Chesterton Windmill

Chesterton Windmill stands on a low hill just outside the village of Chesterton in Warwickshire. Built in the early 17th century, probably by Sir Edward Peyto, it is a tall stone tower with six broad arches at its base. The mill overlooks the Roman Fosse Way and the surrounding countryside. It is one of the oldest tower mills in England still to keep its working parts. John Stone, a pupil of Inigo Jones, may have helped design it while working on the nearby manor house. The windmill is worth visiting for its unusual structure and engineering. The tower rises from a circular platform thirty-six feet high, supported by six semicircular arches. Inside, three floors house the milling machinery, including millstones, spur wheel and sack hoist. The cap turns on rollers so the sails can be turned into the wind by a hand winch. The sails span sixty feet and once carried canvas that covered four hundred and fifty square feet. Visitors find the open ground floor beneath the arches and two upper floors reached by timber stairs. The stone floor holds the great spur wheel and millstones, while above it the hoist floor carries the brake wheel and winding gear. A small plaque on the roof bears the initials ‘E. P. 1632’. Outside, the surrounding fields stretch towards the Fosse Way. The windmill is cared for by Warwickshire County Council and opens to the public on summer days with local volunteers in charge.