Wandsworth Common Windmill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wandsworth Common Windmill |
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The mill in 2010
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| Origin | |
| Mill name | Wandsworth Common Mill |
| Grid reference | TQ 267 745 |
| Coordinates | 51°27′18″N 0°10′41″W / 51.455°N 0.178°W |
| Year built | 1837 |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Drainage mill |
| Type | Smock mill |
| Storeys | Three-storey smock |
| Base storeys | Low base of less than one storey |
| Smock sides | Six sides |
| No. of sails | Four sails |
| Type of sails | Patent sails |
| Winding | Fantail |
Wandsworth Common Windmill is a special old building called a Grade II listed smock mill. You can find it in Wandsworth Common, which is in the London Borough of Wandsworth in the United Kingdom.
The Story of the Windmill
The Wandsworth Common Windmill was built a long time ago, in 1837. Its main job was to pump water away from the railway tracks. These tracks belonged to the London and Southampton Railway.
The water was moved into a pretty lake on Wandsworth Common. This lake was called the Black Sea. A person named Mr. Wilson, who started Price's Candle Works, made this lake.
The windmill was still working around 1870. But then, the Black Sea lake was emptied and filled in about 1884. Because of this, the windmill no longer had a job to do.
So, the mill stopped working. Its sails and the fantail (which helped it turn into the wind) were taken off.
What the Windmill Looks Like
The Wandsworth Common Windmill is a type of mill called a smock mill. It is small and has a special six-sided shape. It stands on a low base made of bricks.
This mill used to have a small top part, called a cap. It also had four special Patent sails that helped it catch the wind. A part called a fantail made sure the cap always faced the wind.
Today, the main body of the smock mill is still there. It has a new cap on top. This new cap replaced an older pyramid-shaped roof that was there in the 1960s.
