One of London’s surviving windmills is to be saved, following the award of a £1.4 million grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The Upminster Windmill was built in 1803 and remained in use as a family-owned business grinding corn until 1934. In 1960 Essex County Council demolished the outbuildings though in the following years repairs were undertaken enabling the Mill to be opened to the public, staffed by volunteers, in 1967.

The mill is now just one of only six with sails surviving in Greater London, and is one of the most complete examples of a smock mill remaining in the country. The name refers to the sloping sides of the structure that give the building the appearance of a countryman’s smock.

The building is currently on English Heritage’s At Risk register and the HLF grant will enable Havering Council, which owns the site, working with Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust to restore the mill and bring the milling machinery back to full working order.

Although situated in the midst of a built-up area the five-storey octagonal mill still sits within a one hectare open field setting.

The restoration project will also create an education and training centre in a separate building that will allow public access for the first time to a wide range of historical documents.

At present the mill is only able to open at limited times for guided tours about 30 days a year.

Forthcoming open days:

  • 19th-20th July
  • 2nd-3rd August
  • 16th-17th August
  • 6th-7th September
  • 20th-21st September
  • 4th-5th October

The mill is open from 2pm-5pm and tours are free, although donations are appreciated.

I took a look around some years ago, and its location in a large field surrounded by housing is a very pleasant one indeed.

Once the work is complete and the education and training centre is open visitor days are expect to increase fourfold.

 

The other five windmills with sails in Greater London are Barnet Gate Mill in Barnet and Keston Windmill in Bromley; and three publicly accessible mills that have been restored with HLF funding: Shirley Windmill, Croydon; Wimbledon Common Windmill in Merton; and Ashby’s Mill in Lambeth.

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