Wimbledon Windmill Museum

May, done. 🗓️

31 days of local history — from Charles March to Baden-Powell, from six families in a windmill to a sail falling in 2015 and rising again in 2016.

Local and Community History Month reminded us why we do this.

See you in June. We'll be here. Same sails, same common, more stories.

The sails will go round again this weekend - 2pm on Saturday and Sunday!

We regularly need to turn the Windmill sails to make sure everything is still working and nothing has seized up. At 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday, one of the WPCC Rangers will be up in the roof and releasing the brake so the sails go round! Only for a short time - 30 to 45 mins max, depending on the wind (of course!)

We do have caveats - if there's no wind then it becomes a manual turning so that will reduce the time we see the sails moving. And if there are any incidents on the common the Ranger will be delayed - but - all things being equal, 2pm is a hopeful guesstimate.

We've shared 30 days of history, behind the scenes and community stories this month. 🌾

But here's the thing about local history: it's still being made.

Every visitor. Every volunteer. Every shared post. Every child who grinds flour for the first time.

Thank you for following along. Now come and visit. We're here every weekend until October. 🌬️

This is what 5,000 years of milling technology looks like. 🙌

A saddle stone. A hand quern. A pestle and mortar.

In our museum you can try all three — no electricity required. Kids especially love it. Adults pretend they're above it, then immediately ask for a go.

Open this weekend. Free entry.

The working machinery was removed in 1864. 🔧

But a finely detailed model inside the museum shows exactly how it worked in its grinding days — every cog, shaft, and stone accounted for.

The miller took the machines. Someone made sure the memory stayed.

A single modern wind turbine can produce enough energy in about three hours to power a home for a month. Impactful Ninja 🏠
In 1817, this windmill could grind enough grain in a day to feed a neighbourhood.
Wind has always punched above its weight.
We have working models of both from the very first to the new right here in the museum. Free entry. Wimbledon Common.

With even hotter weather forecast for tomorrow, we've made the decision to close in the afternoon. As the Windmill is an enclosed space with no air conditioning, we have taken this decision in the interest of visitor comfort and wellbeing.

Please forward so we can counter disappointments.

The working machinery was removed in 1864. 🔧

But a finely detailed model inside the museum shows exactly how it worked in its grinding days — every cog, shaft, and stone accounted for.

The miller took the machines. Norman made sure the memory stayed.

(thanks again to Alistair Higgins for his photographs)