Windmills
The Windmills are two disused stone towers, once in operation as windmills, generating power to grind corn into flour. Of uncertain origin, the windmills were first recorded in 1608 and are located south of Easton and east of Weston. The towers are approximately 135 metres from one another, within an area of fields and quarries.
The northern mill, known as Angel Mill, is located in a field known as Cottonfields, while the southern mill, known as South Mill, is located at Top Growlands. The windmills have also been referred to after their fields; Cottonfields Mill and Top Growlands Mill respectively. Both have been Grade II listed monuments since September 1978, and are the only windmills of their age to survive in Dorset.
History
Origins and agricultural use
The origin of Portland's windmills remains uncertain. Before their erection, it is possible that small watermills, powered by spring water, were established around the island. In his survey of Portland during the mid-18th century, John Hutchins recorded such a watermill in Underhill: "Water here is plenty and good, there being a number of springs at the lower part of the island; one breaks out at the foot of the N. hill, which soon drives a mill." It has been suggested that the two windmills were erected to cope with an increase in demand for corn, which would have stemmed from the construction of Portland Castle in 1539-41 and the establishment of a garrison there.
Both windmills were first recorded in Land Revenue Accounts of 1608 and featured on a map by William Simplon in 1626. On the Hutchins map of 1710, the windmills were highlighted as prominent landmarks. With Portland being traditionally isolated from the mainland, only connected by Chesil Beach, the two windmills would have been an important part of the island's once-thriving agricultural system. Portland's limited resources had resulted in the industry being developed as a communal farming system, revolving largely around sheep and corn. The industry flourished for centuries and the windmills were regularly used by the local community, both for commercial enterprises and personal use, with individuals often bringing their own grain to grind into flour. The flour produced by the mills would have also helped supplement food supplies in winter when fishing was poor.
The millers who operated the mills would have worked on a piecemeal basis; keeping some of the produced flour in return for milling. Though both windmills shared a set of millstones, the two towers allowed one to remain in use if the other needed maintenance. Such maintenance, provided by island craftsmen and millers, was regularly required to keep all the components of the mills operational. An old diary entry from Elizabeth Otter in 1866 noted: "When volk wanned flour to make bread they took grains to mills. Were two of 'em and ruins be there still. I 'ave 'eard people say how they winnowed ther wheat, take it ter mills, have it ground into flour, take it home to Southwell and bake cakes afore they'd anything ter eat." Aside from their primary agricultural role, the windmills also aided the navigation of passing seafarers at a time before the first lighthouses were built at Portland Bill in 1716.
The first recorded operators of the windmills was the Pearce family. They decided to let the south mill to tenant millers, of which Robert Blanchard became a brief tenant between 1670-78. Afterwards, the Stone family remained tenants of the mill until 1744 when Abraham Pearce took over the tenancy from Shadrac Stone. Both mills remained in the ownership of the Pearce family until they fell into disuse during the 1890s. By the end of the 19th century, the importance of the two mills had diminished as mass-produced flour and bread was easily obtained through Portland's modern rail and road links. Edward and Robert Pearce were recorded as the last millers in Kelly's Directory of Dorsetshire 1895.
Disuse, abandonment and recent years
Over the 20th century, the windmills suffered from neglect and vandalism, particularly the timber components. By the 1900s, the north mill's cap roof had been removed, as had the sail timbers and tailpole, while most of south mill's timber components had been stripped. The windshaft of the north mill had fallen into the tower by the 1930s. As part of the World War II anti-invasion measures, the Home Guard converted the south mill into an observation post during 1940. This conversion work involved installing a concrete floor slab on corrugated shuttering. Additionally, the lower walling was pierced in numerous places to form embrasures and the upper sections of the mill sealed off. By the 1960s, only a single sailstock remained suspended at the north mill. A crane, provided by Kingston Minerals, successfully removed the windshaft and surviving sailstock in November 1983, and these were placed in the garden of Portland Museum.
In 1986, the BBC launched a project to record a snapshot of everyday life across the UK for future generations. A million volunteers took part and the Portland Windmills were featured as one site that would be of interest in another 1,000 years. In the late 1980s, a local quarrying company, ARC Ltd, put forward plans to demolish the south mill in order to expand their operations. This caused public outcry, which in turn forced the company to withdraw the plans. Instead, they quarried close to the mill without affecting it. The mill was renovated by the company at their own expense in 1991, with the work involving repointing and repairing the stonework, bracing the loop openings and fitting a secure door.
