Bidston Windmill is situated on

Bidston Hill Bidston Hill is of heathland and woodland containing historic buildings and ancient rock carvings, on the Wirral Peninsula, near the Birkenhead suburb of Bidston, in Merseyside, England. With a peak of , Bidston Hill is one of the highest poi ...

, near

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, on the

Wirral Peninsula Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to ...

, England.

History

It is believed that there has been a

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

, on this site, since 1596. The mill was ideally placed to catch the wind and was able to produce over of flour every 3 to 5 minutes. However, the mill was difficult to access by cart. The previous structure, a wooden peg mill, was destroyed by fire in 1791 (although some sources state 1793). During a gale, the sails got out of control and the friction produced by the revolving wooden mechanism caused the entire mill to burst into flames. The current building was built around 1800 and continued working as a flour mill until about 1875. After falling into disuse the windmill and the land, on which it stands, was purchased by Birkenhead Corporation and restored from 1894. There is a plaque on the windmill, which reads as follows: The building was badly damaged in 1927, once again. A public subscription was then raised, in order to carry out the necessary repairs. The windmill has been reconditioned several times, since. During 2006, the roof of the windmill was replaced as part of a refurbishment program, in order to maintain the structure.

References

External links

Bidston Hill Heritage Trail – Bidston Windmill

{{Windmills in England Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Windmills in Merseyside Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Industrial buildings completed in 1793 Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside 1793 establishments in England