List of windmills in Bedfordshire facts for kids

This article lists all the windmills and places where windmills once stood in Bedfordshire. Windmills are amazing structures that use the power of the wind to grind grain or pump water. They were very important before electricity was invented!

What are Windmills?

Windmills are machines that use large blades, called sails, to catch the wind. This wind power then turns machinery inside the mill. Most windmills were used to grind grain into flour, which people used to make bread.

Types of Windmills

There are a few main types of windmills you might see:

• Post Mill: This is the oldest type. The whole body of the mill, which holds all the machinery, can turn on a large central post. This allows the mill to face the wind from any direction.
• Smock Mill: These mills have a wooden tower that looks a bit like a farmer's smock (a loose shirt). Only the top part, called the cap, turns to face the wind.
• Tower Mill: These are usually built from brick or stone. Like smock mills, only their cap turns to catch the wind. They are often taller and stronger than smock mills.

Windmills of Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire has been home to many windmills over the centuries. Some are still standing today, while others have disappeared. This list shows you where they were located and what happened to them.

Location	Name of Mill	Type	First Mention or Built	Last Mention or Demise	Photograph
Apsley Guise		Post		Demolished around 1900
Barton-in-the-Clay	Barton Mill	Post	1831	1851
Bedford	Mill Street		1842	Burnt down in February 1844
Biggleswade	Franklin's Tower The Steam Mill	Tower	1860	Demolished in 1966
Biscot		Smock
Bolnhurst		Post
Colmworth		Post
Cranfield	Cranfield Windmill	Tower		Demolished in 1966
Dunstable		Tower	Late 1700s or early 1800s	See Windmill World website	Dunstable Mill
Dunstable
Dunstable
Flitwick				Standing in the 1880s
Flitwick		Smock	Around 1850	Burnt down on November 9, 1903
Great Barford		Smock	1835	Demolished in 1907
Henlow		Smock	1819	Demolished in 1935
Houghton Conquest		Post		Demolished in the 1830s
Houghton Conquest	Houghton Conquest Mill	Tower	1830s	See Windmill World website	Old Mill Site, Houghton Conquest
Houghton Regis		Smock		Replaced by a tower mill
Houghton Regis		Tower	1700s
Hulcote	Hulcote Windmill	Tower	1800s	Demolished around 1880
Husbourne Crawley	Pug Mill	Vertical axis	1820	Demolished around 1840
Keysoe		Post	Around 1800	Blown down in 1948
Leighton Buzzard			1212	1212
Leighton Buzzard	Flemmon's Mill	Post		Moved to Whipsnade in 1860
Leighton Buzzard	Beaudesert Mill	Tower	Early 1800s	Demolished in the 1890s
Lower Dean		Post	1620	Collapsed on December 20, 1959
Lower Dean		Post	1762	Rebuilt in 1834
Lower Dean		Post	1834	Collapsed in 1959
Luton	Biscot Windmill	Post		Burnt down in 1841
Luton	Biscot Windmill	Smock	1842	Demolished in 1938
Markyate		Post	1222	1222
Markyate	Caddington Mill	Post	Around 1810	Blown down around 1815
Potton		Post	1840s	1853
Potton		Tower		Demolished in 1955	Potton windmill
Riseley		Post		Standing in 1936
Riseley		Smock
Sharnbrook	Sharnbrook Windmill	Tower		See Windmill World website	Sharnbrook Windmill
Shefford	Shefford Windmill	Tower		See Windmill World website	Shefford Windmill
Stanbridge	Stanbridge Windmill	Tower	1800	See Windmill World website	Stanbridge Windmill with new cap
Stevington	Stevington Windmill	Post	Around 1770	See Windmill World website	Stevington Windmill
Sundon		Post		Moved to Toddington in 1847
Thurleigh	Thurleigh Windmill	Tower	1890	See Windmill World website	Thurleigh Windmill
Toddington		Post		Demolished around 1845
Toddington		Post	1847	Blown down in the 1880s
Totternhoe		Post
Totternhoe	Doolittle Windmill	Tower	Around 1820	See Windmill World website	Doolittle Mill, Totternhoe
Upper Dean	Upper Dean Windmill	Tower	1856	See Windmill World website	Upper Dean Windmill
Whipsnade		Post	1860	Demolished in 1877
Woburn	Woburn Windmill	Smock		Demolished in 1805
Yelden		Post		Burnt down in October 1877

Windmills Formerly in Bedfordshire

Some windmills that were once in Bedfordshire are now part of other counties due to boundary changes. For example, windmills in Eaton Socon are now listed in the List of windmills in Cambridgeshire.

Old Maps Showing Windmills

Old maps can show us where windmills used to be. One important map is the 1765 map by Thomas Jeffrey.