Wind in the Sails

Sunshine and scudding clouds - the perfect day to see a windmill and I trotted off to do just that.

A third of the scale of a working windmill, this was built by enterprising engineer Henry Warriner the Manager of Bloxham Grove Farm, in 1865. Appreciating that windmills had had their day with the invention of steam power he built , 'a memorial to all windmills'.

It is now a Grade II listed building and had substantial renovations. In 2008 the two 30 inch stones driven by a wooden gear wheel with 48 cogs inside the wooden 'buck' or body, were actually got working. They made 4kg of flour and the result was apparently very lovely bread and cakes - samples of which were given to those who had supported the renovation project. This was the first time in 100 years that the mill had ground corn!