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Newsletter 144 Spring 2024 © Hampshire Mills Group |
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Three Unusual Warwickshire Windmills
Keith and Ruth Andrews
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Tysoe Windmill
At Christmas we chanced to see a random episode of
BBC’s Countryfile, where two people were
standing in front of an unusual windmill that we
didn’t recognise. On investigation it proved to be
Tysoe Windmill, situated on an 180m hill near
Compton Wynyates between Banbury and
Stratford-on-Avon.
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It didn’t have sails on the television, but when we
went to look at it shortly after Christmas they had
been replaced, as you see in the rather poor
picture. It was very wet and windy (storm Gerritt!)
and the steep field was far too muddy and wet to
consider climbing the hill to get closer.
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The
Our Warwickshire
website
gives some details. The mill was built in the early
18th century and is a 12-sided, barrel-shaped
sandstone tower with batter. The odd-shaped cap is
covered in aluminium shingles, and has a rear
projection for winding gear. It is said to contain
two stones and all its machinery. The mill operated
until 1915 when it was struck by lightning. In 1935
the sails were replaced and further restoration was
carried out in 1951. The final restoration in
1968-1975 was paid for by the Marquess of
Northampton (of Compton Wynyates).
Chesterton Windmill |
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This famous feature of the Warwickshire landscape
can be seen from several miles away, and from the
M40. It stands on a hilltop which overlooks the
Roman Fosse Way about five miles south-east of
Warwick.
Our 2014 photograph shows that it had sails, but
currently they have been removed.
Built in the years 1632-1633, it remained in use
until about 1910 when its machinery ceased to work.
It was restored from 1965-1971 by Warwickshire
County Council in collaboration with the SPAB and
the then Ministry of Public Building and Works.
The mill is set on six pillars linked by
semi-circular arches. Originally there was a
central timber structure within this open space,
containing a staircase and storage area. More
details are on the
Our Warwickshire
website. |
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Burton Dassett Windmill and Beacon
Mariana
lent us this postcard, which she recently added to
her collection.
We recognised the location of the card, which we had
visited: it is now a country park. We had been
speculating whether the structure known as ‘The
Beacon’ was the lower part of a tower mill,
particularly as the whole hilltop was once an
ironstone quarry which would have needed a power
source. Mariana’s postcard answered the question
for us. |
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Again, the
Our Warwickshire
website gives some details.
The post mill was built in 1664. It had an open
trestle, four common sails, ladder, tailpole and
doorway with hooded porch. It ceased working in
about 1912, but was restored in 1933 with public
funds by SPAB. On 26 July 1946 it was blown down in
a storm.
The website suggests that ‘The Beacon’ may have been
built as a tower mill and later used as a defensive
lookout tower in the English Civil War (1642-48).
Burton Dassett is also visible from the M40 if, like
Chesterton, you look at just the right moment, to
the east of the motorway south of junction 12. |
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