Subscription Mill is a commercially working tower mill at North Leverton, Nottinghamshire that was built in 1813.

History

''Subscription Mill'' was built in 1813 by local farmers to mill their

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

. It served the villages of Fenton, Habblesthorpe, North Leverton and

Sturton le Steeple Sturton le Steeple is a village located east of Retford, Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population (including Littleborough, Notts) of 497, reducing slightly to 486 as at the 2011 Census. Origin of the name The ...

. The Subscription Mill Company was formed. The mill was built to grind corn for members of the company, and also for local farmers and the poor. In 1884, the mill was extended and gained an extra floor. The windmill has continued to work through all of its life, making it unique. In 1956, a new limited company was formed. In July 1959, a sail was struck by lightning and damaged. Repairs costing £3,000 were carried out with a grant and loan from Nottinghamshire County Council, and grants from the

Council for the Preservation of Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

, the Ministry of Works and Retford Rural District Council. The works were carried out by Thompson's, the

Alford, Lincolnshire Alford (pronounced ) is a town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, which form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The population was recorded as 3,459 in the 2011 Census and estimat ...

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

s. The mill was again struck by lightning in 1972. The mill was repaired the next year.

Description

The mill has four floors and is built to the Lincolnshire style. It has four Patent sails mounted on a cross, an Ogee cap and an eight bladed fantail. There are three sets of

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

s, two of which are wind-driven, and one set driven from an external engine/ tractor.

Public access

The windmill is entirely maintained by a group of volunteers, and is open to the public every Saturday from 11:00 am whilst 4:00 pm during spring and summer seasons, with an earlier closing time of 3:00 pm during autumn and winter. Admission is free but there is a donation box towards the upkeep of the mill. North Leverton Windmill holds an annual grand open weekend, "Family Fun Weekend", in early September. In addition to the Windmill and Visitor Centre being open, there is a small festival atmosphere with craft stalls, food & drink stalls, local farming machinery displays and a car show during the day. In the evening, live music from local bands entertain the crowd.

References

External links

Official website
{{Windmills in England Windmills in Nottinghamshire Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1813