A small amount of care was given to the windmills in attempt to preserve them during 2000, but the work was not maintained for a longer period of time. Later in 2014, further quarrying in the area began to come within close range of the windmills, particularly the southern one. However, both remain untouched, as does the public footpath passing them.
In 2013-14, work commenced on the building of 40 properties close to the windmills and Easton's Park Road. Built by local builders Betterment Properties Ltd, the estate was named Windmills. The houses were built with Portland stone and designed with a "time-honoured style". It features two cylindrical properties designed to mimic the windmill towers. The estate received a certificate of merit from the Weymouth Civic Society in 2016, who praised the estate for being "well-proportioned" and "attractive". They concluded that the estate added "quality and interest" to the area.
In recent years, attempts have been made to form a trust to preserve both windmills. In a 2015 article by the Dorset Echo, it was revealed that the quarrying company Stone Firms, who now own the south mill, have expressed interest in placing the mill into trust ownership and providing up to £10,000 towards restoration funds. However, the independent, private owners of the north mill were less receptive to the idea and the plans stalled.
Design and current condition
Both windmills are built as plain cylindrical shafts using rough coursed Portland rubble, including some ashlar work. Today, they are roofless, but are believed to have originally been thatched. An internal ladder would have provided access to the upper sections of each mill. It has been recorded that the foundations of the mills are notably deep, and have mortared pebbles to deter rats.
Both towers closely resemble that of the southern Mediterranean style. Similarly designed windmills have been found in other parts of Britain, as well as the Channel Islands and Brittany, although Portland's examples appear to be among the earliest of their type in Britain. Like the Portland Lerret, a boat designed purposely for fishing in the conditions off Chesil Beach, it is likely that the locals on Portland were introduced to the design style of the Mediterranean windmills from their trade links with that part of the world.
The north windmill is approximately 4 metres in diameter and 5.5 metres high, with the walls being 25.5 inches thick. Internally, the mill has various putlog holes and dressed slots. There are two doorway entrances, both with roughly finished heads and jambs. English Heritage, in their 1978 survey of the windmills, suggested that the north mill was possibly older than the southern one. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, based on a visit in 1961, noted that the mill's specially cut stones had been chisel dressed with a type of "pounced" finish. At the time there were also traces of old rendering on the external walls. Today, the mill remains in a poor state of repair, particularly more so than the south mill.
The south windmill is also approximately 4 metres in diameter, but slightly larger at 7 metres high. The walls are approximately 28 inches thick. There are sundry openings at three levels, a blocked door on the south-east side, and a door opening on the north-east side. The remaining doorways have heads and jambs, the blocked one has only an ashlar head. Inside is the concrete floor slab on corrugated shuttering, installed during World War II. Aside from a number of small rectangular loops, the inside also has various embrasures from World War II. In the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, it was noted that the top of the mill was more sharply battered, indicating it was probably rebuilt. The top walling of the mill has a similar finish to the north mill with specially cut ashlar track stones featuring a "pounced" finish. At the time of the survey, the hoist doorway was only half blocked. Before nearby quarrying operations commenced in 2014, Stone Firms undertook a condition survey of mill, which revealed the structure to remain in good condition.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset - Volume 2: South East - Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England - 1970 - page 253
2) BBC - Domesday Reloaded - Portland Windmills - website page
3) Betterment Properties - Windmills, Easton, Portland - website page
4) Dorset Echo - Campaigners call for protection of Portland windmills - Alex Pearce - May 2015 - website page
5) Dorset Windmills - Portland Millers - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
6) Dorset Windmills - Portland RCHM Listings - website page
7) Dorset Windmills - The Stone Towers - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
8) Dorset Windmills - Windmills of the Isle of Portland - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
9) Exploring Portland - Portland's Windmills and the Jubilee Hall Saga - Geoff Kirby - website page
10) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Windmill at NGR SY 69077128 - website page
11) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Windmill at NGR SY 69087138 - website page
12) Pastscape - Monument No. 868143 - website page
13) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 155 - book
14) Weymouth Civic Society - Awards 2016 - website page
The northern mill, known as Angel Mill, is located in a field known as Cottonfields, while the southern mill, known as South Mill, is located at Top Growlands. The windmills have also been referred to after their fields; Cottonfields Mill and Top Growlands Mill respectively. Both have been Grade II listed monuments since September 1978, and are the only windmills of their age to survive in Dorset.
