Windmills
At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 there were about 370 mills in Somerset but these were all water powered or driven by animals. The earliest reference to a windmill in Somerset was at Seavington near Ilminster in around 1212. References to windmills became more common from the 13th century onwards. Many of the early windmills were erected on land which belonged to Glastonbury Abbey e.g. the Polden Hills, which had good soil for growing corn.
The earliest windmills were post mills. These continued to be used until the 19th century. Post mills consist of a timber body containing the machinery and carrying the sails, which pivots around a single massive vertical timber post, so that the sails can be turned to face the wind. The post is held in position by 4 diagonal quarter bars, which are in turn fixed to 2 timbers known as cross trees at ground level. Post mills were often set upon specially constructed artificial mounds or sometimes made use of existing round barrows (ancient burial mounds).
In the 16th century the power of the abbeys and manors began to decline and many windmills were abandoned. By the early 18th century tower mills were replacing post mills in Somerset. They were more stable than post mills and also had more storage and working space in them. In a tower mill only the cap and sails had to be turned to face the wind. In many cases the tower mills were built on sites that had previously been occupied by post mills. No post mills have survived anywhere in Somerset and no windmills remain intact in North Somerset.
Many of Somerset’s windmills ceased to be used by the mid-19th century. After the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, cheap grain imports from the Americas flooded the market and prices dropped. Imported grain was milled close to the ports where it arrived in the country. The decline in Somerset’s windmills was accelerated by a move away from arable to pasture and a series of bad harvests in the 1870s.
The truncated remains of seven windmills still exist in North Somerset: at Portishead, Uphill, Worlebury Hill, Locking, Felton, Brockley Wood and Hutton. There is also a replica windmill tower at Kenn.
Uphill Hill
The windmill on Uphill Hill was probably built in the 1780s. It was derelict by 1829. The tower was rebuilt with a castellated top and internal spiral staircase in 1934 so it could be used as an observation tower. It is still in use for this purpose.
Windmill, Portishead
Portishead Windmill
Portishead Windmill was built by John Nesbitt in 1832. However it had stopped working by 1846 because it was unable to compete with a steam driven mill in the town. Around 1848 the machinery was removed and the mill tower was converted into additional living accommodation for the tenants of Mill Cottage. When a golf course was laid out around it in 1908 the tower was incorporated into the clubhouse. It is currently an integral part of the Windmill Inn public house.
The Observatory on Worlebury Hill
A windmill was first recorded at the east end of Worlebury Hill in 1760. In 1870 an advertisement was placed for the sale or rent of the windmill and its associated bakery business. However it was converted into an observatory not long after and a parapet was added.
Replica windmill at Kenn
A three storey windmill with a thatched cap was built at Kenn in 1821. By around 1883 wind power was being supplemented by a steam engine. The windmill had stopped working by 1900. It was used as a Home Guard lookout during the Second World War. The ruined tower survived until 2003 when it was demolished during the building of Kenn Business Park. A replica mill tower was built on Windmill Road.
It is not known when Brockley Wood Windmill was built but it was in ruins by 1829. Part of the tower is still standing deep in the heart of Brockley Woods.
Vale Mill, Locking
Vale Mill on Moor Lane at Locking was built in around 1813. The windmill stopped working between 1906 and 1910. It stood empty but intact until it was gutted by fire in 1962. It remained derelict until the late 1960s when it was incorporated into a new house.
Hutton Windmill was probably built in the early 19 th century. It had stopped working by 1864 and was derelict by the 1920s. It was rebuilt and used a Royal Observer Corps Post during the Second World War. It is now located in the garden of a private house on Windmill Hill.
Broadfield Mill, Felton
Broadfield Mill on Felton Common was located on the top of a hill, 190 metres above sea level. It is not known when it was built but it ceased to work late in the 1880s and was converted into a house soon afterwards.
Further reading:
Windmills of Somerset and the Men who Worked Them : Alfred J. Coulthard and Martin Watts. The Research Publishing Co., 1978.
Somerset Windmills : Martin Watts. Agraphicus, 1975
