West Blatchington Windmill

HOVE

TQ20NE HOLMES AVENUE, West Blatchington 579-1/3/179 West Blatchington Windmill 24/03/50 (Formerly Listed as: HOLMES AVENUE West Blatchington Mill and Barns)

GV II*

Former windmill for milling corn with adjoining barn, now restored as museum. c1820, restored 1937, 1966 and 1970s, opened to the public 1976. Weather-boarded body and cap, base and barn made of pebble and knapped flint with brick quoins and dressings, half-hipped slate roof to barn. Plan: hexagonal smock mill with fantail and 4 sails, or sweeps; barn abutting south side and truncated remains of another abutting to east. The 3 lower floors of the mill have circular window openings and a round-headed blocked doorway on the north front. Entrance on the south front via segmental-headed opening in the barn. The sails are permenantly locked on the south side. Interior: not seen. Said to contain original machinery including an auxiliary iron bevel drive for the thresher on the loading floor; an interesting A-frame support for the spur wheel and main upright on the spout floor, which is an authenticated re-use of ships timbers; and radial beam construction supporting the dust floor visible from the bin floor. Milling ceased around 1900, the fantail was removed in 1934, and barns to the south-west were destroyed by fire in 1936, although the mill was undamaged. It was purchased by Hove Corporation and opened to the public by The Friends of West Blatchington Windmill. The mill was painted by Constable in 1825; reproduction of this watercolour and old photographs of the mill and barns are on view inside the building.

Listing NGR: TQ2785706794