Introduction: Windmills in London
Something you don’t expect to see in London is a windmill! Coming across a mill while on a walk through Brixton’s busy urban streets was quite a surprise. Just off Brixton Hill there is an intact windmill that used to grind grain into flour.
Back in Roman times, waterwheels were used in London for grinding grain, as well as pumping water and to help with land drainage. A large iron waterwheel was found in Gresham Street in the City of London showing us natural resources being used to power machinery from early times. Mills using water continued for centuries using London’s rivers.
The History of Windmills in London
Windmills, that harness the power of the wind to turn grain into flour, are known from the twelfth century in England. In the medieval period, the Lord of the Manor in the countryside would usually build the mill which his tenants would be required to use while paying for the privilege.
One of the earliest known windmills in London was at Clerkenwell Priory built in 1144 for monks of The Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. The Priory mill would have been a type known as a post mill. These were wooden structures built around a central post. Inside the building were the millstones that turned grain into flour using the power generated by the sails that caught the wind. Using the tailpole, placed at the back of the mill, the sails could be turned to face the wind direction.
By the late medieval period some mills were being constructed with a stone or brick tower so that they lasted longer and could be built to a greater height. This meant more flour could be produced. These had a wooden top that could be turned and this carried the windshaft and sails.
Smock mills were also built. These had wooden towers which were cheaper to make as well as having the wooden top that could turn the sails. They were named from the smocks that farm labourers used to wear.
18th-Century Windmills in London
It was from the eighteenth century onwards that windmills began to be built in the outskirts of London in larger numbers. Population growth fuelled the demand for more flour for bread making. These mills could be post, tower or smock.
Although most of these have disappeared, we know of their existence from historical records and sometimes there are archaeological remains. Place names are also useful and around London there are roads with the word mill in them indicating the presence of a mill.
However, Brixton Mill, now in the London borough of Lambeth, is still standing. It is cared for and managed by the Friends of Brixton Windmill. It is open to the public and has a range of activities including guided tours for visitors.
Brixton Windmill: A Rare Survivor
Brixton itself was a settlement as far back as the Anglo-Saxon period and although only 3 miles or so from the centre of London, Brixton was still basically countryside until the middle of the 19th century.
In the early 19th century, land in the area was auctioned off. The windmill was built by the new landowner and a man called John Ashby leased it. Ashby came from a family of millers and corn dealers and knew that producing flour for the growing London population would be a lucrative business. He also built Mill House to live in as well as outbuildings and a bakery where local people could buy bread.
As you can see from the photo it is a Brixton Mill is a tower mill, with a broad base to support the weight of the machinery inside. Unfortunately, by the time John Ashby died in 1845 and his son took over the business, the landscape had changed. Brixton was becoming built up and new houses cut off the Mill from the wind itself.
The Ashby’s moved their business elsewhere using the building for storage. The sails were removed but luckily the rest of the mill was left intact. The Ashby’s returned in 1902 installing first a steam engine and then gas to power the millstones. The windmill continued in use until 1934 but ultimately became uneconomic as technology moved on.
Still, the building survived and has now been renovated and is back working and producing flour to show visitors how it works.
Upminster Windmill: Preserving Milling Heritage
Another survival can be found in Upminster. Again a place on the outskirts of London, Upminster was farmland in the early nineteenth century. James Noakes obtained several acres of land on which he built his windmill and began to grind flour just as the demand for bread was increasing.
As you can see from the photo, Noakes decided to build a smock windmill. Clearly a man to embrace the new technology of his times, he also built a steam powered mill which meant milling could happen on windless days. Later on he also built a Mill House, as well as workers cottages and a granary for storage on the site.
When James Noakes died, his son took over the business but went bankrupt and sold the mill in 1858. Thomas Abraham was the foreman at this time and was also employed by the new owner. Abraham went on to buy the business himself and his family kept it until the 1930’s.
But just like the Brixton Mill, Upminster Mill was under threat from new industrial processes that produced flour and bread on a large scale. Despite adding coal and coke to the business and turning to milling products for dog biscuits, the Abrahams were forced to cease trading.
The windmill survived thanks to the intervention of the local council over the years and in 2016 a major restoration took place, preserving the MIll and its history. Today the Friends of Upminster Windmill look after the site, hold open days and educational visits with a team of volunteers.
Legacy of London’s Windmills
Once windmills were a common sight in high places throughout the country. These mills provided a valuable service to people for centuries, milling the grain, so that people didn’t have to do it by hand with quernstones.
These early 19th century mills at Upminster and Brixton were vital to feeding the expanding population of London as Britain began the industrial revolution. But the use of other sources of power and the development of machinery meant that they declined in value and most have been demolished.
It’s great that the Brixton and Upminster historic sites have survived and been preserved. We still have the opportunity to see how windmills operated in practice and remember the important role they once had.
Step Inside London’s Windmills
These historic sites remain vital to London’s heritage. Thanks to dedicated volunteers, visitors can step inside, see how the mills once worked, and appreciate their role in the city’s past.
👉Book a private tour with Kirstie Shedden
