CHESTERTON WINDMILL, CHESTERTON, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND.
SELECTIVE COLOUR BLUE.


CHESTERTON WINDMILL IS A 17TH-CENTURY CYLINDRIC STONE TOWER WINDMILL WITH AN ARCHED BASE, LOCATED OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE OF CHESTERTON, WARWICKSHIRE. IT IS A GRADE I LISTED BUILDING AND A STRIKING LANDMARK IN SOUTH-EAST WARWICKSHIRE.
THE WINDMILL IS ONE OF WARWICKSHIRE'S MOST FAMOUS LANDMARKS. IT STANDS ON A HILLTOP OVERLOOKING THE VILLAGE OF CHESTERTON FOR NEARLY 350 YEARS. IT IS NEAR THE ROMAN FOSSE WAY AND ABOUT FIVE MILES (8 KM) SOUTH-EAST OF WARWICK. IT WAS BUILT AROUND 1632-1633, PROBABLY BY SIR EDWARD PEYTO, WHO WAS LORD OF THE CHESTERTON MANOR HOUSE. AT THIS TIME JOHN STONE, A PUPIL OF INIGO JONES, WAS IN CHESTERTON DESIGNING THE NEW MANOR HOUSE AND HE PROBABLY HELPED WITH THE WINDMILL AS WELL. SIR EDWARD WAS A MATHEMATICIAN AND ASTROLOGER AND PROBABLY HIS OWN ARCHITECT TO THE WINDMILL, BUT ALTHOUGH CLAIMS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT THE TOWER WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT AS AN OBSERVATORY, THE ESTATE ACCOUNTS NOW AT WARWICK RECORD OFFICE SHOW THAT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WINDMILL, MAKING IT THE EARLIEST TOWER MILL IN ENGLAND TO RETAIN ANY OF ITS WORKING PARTS.
IT IS BUILT OF HARD LOCAL LIMESTONE, WITH SANDSTONE DETAILING, ON A SHALLOW PLATFORM OF 71 FEET 9 INCHES (21.87 M) IN DIAMETER. THE MILL TOWER WITH A CAP HEIGHT OF 36 FEET (11 M), UNIQUE WORLDWIDE IN STRUCTURE AND MECHANICS, IS SUPPORTED ON SIX SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES, ON PIERS, THE OUTER FACES OF WHICH ARE ARCS OF CIRCLES RADIATING FROM A COMMON CENTRE. A SANDSTONE STRING COURSE SURMOUNTS THE SIX ARCHES AND RUNS ROUND THE TOWER, BELOW THE WINDOWS. THERE ARE FOUR WINDOWS IN THE TOWER, TWO SMALL AND TWO MUCH LARGER WITH STONE MULLIONED WINDOWS. A THREE-LIGHT WINDOW SET IN THE ROOF ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE TO THE SAILS, HAS A SMALL PLAQUE ABOVE IT WITH THE LETTERS &quot;E. P. 1632&quot;.
IT SEEMS THE MILL HAS UNDERGONE THREE MAJOR RECONSTRUCTIONS, ONE IN 1776 WHEN THE MILL SHAFT WAS MODIFIED, AND THE DATE CARVED IN THE TAIL OF THE SHAFT, AND ONE IN 1860 WHEN THE OLD CURB AND CAP FRAMING WAS ALTERED. BY 1910 IT HAD CEASED TO FUNCTION AS A MILL BECAUSE THE WINDING GEAR FAILED TO OPERATE, SO THAT HER LAST MILLER, WILLIAM HAYNES, WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO TURN THE MILL'S CAP ROUND TO MAKE THE SAILS FACE THE WIND. HE ABANDONED THE MILL AND MOVED TO HARBURY TOWER MILL, ONE MILE TO THE EAST. IN THE 1930S THE MILL WAS SOMETIMES USED FOR MILLING AT PROPEROUS WINDS. MINOR REPAIRS TO THE SAILS AND THE WIND VANE TOOK PLACE. IN THE EARLY 1950S ONE SAIL BROKE OFF AND WAS RESTORED YEARS AFTER. IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1969 THAT A LARGER RECONSTRUCTION OF CHESTERTON MILL BEGAN AGAIN UNDER THE CONTROL OF WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS UPKEEP, AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MACHINERY. THE WINDMILL REPAIRS WERE FINISHED IN 1971, AND THE MILL REOPENED FOR A FEW DAYS TO THE PUBLIC EACH YEAR IN SUMMERTIME.
IN 2006 ONE OF THE SAILS FELL OFF THE WINDMILL DURING AN OPEN DAY, INJURING ONE VISITOR. INITIALLY, FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, THE AREA WAS ROPED OFF TO PREVENT VISITORS APPROACHING THE WINDMILL. THE SAILS THEMSELVES WERE THEN REMOVED FOR STRENGTHENING. THEY WERE FINALLY REPLACED IN LATE 2007.        

uk ireland green windmill stone by paul famous most british chesterton warwicks tower” history” “summer “christopher pictures” photography” green” “hdr” of “nikon” “british “chris image” only” “pictures “history landmark” newman” “summer” “hdr “england” “warwickshire” “windmill warwickshire” windmills” “windmills windmill” d800” “d800” “zacerin” zacerin” “17thcentury” ““windmills” days”“nikon “cylindric “chesterton “chesterton” “1632” warwick” “warwickshires