Herne Windmill - 01227 361326

Herne Windmill is a Grade I listed smock mill in Herne, Kent, England, that was built in 1781.HistoryHerne Windmill was built by John Holman in 1789 when he was working for Sweetlove, the Wingham millwright. There are records of a windmill in Herne as early as 1405. The mill replaced an earlier post mill that was standing in 1511 and was marked on Philip Symonson's map of 1596, John Speed's map of 1611, Robert Morden's map of 1695, Emanuel Bowen's map of 1736 and Andrews, Drury and Herbert's map of 1769. In 1858, the mill was raised, and a two-storey brick base built underneath it. A new iron worm was fitted in 1931, replacing the old wooden one. In the 1930s, the mill was working on two sails only. Frank Wootton, the miller, sought the assistance of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and after Rex Wailes made a report on the mill, two sails from the Black Mill, Forncett End, Norfolk were fitted by Thomas Hunt of Soham, Cambridgeshire in 1936. A new pair of sails was constructed by Hunt, the work being made possible by support from SPAB, the Duchess of Kent and Trinity House. The latter assisted as the mill was marked as a navigational landmark for shipping. The mill worked by wind until 1952, assisted latterly by a steam engine, then an oil engine. After that date, milling was done with an electric motor supplying the power. Milling continued with the electric motor until 1980.

Tags: Landmark & Historical Place