Pitstone Windmill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pitstone Windmill |
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The windmill in 2008
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| Origin | |
| Grid reference | SP 945 147 |
| Coordinates | 51°49′54″N 0°37′48″W / 51.8317°N 0.6299°W |
| Year built | 1627 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Corn mill |
| Type | Post mill |
| Roundhouse storeys | Single storey roundhouse |
| No. of sails | Four |
| Type of sails | Common sails |
| Winding | Tailpole |
| Other information | Grade II* listed building |
Pitstone Windmill is a very old and special windmill in England. It is so important that it is called a 'Grade II* listed' building. This means it is a historic place that needs to be protected. People think it was built a long, long time ago, in the early 1600s. You can find it in Buckinghamshire, near the villages of Ivinghoe and Pitstone. Today, the National Trust looks after this amazing windmill.
A Look Back in Time
The windmill was likely built around 1627. This date is carved into some of its wooden parts. It is actually the oldest date found on any windmill in the British Isles! Windmills needed lots of repairs over the years, so some parts are even older. Scientists looked at the wood in 2004. They found that some of the oldest wood came from trees cut down in the late 1590s. Other parts were added much later, like in the 1670s or even the 1820s. So, it is a mix of very old and newer wood.
For almost 300 years, farmers used this windmill to grind their grain into flour. This flour was then used to make bread and other foods for the local villages.
In 1874, a rich man named Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow bought the mill. He owned a big estate nearby. Later, he let a local farmer run the mill, and it became a very busy place.
Damage and Restoration
In 1902, a huge storm badly damaged the windmill. It was too expensive to fix at the time. For many years, it stood empty and broken. Around 1922, a farmer bought the ruined mill. Then, in 1937, he gave it to the National Trust.
However, it took many more years for the windmill to be fixed. In 1963, a group of volunteers started working on it. They paid for the repairs themselves! The windmill even appeared in a TV show called The Champions in 1967. Finally, in 1970, after 68 years, the mill could grind corn again.
Today, Pitstone Windmill is open to visitors on Sunday afternoons during the summer.
How the Windmill Works
Pitstone Windmill is a special type called a post mill. This means the main part of the mill, which holds all the machinery, sits on a huge central post. This post goes through a brick building at the bottom.
The big wooden body and sails of the mill can turn around on this central post. This allows the mill to face the wind, no matter which way it is blowing. However, some parts added in the 20th century stopped the top section from turning. You would use outside steps to reach the grinding machinery inside the turning part of the mill.
Images for kids
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Rear view of Pitstone Windmill showing the rotation wheel
