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Wimbledon
Common is criss-crossed with many foot paths and
bridal tracks. The windmill is towards the north-east
corner of the Common, built in 1817 by Charles March, one
of the few remaining examples in England of a hallow post
post mill.
When the mill ended its working
life in 1864, the building at its base was converted into
six cottages. A reconstruction on the first floor of the museum
shows how a room would have looked then.
In 1976 the first floor was opened
as museum devoted to the history of windmills and milling.
By 1999 a restoration programme
was completed, and the ground floor was incorporated into
the museum and the sails restored to working order.
Bert Follen, a millwright and carpenter who worked on the
restoration of the windmill, donated his collection of tools
to the museum and are on display.
A diorama shows how the mill
was built and the tools used in its construction.
At the centre of the ground floor
is the cast-iron Great Spur Whee, when rotating this wheel
would have driven the millstones on the floor above.
A separate room contains a display
on the different types of windmills and their development,
with working models. The first floor shows the milling
process and the machinery involved, and visitors can try their
hand at milling.
Various windmill sails are also
on display. The position of windmill sails could be
used to convey messages.
Lord Baden-Powell, founder of
the scout movement, lived here in the adjoining Mill House,
and in 1908 he wrote part of 'Scouting for Boys', the handbook
of the organisation, at the Mill House.
Admission charge
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