Wilton Windmill
Encyclopedia
The Wilton Windmill is a five floor brick tower mill
located on a chalk ridge between the villages of Wilton
and Great Bedwyn
in the southern English
county of Wiltshire
.
had included the canal
isation of the River Bedwyn which had previously powered several water mills in the area.
The windmill was in use for a century, continuing into the 1920s, but fell into disuse, probably as the result of competition from large steam roller mills. In the 1960s it was added to the list of buildings of architectural or historical merit as Grade II. In 1971 it was bought by Wiltshire County Council
and leased to the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
, which early in 1972 began to restore it to working condition. By the end of the summer of 1976 the windmill was once again making flour. It is now owned by the new Wiltshire Council
and managed by the Wilton Windmill Society, formed in 1976 and operated entirely by volunteers. In the 1980s the mill was in financial difficulties, which led to the Society forming a cricket
XI, the Wilton Millers' Cricket Team, to raise funds by playing sponsored matches, and in 2011 this was still in existence, although no longer needed for fundraising.
Flour, made from locally-grown wheat, is still produced at the mill and can be bought on site and in local shops.
, which causes the cap supporting the sails to turn to make best use of the available wind. Of the four sails, two are of canvas and two are more complicated "patent sails", each consisting of twenty-two sections which can be angled.
Nearby towns and cities: Hungerford
, Marlborough, Newbury
, Swindon
Nearby villages: Wilton
, East Grafton
, Great Bedwyn
, Burbage
, Shalbourne
Nearby places of interest: Crofton Pumping Station
on 11 December 2009. It also appeared in the short movie Jerusalem starring pop group The Style Council
, filmed in 1986 for a direct to video release in 1987. In the movie the band performs the song Heaven's Above at the windmill.
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
located on a chalk ridge between the villages of Wilton
Grafton, Wiltshire
Grafton is a civil parish about southeast of Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the village of East Grafton and the hamlets of West Grafton, Marten, Wexcombe, Wilton and Wolfhall...
and Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
in the southern English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
History
The mill was built in 1821 because the construction of the Kennet and Avon CanalKennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
had included the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
isation of the River Bedwyn which had previously powered several water mills in the area.
The windmill was in use for a century, continuing into the 1920s, but fell into disuse, probably as the result of competition from large steam roller mills. In the 1960s it was added to the list of buildings of architectural or historical merit as Grade II. In 1971 it was bought by Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
and leased to the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
The Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve the architectural heritage of Wiltshire, in the West of England.-History:...
, which early in 1972 began to restore it to working condition. By the end of the summer of 1976 the windmill was once again making flour. It is now owned by the new Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
and managed by the Wilton Windmill Society, formed in 1976 and operated entirely by volunteers. In the 1980s the mill was in financial difficulties, which led to the Society forming a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
XI, the Wilton Millers' Cricket Team, to raise funds by playing sponsored matches, and in 2011 this was still in existence, although no longer needed for fundraising.
Flour, made from locally-grown wheat, is still produced at the mill and can be bought on site and in local shops.
Sails
As when it was first constructed, the mill has a fantailWindmill fantail
A Fantail is a small windmill mounted at right angles to the sails, at the rear of the windmill, and which turns the cap automatically to bring it into the wind. The fantail was patented in 1745 by Edmund Lee, a blacksmith working at Brockmill Forge near Wigan, England, and perfected on mills...
, which causes the cap supporting the sails to turn to make best use of the available wind. Of the four sails, two are of canvas and two are more complicated "patent sails", each consisting of twenty-two sections which can be angled.
Location
Position:Nearby towns and cities: Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
, Marlborough, Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
Nearby villages: Wilton
Grafton, Wiltshire
Grafton is a civil parish about southeast of Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the village of East Grafton and the hamlets of West Grafton, Marten, Wexcombe, Wilton and Wolfhall...
, East Grafton
Grafton, Wiltshire
Grafton is a civil parish about southeast of Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the village of East Grafton and the hamlets of West Grafton, Marten, Wexcombe, Wilton and Wolfhall...
, Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
, Burbage
Burbage, Wiltshire
Burbage is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. It is about south of Marlborough and west of Newbury.-Local government:...
, Shalbourne
Shalbourne
Shalbourne is a civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. Besides a village of the same name, the parish includes a number of widely spaced small settlements, including Bagshot and Stype, to the north, and Rivar and Oxenwood to the south...
Nearby places of interest: Crofton Pumping Station
Crofton Pumping Station
Crofton Pumping Station is a pumping station near the village of Great Bedwyn in the English county of Wiltshire: it supplies the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal with water....
Culture and media
Wilton Windmill featured in an episode of Victorian Farm Christmas, first aired on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 11 December 2009. It also appeared in the short movie Jerusalem starring pop group The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
, filmed in 1986 for a direct to video release in 1987. In the movie the band performs the song Heaven's Above at the windmill.