List of windmills in Suffolk facts for kids

Suffolk is a county in England with a rich history of windmills. These amazing structures used the power of the wind to grind grain into flour, pump water, or do other important jobs. For hundreds of years, windmills were a vital part of life, helping communities produce food and manage water.

This article explores the many windmills that have stood in Suffolk, from ancient times to more modern days. You'll learn about different types of windmills and discover some of the most famous ones that still stand or once stood in this historic county.

Types of Windmills in Suffolk

Windmills come in different shapes and sizes, each designed for specific tasks. Here are the main types you'll find in Suffolk's history:

Post Mills

Saxtead Green Windmill is a famous post mill.

A post mill is one of the oldest types of windmills. Its entire body, which holds the machinery, can turn around a large central post. This allows the miller to rotate the mill to face the wind, no matter which way it's blowing. Many early windmills in Suffolk were post mills.

Smock Mills

Herringfleet Windmill, a smock mill, used to pump water.

A smock mill has a tall, tower-like base, usually made of wood, that looks a bit like a farmer's smock (a loose-fitting shirt). Only the top part, called the cap, rotates to catch the wind. This design made them more stable and allowed for larger machinery inside. Smock mills were often used for drainage, especially in marshy areas.

Tower Mills

Buttrum's Mill in Woodbridge is a tall tower mill.

Tower mills are usually built from brick or stone, making them very strong and tall. Like smock mills, only their cap turns to face the wind. Their sturdy construction meant they could be much larger and more powerful, often used for grinding a lot of grain. Many of Suffolk's later windmills were tower mills.

Wind Engines

A Titt iron wind engine at Hundon.

Towards the end of the windmill era, iron wind engines became popular. These were smaller, metal structures, often used for pumping water. They were more modern and efficient for certain tasks.

Famous Windmills of Suffolk

Suffolk has been home to many windmills over the centuries. Here are some of the most notable ones, including those that are still standing today or have interesting stories.

Aldeburgh Windmills

The town of Aldeburgh once had several windmills. One of the most well-known is the Fort Green Mill, a tower mill built around 1824. Another, Station Mill, was a post mill that was taken down in 1924.

Bardwell Windmill

Bardwell Mill in 1910.

The Bardwell Mill is a tower mill that was built in 1823. It's a great example of the strong brick windmills that became common in Suffolk.

Barnham Windmill

The Barnham Mill is another tower mill, built in 1821. It's a significant landmark in the area.

Blundeston Windmill

Blundeston Windmill in 2011.

The Blundeston Mill is a tower mill from around 1820. It's a well-known example of a Suffolk windmill.

Bungay's Flixton Road Mill

Flixton Road Mill in Bungay.

The Flixton Road Mill in Bungay is a tower mill built in 1830. It was later shortened in the 1920s but remains an important historical site.

Burgh Windmill

Burgh Mill in Suffolk.

The Burgh Windmill is a tower mill that was built in 1842. It's a good example of how windmills were used for grinding grain.

Buxhall Windmill

Buxhall Mill, a tower mill.

The Buxhall Mill has an interesting history. The current tower mill was built in 1860, replacing an earlier smock mill and an even older post mill that had burnt down.

Clare's Chilton Street Mill

Chilton Street Mill in Clare.

The Chilton Street Mill in Clare was built in 1846. It's a notable mill in the area.

Cockfield Windmill

The Cockfield Mill is a tower mill built in 1891. It replaced an earlier tower mill that was demolished.

Corton Windmill

Corton Windmill.

The Corton Windmill is a tower mill from 1837. It's a well-preserved example of a tower mill in Suffolk.

Crowfield Windmill

Crowfield Windmill.

The Crowfield Mill is a smock mill that dates back to the 1840s. Smock mills are known for their unique shape.

Dalham's Lower Mill

Lower Mill in Dalham.

The Lower Mill in Dalham is a smock mill that was built in 1802. It's a great example of a mill that would have helped with drainage.

Drinkstone Windmills

Drinkstone Post Mill.

Drinkstone Smock Mill.

Drinkstone is unique because it had two important windmills: the Drinkstone Post Mill (built in 1689) and the Drinkstone Smock Mill (built in 1780). Having both types in one location is quite special.

Framsden's Webster's Mill

Webster's Mill in Framsden.

Webster's Mill in Framsden is a post mill that was built in 1760. It's one of the older surviving mill structures.

Friston Windmill

Friston Mill.

The Friston Mill is a post mill that was built in 1812. It's a classic example of a post mill.

Gazeley Windmill

Gazeley Mill.

The Gazeley Mill is a tower mill built in 1844. It replaced an earlier post mill that was blown down.

Great Thurlow's Collis Mill

Collis Mill in Great Thurlow.