History
Origins and agricultural use
The origin of Portland's windmills remains uncertain. Before their erection, it is possible that small watermills, powered by spring water, were established around the island. In his survey of Portland during the mid-18th century, John Hutchins recorded such a watermill in Underhill: "Water here is plenty and good, there being a number of springs at the lower part of the island; one breaks out at the foot of the N. hill, which soon drives a mill." It has been suggested that the two windmills were erected to cope with an increase in demand for corn, which would have stemmed from the construction of Portland Castle in 1539-41 and the establishment of a garrison there.
Both windmills were first recorded in Land Revenue Accounts of 1608 and featured on a map by William Simplon in 1626. On the Hutchins map of 1710, the windmills were highlighted as prominent landmarks. With Portland being traditionally isolated from the mainland, only connected by Chesil Beach, the two windmills would have been an important part of the island's once-thriving agricultural system. Portland's limited resources had resulted in the industry being developed as a communal farming system, revolving largely around sheep and corn. The industry flourished for centuries and the windmills were regularly used by the local community, both for commercial enterprises and personal use, with individuals often bringing their own grain to grind into flour. The flour produced by the mills would have also helped supplement food supplies in winter when fishing was poor.
The millers who operated the mills would have worked on a piecemeal basis; keeping some of the produced flour in return for milling. Though both windmills shared a set of millstones, the two towers allowed one to remain in use if the other needed maintenance. Such maintenance, provided by island craftsmen and millers, was regularly required to keep all the components of the mills operational. An old diary entry from Elizabeth Otter in 1866 noted: "When volk wanned flour to make bread they took grains to mills. Were two of 'em and ruins be there still. I 'ave 'eard people say how they winnowed ther wheat, take it ter mills, have it ground into flour, take it home to Southwell and bake cakes afore they'd anything ter eat." Aside from their primary agricultural role, the windmills also aided the navigation of passing seafarers at a time before the first lighthouses were built at Portland Bill in 1716.
The first recorded operators of the windmills was the Pearce family. They decided to let the south mill to tenant millers, of which Robert Blanchard became a brief tenant between 1670-78. Afterwards, the Stone family remained tenants of the mill until 1744 when Abraham Pearce took over the tenancy from Shadrac Stone. Both mills remained in the ownership of the Pearce family until they fell into disuse during the 1890s. By the end of the 19th century, the importance of the two mills had diminished as mass-produced flour and bread was easily obtained through Portland's modern rail and road links. Edward and Robert Pearce were recorded as the last millers in Kelly's Directory of Dorsetshire 1895.
Disuse, abandonment and recent years
Over the 20th century, the windmills suffered from neglect and vandalism, particularly the timber components. By the 1900s, the north mill's cap roof had been removed, as had the sail timbers and tailpole, while most of south mill's timber components had been stripped. The windshaft of the north mill had fallen into the tower by the 1930s. As part of the World War II anti-invasion measures, the Home Guard converted the south mill into an observation post during 1940. This conversion work involved installing a concrete floor slab on corrugated shuttering. Additionally, the lower walling was pierced in numerous places to form embrasures and the upper sections of the mill sealed off. By the 1960s, only a single sailstock remained suspended at the north mill. A crane, provided by Kingston Minerals, successfully removed the windshaft and surviving sailstock in November 1983, and these were placed in the garden of Portland Museum.
In 1986, the BBC launched a project to record a snapshot of everyday life across the UK for future generations. A million volunteers took part and the Portland Windmills were featured as one site that would be of interest in another 1,000 years. In the late 1980s, a local quarrying company, ARC Ltd, put forward plans to demolish the south mill in order to expand their operations. This caused public outcry, which in turn forced the company to withdraw the plans. Instead, they quarried close to the mill without affecting it. The mill was renovated by the company at their own expense in 1991, with the work involving repointing and repairing the stonework, bracing the loop openings and fitting a secure door.
