Mill, High Ham
The current tower mill was built in 1822 but replaced an earlier mill, which stood nearby. The tower is built of blue lias stone and it is the last windmill in England to have a thatched cap, a feature which used to be common in Somerset. The mill worked until c1897-8 when the cap jammed. After this time it was powered by a steam engine but the mill ceased working commercially in 1908. The windmill was acquired by the National Trust in 1969. It was restored most recently in 2009.
Walton Windmill
There was a post mill at Walton in around 1342. A tower mill was built, possibly on the same site c1741. This mill was rebuilt c1797. It had 4 sails. The last miller was Charles Phillips, who ran a bakery and grocery business from the mill until c1906. In 1926 it was converted into a house by Rev G.M. Evans of Westonzoyland. The tower was heightened to form a parapet and look out platform.
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Weare
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Weare
tower mill was probably built around 1760. It stopped working in around
1880 and in 1910 the mill and miller's cottage were incorporated into a
new house.
Replica windmill at Windmill Hill, Ashill
There was probably originally a real windmill on this site but this isn't it!
Watchfield Windmill
Watchfield tower mill was built of lias blocks in around 1817 and worked for almost 100 years until c1914. It had a thatched cap and or much of its working life it was worked by 3 generations of the Spearing family. In the 1890s a steam engine was brought in. It was converted into a house. When I visited in August 2015 it was very difficult to see the mill from the public road.
Burlinch Mill, West Monkton
Burlinch Mill in West Monkton parish was marked on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map in 1817. It was probably in use until around 1880. It is located in the middle of a plantation of trees but the trees were not planted until c1840. The ruins of the vertical sided tower can be seen from the public footpath that runs WSW from Coombe Bottom to Burlinch Plantation. Grid reference: ST 265 294.
Burlinch Mill, West Monkton
Bench end in Bishops Lydeard Church depicting a post mill
Bench end in North Cadbury Church depicting a post mill
Windmill Hamlet, Stoke St Gregory
There is a road/hamlet at the south east end of Stoke St Gregory called Windmill. Presumably there was once a real windmill there but no longer. The hamlet of Windmill is, as you can see, twinned with Utopia!
The Observatory, Worlebury Hill
A windmill was
first recorded at the east end of Worlebury
Hill in 1760. In 1870 an
advertisement was placed for the sale or rent of the windmill and its
associated bakery business. However it
was converted into an observatory not long after and a parapet was added.
Replica Windmill, Kenn
A three storey
windmill with a thatched cap was built at Kenn
in 1821. By around 1883 wind power was
being supplemented by a steam engine.
The windmill had stopped working by 1900. It was used as a Home Guard lookout during
the Second World War. The ruined tower
survived until 2003 when it was demolished during the building of Kenn Business
Park. A replica mill tower was built on
Windmill Road.
Uphill Windmill
The windmill on
Uphill Hill was probably built in
the 1780s. It was derelict by 1829. The tower was rebuilt with a castellated top
and internal spiral staircase in 1934 so it could be used as an observation
tower. It is still in use for this
purpose
Portishead Windmill
Portishead Windmill was built by John Nesbitt in 1832. However it had stopped working by 1846 because it was unable to compete with a steam driven mill in the town. Around 1848 the machinery was removed and the mill tower was converted into additional living accommodation for the tenants of Mill Cottage. When a golf course was laid out around it in 1908 the tower was incorporated into the clubhouse. It is currently an integral part of the Windmill Inn public house.
Broadfield Mill, Felton Common
Broadfield Mill on Felton Common was located on the top of a hill, 190
metres above sea level. It is not known
when it was built but it ceased to work late in the 1880s and was converted
into a house soon afterwards.
Vale Mill, Locking
Vale Mill on Moor Lane at Locking was built in around 1813. The windmill
stopped working between 1906 and 1910.
It stood empty but intact until it was gutted by fire in 1962. It remained derelict until the late 1960s
when it was incorporated into a new house.
It is not known
when Brockley Wood Windmill was
built but it was in ruins by
1829. Part of the tower is still
standing deep in the heart of Brockley Woods.
Hutton Windmill was probably built in the early 19th
century. It had stopped working by 1864
and was derelict by the 1920s. It was
rebuilt and used a Royal Observer Corps Post during the Second World War. It is now located in the garden of a private
house on Windmill Hill.
Windmills of Somerset and the Men who Worked Them: Alfred J. Coulthard and Martin Watts, published by The Research Publishing Co. in 1978.
Somerset Windmills: Martin Watts, published by Agraphicus in 1975
