Wimbledon Windmill
- byways
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
The sails of the windmill on Wimbledon Common may still turn - but on the day that I visited there was only a gentle breeze. Not sufficient to turn the sails but enough to blow away the clouds that had gathered around it and reveal the blue sky. I could see the windmill, hiding behind the trees on the edge of the common as I followed the path to its door.
As I approached it, the clouds began to part - as if some mysterious force knew that it was soon time to open for visitors.
And now - here it was. Wimbledon Windmill, which only survived the eighteenth century because of the bold efforts of local people who preserved the common for everyone, against the powerful interests of a wealthy family who owned this land.
Inside there were millstones and equipment used by the miller - and, quite unexpectedly, a cosy room in one of the corners.
When the windmill was no longer used for milling flour, it was used to house families. Each room had a window and a fire place. In modern times, we are used to people with money to spare who buy unusual buildings and convert them into luxury accomodation for just themselves but here there were six families living in the nineteenth century.
Each room had a sink - saving a trip to the water pump. It may look very basic to us but this would have been a very welcome addition for the people who lived here.
In this room there was a painting of the windmill so we can see how it looked in days gone by.
And outside there were millstones in the yard and this ancient cart.
Visiting a windmill is a trip into the past and there is something almost spellbinding about this structure - its beauty, simplicity and ability to use only the wind to power the millstones.
And it has been preserved, here in London, in the countryside of the city.
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