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Wilton Windmill, Wiltshire
off the A338 between Hungerford and Burbage in Wiltshire. SN8 3SW
Before you head off to Wilton neat Salisbury to find Wilton Windmill don't, the Windmill is further north on the outskirts of the the village of Wilton, near Marlborough.
Wilton Windmill was built in 1821 because the recently built Kennet and Avon Canal lowered the river levels so that the remaining watermills were no longer viable. Wilton Windmill itself became unviable 200 years later with the advent of steam roller mills and cheap bread, the windmill was abandoned and fell into disrepair. The mill was finally restored to its former glory in 1976, by a team of dedicated volunteers and is today managed and operated by the Wilton Windmill Society which uses the mill and provides guided tours, whilst the mill is still owned by Wiltshire Council. The mill is fully operational, and produces stone-ground, wholemeal flour. At night it is lit. The flour can be bought locally as well as, when open, at the mill itself.
The mill was built as a traditional tower mill with a fantail which turns the cap, to ensure that the sails always point into the wind.
Wilton Windmill was built in 1821 because the recently built Kennet and Avon Canal lowered the river levels so that the remaining watermills were no longer viable. Wilton Windmill itself became unviable 200 years later with the advent of steam roller mills and cheap bread, the windmill was abandoned and fell into disrepair. The mill was finally restored to its former glory in 1976, by a team of dedicated volunteers and is today managed and operated by the Wilton Windmill Society which uses the mill and provides guided tours, whilst the mill is still owned by Wiltshire Council. The mill is fully operational, and produces stone-ground, wholemeal flour. At night it is lit. The flour can be bought locally as well as, when open, at the mill itself.
The mill was built as a traditional tower mill with a fantail which turns the cap, to ensure that the sails always point into the wind.
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