Probing the inner workings: the Shirley Windmill is a wonder of mid-19th Century, pre-steam power technology, and mostly wooden teeth
We started on the dust floor and descended to the bin store, and thence to the millstone floor, and we still had two floors to go.
It was the first Sunday of June and so it was Shirley Windmill Day. If you go down to Postmill Close this year on July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, or September 20 for “London Open House Day”, you are sure of a big surprise, for that’s the day the Friends of Shirley Windmill receive visitors. And they don’t even charge for it.
If you are remotely interested in local history, then the Shirley Windmill, already practically obsolete when built in 1854, is a fascinating 54-feet-high relic of a time gone by, just before wind power had finally given way to the might of coal and steam.
Highly recommended: the tea rooms at Postmill Close have a tempting range of produce
It is also a testament to human ingenuity and the mechanics of centuries-old automation.
We learnt that millers of old did not need to be big and strong. The power of the air was harnessed for everything. The sails themselves, fixed to a 10-ton rotating cap, were moved around the mill by the wind. They, in turn, turned a shaft that ran down the centre of the building. The sacks of grain were lifted up to the millstone floor by ropes that were attached to wheels powered by the shaft.
Everything was automated.
All of this was expertly explained to us by Richard, one of the Friends of Shirley Windmill and volunteers, who lead tours of about an hour’s duration and show you the governor mechanism that adjusts the millstones according to windspeed, the “official bushel” and the hands-on exhibits that proved vital for keeping children occupied.
Visitor attraction: Richard, one of the Friends of Shirley Windmill volunteers, provided an hour’s guided tour
A particularly fascinating characteristic of the various cogs that the central shaft drove – again testament to human inventiveness – was that half of them had wooden teeth. This, Richard explained, was so that if the wheels became jammed, the wooden cogs could break off and be replaced. If all of the teeth were cast iron, and some broke off, then the whole wheel would have to be replaced.
Richard seemed to be enjoying his role of millsplainer, so it was particularly poignant to note that the previous month’s visit for National Mills Day had been cancelled due to a shortage of volunteers.
And yes, there is such a thing as National Mills Day: it is organised by SPAB, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. They are probably working on National Mills Day 2027 right now…
Not to be missed: the Shirley Windmill has been on the site since 1854
So, if you like history, or mechanics, or you would like to get involved in a good cause locally, maybe get in contact with the Friends of Shirley Windmill. They probably have other jobs if you don’t fancy spending a Sunday afternoon herding groups of a dozen visitors up and down five stories of cramped Victoriana.
Someone, after all, has to sell the tea or coffee in the adjacent “Miller’s Kitchen” for a distinctly unprofitable £1 per cup, or the – to use Richard’s term – “sticky cakes” for a mere £1.50 a slice. Kids (and, presumably, adults) can be placated with orange or lemon squash for just 30p a go. Donations are welcome (and at those prices, probably rather necessary!) and they even have the modern wherewithal to take card payments.
And just in case they can’t get enough volunteers, they recommend you check the Shirley Windmill website – www.shirleywindmill.org.uk – on the morning of your visit first.
- Read Ken Towl’s latest guided walk around the LOOP by clicking here
- For previous walks, arts and theatre reviews by Ken Towl, click here
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