A small amount of care was given to the windmills in attempt to preserve them during 2000, but the work was not maintained for a longer period of time. Later in 2014, further quarrying in the area began to come within close range of the windmills, particularly the southern one. However, both remain untouched, as does the public footpath passing them.
In 2013-14, work commenced on the building of 40 properties close to the windmills and Easton's Park Road. Built by local builders Betterment Properties Ltd, the estate was named Windmills. The houses were built with Portland stone and designed with a "time-honoured style". It features two cylindrical properties designed to mimic the windmill towers. The estate received a certificate of merit from the Weymouth Civic Society in 2016, who praised the estate for being "well-proportioned" and "attractive". They concluded that the estate added "quality and interest" to the area.
In recent years, attempts have been made to form a trust to preserve both windmills. In a 2015 article by the Dorset Echo, it was revealed that the quarrying company Stone Firms, who now own the south mill, have expressed interest in placing the mill into trust ownership and providing up to £10,000 towards restoration funds. However, the independent, private owners of the north mill were less receptive to the idea and the plans stalled.
Design and current condition
Both windmills are built as plain cylindrical shafts using rough coursed Portland rubble, including some ashlar work. Today, they are roofless, but are believed to have originally been thatched. An internal ladder would have provided access to the upper sections of each mill. It has been recorded that the foundations of the mills are notably deep, and have mortared pebbles to deter rats.
Both towers closely resemble that of the southern Mediterranean style. Similarly designed windmills have been found in other parts of Britain, as well as the Channel Islands and Brittany, although Portland's examples appear to be among the earliest of their type in Britain. Like the Portland Lerret, a boat designed purposely for fishing in the conditions off Chesil Beach, it is likely that the locals on Portland were introduced to the design style of the Mediterranean windmills from their trade links with that part of the world.
The north windmill is approximately 4 metres in diameter and 5.5 metres high, with the walls being 25.5 inches thick. Internally, the mill has various putlog holes and dressed slots. There are two doorway entrances, both with roughly finished heads and jambs. English Heritage, in their 1978 survey of the windmills, suggested that the north mill was possibly older than the southern one. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, based on a visit in 1961, noted that the mill's specially cut stones had been chisel dressed with a type of "pounced" finish. At the time there were also traces of old rendering on the external walls. Today, the mill remains in a poor state of repair, particularly more so than the south mill.
The south windmill is also approximately 4 metres in diameter, but slightly larger at 7 metres high. The walls are approximately 28 inches thick. There are sundry openings at three levels, a blocked door on the south-east side, and a door opening on the north-east side. The remaining doorways have heads and jambs, the blocked one has only an ashlar head. Inside is the concrete floor slab on corrugated shuttering, installed during World War II. Aside from a number of small rectangular loops, the inside also has various embrasures from World War II. In the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, it was noted that the top of the mill was more sharply battered, indicating it was probably rebuilt. The top walling of the mill has a similar finish to the north mill with specially cut ashlar track stones featuring a "pounced" finish. At the time of the survey, the hoist doorway was only half blocked. Before nearby quarrying operations commenced in 2014, Stone Firms undertook a condition survey of mill, which revealed the structure to remain in good condition.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset - Volume 2: South East - Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England - 1970 - page 253
2) BBC - Domesday Reloaded - Portland Windmills - website page
3) Betterment Properties - Windmills, Easton, Portland - website page
4) Dorset Echo - Campaigners call for protection of Portland windmills - Alex Pearce - May 2015 - website page
5) Dorset Windmills - Portland Millers - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
6) Dorset Windmills - Portland RCHM Listings - website page
7) Dorset Windmills - The Stone Towers - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
8) Dorset Windmills - Windmills of the Isle of Portland - Richard Crumbleholme - website page
9) Exploring Portland - Portland's Windmills and the Jubilee Hall Saga - Geoff Kirby - website page
10) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Windmill at NGR SY 69077128 - website page
11) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Windmill at NGR SY 69087138 - website page
12) Pastscape - Monument No. 868143 - website page
13) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 155 - book
14) Weymouth Civic Society - Awards 2016 - website page
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