Thorpeness Windmill is a

Grade II listed 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 ...

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 ...

Thorpeness Thorpeness is a seaside village in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, which developed in the early 20th century into an exclusive holiday village. It belongs to the parish of Aldringham cum Thorpe and lies ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

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 was built in 1803 at

Aldringham Aldringham is a village in the Blything Hundred of Suffolk, England. The village is located 1 mile (1½ km) south of Leiston and 3 miles (4½ km) northwest of Aldeburgh close to the North Sea coast. The parish includes the coastal village of Th ...

and moved to Thorpeness in 1923. Originally built as a

corn mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

, it was converted to a water pumping mill when it was moved to Thorpeness. It pumped water to the

House in the Clouds The House in the Clouds is a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, England. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance o ...

History

''Thorpeness Mill'' was built as a corn mill at Aldringham in 1803. In the 1890s the Ogilvy family were the millers. In the winter of 1922, Aldringham Mill was dismantled by Messrs Whitmore's,

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 of

Wickham Market Wickham Market is a large village and electoral ward situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area. It is on the A12 trunk road north-east of the county town of Ipswich, north-east of Wood ...

. Amos Clarke was millwright in charge. It was rebuilt at Thorpeness to supply water to the House in the Clouds, which is really a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

disguised as a house. The mill was used to supply the House in the clouds until 1940, when an engine was installed to do the job. During the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, some children blocked the tramway that the winding wheels driven by the fantail run on, with the result that the steps lifted up and the mill tilted forward, leaving the steps in the air. Although a number of men sat on the steps of the mill, it would not return to its natural state. Millwright Ted Friend, of Whitmore's was called in and soon restored the mill to normal with deft use of a sledge hammer. In 1972, the fantail was blown off in a storm and in September 1973 the mill was damaged by a fire on the heath where it stands. One sail and stock were destroyed. In 1975, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Thorpeness Estate and the

Countryside Commission The Countryside Commission (formally the Countryside Commission for England and Wales, then the Countryside Commission for England) was a statutory body in England and Wales, and later in England only. Its forerunner, the National Parks Commissio ...

granted money to enable the mill to be restored. The mill was restored in 1977 and subsequently purchased from the Thorpeness Estate by

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. History Establ ...

. In 2010 the Council put the Windmill on the market for sale at an estimated price £150,000. The Council accepted an offer of £72,100 in November 2010 (figures from Land Registry)

Description

''Thorpeness Mill'' is a post mill on a single-storey roundhouse. It is winded by a fantail arranged in the Suffolk style. The four Patent sails are carried on a cast-iron windshaft. The brake wheel drives a three throw pump which pumped water from a well deep to water tanks housed in the House in the Clouds. The mill could pump per hour. The mill is winded by a six-bladed fantail mounted on the ladder.

Millers

*Ogilvy 1890s–1922

Public access

Thorpeness Windmill is now in private hands and as such there is no public access. The windmill will be open on an ad hoc basis by the owner. For more information, look for "Friends of Thorpeness Windmill" on Facebook.

References

External links

Friends Of Thorpness Windmill Facebook Page
webpage on Thorpeness Mill.
Video of Thorpeness Mill in 2009
{{Windmills in England Windmills in Suffolk Post mills in the United Kingdom Grade II listed buildings in Suffolk Windmills completed in 1923 Windpumps in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Suffolk