Ashton windmill is a
tower mill
A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520
Thi ...
in
Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, from the city centre.
It sits within the Chapel Allerton ward of Leeds City Council and had a population of 18,206 and 23,536 at the 2001 and 2011 census respe ...
,
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Its tower is over high with stone walls that are thick. The sails are across and used to be covered with canvas. The last millstones were across and the millstones used to grind wheat for flour and beans for cattle food.
The first mill on the site was medieval, but the present structure probably dates from the 18th century. It was modernised in 1900 with machinery brought from the demolished
Moorlinch mill, and iron hoops around the building being added.
It was restored in 1967. The mill has been designated by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
as a grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
It is now preserved, having been given to
Bristol City Museum in 1966 and is owned by
Sedgemoor District Council, and maintained by volunteers.
In 2008 the council applied for listed building planning consent to undertake major restoration work on the windmill, including replacement of the stone steps, installation of hand rails, guard rails and safety bars, alterations to the window shutters and replacement of the sail frames with wood laminate.
In 2010 Sedgemoor Council decided it could no longer afford to maintain the windmill and has appealed for an independent group of trustees to take on the responsibility for the building.
References
External links
Ashton Windmillat Sedgemoor District Council
which won
CBA ''Young Archaeologist of the Year Award'' in 2006 for its author.
{{Authority control
Museums in Somerset
Mill museums in England
Windmills in Somerset
Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor
Tower mills in the United Kingdom
Grinding mills in the United Kingdom
Grade II* listed windmills