Portland Windmills facts for kids
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The Portland Windmills are two old stone towers on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. For hundreds of years, these towers were busy windmills, grinding grain into flour. They stand near the villages of Easton and Weston. The two towers are quite short and have pointy, cone-shaped roofs. They are about 135 meters apart. Since 1978, both windmills have been protected as important historic buildings. They are the only old windmills left in all of Dorset!
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The Story of Portland's Windmills
The exact start of the Portland Windmills is a bit of a mystery. But we know they were working by at least the early 1600s. They were first written about in official records in 1608. These windmills were also shown on old maps, like one from 1626 by William Simplon. Another map from 1710 by Hutchins also featured them. This shows they were important and well-known landmarks.
Early Windmills in the UK
Many people believe these two windmills are some of the oldest of their kind in the whole United Kingdom. They were probably built by skilled local workers from the area. For a long time, the Pearce family were the ones who operated these mills. They helped turn grain into flour for the community.
Why the Windmills Stopped Working
The windmills kept working until the 1890s. Around that time, new ways of making flour and bread became popular. Factories started producing large amounts of flour. Also, new roads and railways came to Portland. This made it easy to bring in ready-made flour and bread from other places. Because of these changes, the old windmills were no longer needed.
What Happened After the Mills Closed?
During World War II, the southern windmill tower was used as a look-out spot. People could watch for enemy planes or ships from its top. Later, in 1991, the same southern tower was fixed up by a company called ARC Ltd. In 2000, some more care was given to both windmills to help keep them safe. In recent years, people have tried to create a special group. This group would work to protect and preserve both of these historic windmills for the future.