The Collis Mill in Great Thurlow is a smock mill built in 1807. It replaced an earlier post mill.

Great Welnetham's Tutelina Mill

Tutelina Mill in Great Welnetham.

The Tutelina Mill (also known as Clarke's Mill) in Great Welnetham is a tower mill built in 1865.

Herringfleet Windmill

Herringfleet Windmill.

The Walker's Mill is a smock mill from around 1820. It's a great example of a drainage mill.

Holton Windmill

Holton Mill in 2007.

The Holton Mill is a post mill that dates back to 1749, making it one of the older mills in Suffolk.

Kelsale's Skoulding's Mill

Kelsale Mill.

Skoulding's Mill in Kelsale is a tower mill built in 1856.

Lound Windmill

Lound Windmill.

The Lound Mill is a tower mill built in 1837. It replaced an earlier post mill.

Pakenham Windmill

Pakenham Windmill.

The Pakenham Mill is a tower mill built in 1831. It's a well-known mill in Suffolk.

Reydon's Blackshore Mill

Blackshore Mill in Reydon.

The Blackshore Mill in Reydon is a tower mill from around 1890.

Saxtead Green Windmill

Saxtead Green Windmill.

The Saxtead Green Mill in Framlingham is a famous post mill that was built in 1796. It's one of the best examples of a post mill in the country.

Stansfield Windmill

Stansfield Mill.

The Stansfield Mill is a tower mill built in 1840. It replaced an earlier post mill.

Stanton's Upthorpe Mill

Upthorpe Mill in Stanton.

The Upthorpe Mill in Stanton is a post mill that dates back to 1751.

Thelnetham Windmill

Thelnetham Windmill.

The Button's Mill in Thelnetham is a tower mill built in 1819.

Thorpeness Windmill

Thorpeness Windmill.

The Thorpeness Mill is a hollow post mill that was moved and rebuilt in 1923 from Aldringham. It's a unique example of a mill being relocated.

Walberswick's Westwood Marshes Mill

Westwood Marshes Mill in Walberswick.

The Westwood Marshes Mill in Walberswick is a tower mill built in 1897, likely used for drainage.

Walton's Upper Mill

The Upper Mill in Walton is a smock mill built in 1804.

Woodbridge Windmills

Buttrum's Mill in Woodbridge.

Tricker's Mill in Woodbridge.

Woodbridge is home to two notable tower mills: Buttrum's Mill (built in 1816) and Tricker's Mill (built in 1815). These mills are important parts of Woodbridge's history.

Windmills That Moved or Changed

Sometimes, parts of windmills were moved to new locations or changed into different types of structures. This was often done to reuse valuable materials or adapt to new needs.

• The body of Creeting St Mary Windmill (a post mill) was moved to Alder Carr Farm around 1860. It's the only surviving post mill body in Suffolk!
• A hollow post drainage mill from Aldeburgh or Orford was moved to the yard of Saxtead Green Mill.
• The body of a smock mill from Cransford was moved to Peasenhall around 1882. Its tower and cap were used in a steam mill.
• The body of Little Glemham mill was moved to Theberton and used with a steam engine.
• The body of Magpie Green Mill from Wortham was moved to Walsham le Willows and used alongside a steam mill.
• The top part of Aldridge's Mill from Huntingfield was moved to Westhall Common in 1928.
• The body of Cross Street Mill from Hoxne was moved to Worlingworth and became part of a steam mill.

Maps and Records of Windmills

Historians and mapmakers have been recording windmills in Suffolk for centuries. These old maps and documents help us understand where windmills were located and how they changed over time. Some important maps include:

• Anonymous map (1588)
• Ogilby's map (1675)
• John Warburton, Joseph Bland & Payler Smith's map (1724)
• John Kirby's map (1736)
• John Chapman & Peter André's map (1777)
• Joseph Hodgkinson's map (1783)
• C & J Greenwood's map (1825)
• Andrew Bryant's map (1826)
• Ordnance Survey maps (1837, 1838, 1883)

These records show us how many windmills existed and how important they were to the landscape and economy of Suffolk throughout history.

Images for kids

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  Station Mill in Aldeburgh, demolished in 1924.

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  A post mill in Walberswick, blown down in 1924.

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  A post mill in Wangford, demolished around 1917.

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  A smock mill in Wangford, burnt down in 1928.

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  Rattlesden Mill, a tower mill, truncated in 1935.

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  A post mill in Stoke by Clare, demolished in 1892.

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  A post mill in Stowmarket.

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  Eastbridge Windpump, a smock mill, built in 1979.

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  Saxmundham Mill, converted into a house.

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  Great Bricett Mill in 1912.

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  Broad Green Mill in Wetheringsett.