Shirley Windmill is a Grade II listed

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 ...

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

, in the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...

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 ...

which has been restored to working order.

History

Shirley Windmill was built by Richard Alwen in 1854 to replace the former

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...

destroyed by fire. The post mill had been built in 1809 by Richard Alwen (Sr) and passed to Alwen on the death of his father in 1846. The post mill burnt down in October 1854. The mill is thought to have been brought from Stratford and re-erected.This would be the machinery (possibly including the cap, sails and main floor beams) in the case of a tower mill, another example of this was Pratt's Mill, Crowborough where the machinery from Calverley Mill, Tunbridge Wells was installed. The mill in Stratford, assuming the London one is correct, has not been identified. A date of 1740 on a beam in the windmill is evidence of re-use of materials from elsewhere. The mill cost £2,000 to build. More recent research has suggested that a

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

, allegedly moved to Shirley c.1809, may have been the mill in question. Richard Alwen died in 1884,and the mill was taken by Thomas Dives, grandson of Richard Alwen Sr. The mill was abandoned in 1892 as unviable by Alfred Rayson, at the time being only used for grinding animal feed. The windmill was struck by lightning in 1899. and again in April 1906, when a sail was set on fire, but the local fire brigade managed to save the mill. The mill was restored in 1927 and in 1935 one of the sails was blown off. The mill was again renovated, and a new Great Spur Wheel fitted by Messrs Lister Bros, of

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

. New sails were fitted by Thomas Hunt, the

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. History Archaeology The region between De ...

millwright. There was a Court case following the renovations, in which it was stated the windmill was "almost in working order". The windmill was listed in 1951. It was probably the last large windmill to be built in Surrey. In 1952 the mill and land were acquired by the Croydon Corporation. The mill was threatened with demolition when the new

John Ruskin School John Ruskin School (JRS) is an 11–16 school on Lake Road in Coniston, Cumbria. The school is part of the Rural Academy, a group of nine small schools in Cumbria which was awarded Technology College status in 2004, and a member of the South La ...

was built but it was protected by its listed status and strong public interest. An inspection of the structure found that it was in generally good condition, but recommended that the first floor doorway be unblocked to allow better circulation of air to prevent rot. During excavations for the foundations of the new school, two trade tokens were found, relating to the

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This typ ...

Appledore, Kent Appledore is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Ashford town. The northerly part of this village is Appledor ...

. On 1 April 1971, the mill was advertised for sale in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' as an

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...

joke by pupils at the school. The headmaster received four telephone calls as a result of the prank. The school moved to a new site, and the school buildings were demolished. In August 1996, it was announced that the London Borough of Croydon was to receive a grant of £218,100 from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to turn the mill into a museum. In September 2004, Croydon Borough Council agreed to fund external repairs to the windmill, the work being scheduled for the following spring. In October 2008 it was reported that the sails of the mill were being damaged by

rose-ringed parakeet The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ran ...

s. The birds had also damaged the spire of the nearby St John's Church. The sails were repaired at a cost of £45,000 by millwrights J Hole. Restoration was completed in May 2010.

Description

Shirley Windmill is a five-storey brick tower mill. It has four double Patent sails carried on a

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

windshaft. The Kentish-style cap is winded by a

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as " ...

. The tower is diameter at the base and diameter at the curb. The mill is high to the top of the cap. The iron Brake Wheel is diameter and has 172 cogs. It drives an iron Wallower of diameter with 75 teeth. The cast iron Upright Shaft is long and has a

dog clutch A dog clutch (also known as a positive clutch or dog gears) is a type of clutch that couples two rotating shafts or other rotating components by engagement of interlocking teeth or dogs rather than by friction. The two parts of the clutch are de ...

just below its midpoint, to allow the mill to be driven by engine without working the sails. The Great Spur Wheel is of iron, with wooden teeth, and drove two pairs of underdrift millstones.

Millers

*Richard Alwen Sr 1809–1846 (post mill) *Richard Alwen Jr 1846–1884 (post and tower) *Thomas Dives 1884– *Alfred Rayson – 1892

Access

The windmill is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from June to October, 1 pm to 5pm, with tours organised by The Friends of Shirley Windmill. It is also open on Heritage day and

National Mills Day National Mills Day is an event in the United Kingdom. It occurs annually on the second Sunday in May. It started off as a single day event, but expanded to include Saturday as well as Sunday, and is now promoted as National Mills Weekend. The eve ...

. On weekdays tours can be prearranged.

References

External links

Official website
– The Friends of Shirley Windmill

webpage on Shirley mill
Croydon online
{{Windmills in England Windmills in London 1854 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Croydon Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1854 Museums in the London Borough of Croydon Mill museums in England History of the London Borough of Croydon Grade II listed windmills