A bucolic sight in urban Brixton — this'll put the wind in your sails.
There's a Brixton Windmill?
Not to be confused with the nearby flat-roofed pub/music venue Windmill Brixton, Brixton Windmill was built in 1816, at a time when Brixton — even if it wasn't exactly all cornfields — was definitely some cornfields. Run on and off for many years by the Ashby family of millers, the windmill ceased operations altogether in 1934. Fortunately, this wasn't the end of its story; in 1957, it was bought up London County Council, and following various restorations/periods of decline, the windmill finally got the TLC it deserved, reopening in 2011 after extensive restoration work. It's been a cherished community asset ever since.
As nod to its previous owners, Brixton Windmill is often still referred to as Ashby's Mill. Read more on the windmill's history here.
Can I visit Brixton Windmill?
Brixton Windmill opens on the second weekend of each month between March-October. On these open days, you can get a 30-minute guided tour of the windmill, where you'll see the original wind-powered machinery, and the stones subsequently installed by the Ashby family in 1902, which were steam-driven. Tours cost £5 per person, and often book up, so plan your trip in advance.
Events take place at and around the windmill — including Windmill Gardens — such as Pilates and tai chi sessions, a gardening group, Thursday Morning Community Club and various seasonal festivals. It's a great place to have on your radar, particularly if you live locally.
Does Brixton Windmill still make flour?
It does! These days the windmill is powered by electricity, which ensures a steady supply of delicious stoneground wholemeal flour made from locally-sourced organic wheat. A few notches above the usual Homepride we daresay. You can get it direct from the windmill (when open), from the Windmill's online shop, or from a handful of local retailers. You can also scoff cakes from the pop-up cafe, which we presume are made with Brixton flour too.
All very quaint. Next you'll be telling me you can go horse riding in Brixton too...
Does London offer any other bucolic windmill experiences?
Why, surely. Sorry, I mean Shirley. One of the last windmills of its type built in England, Shirley Windmill in Croydon was converted to run off steam when the wind wasn't up to scratch. It runs once-monthly open days from May-October each year; the 45-60-minute tours are free, although a donation's encouraged.
Go for a wander on Wimbledon Common and you'll find Wimbledon Windmill, built the year after Brixton's, and open to the public on weekends between March and October. Robert Baden-Powell wrote part of his book Scouting for Boys here, so there you go. It's free to visit, but again, donations are welcome.
Wandsworth Common's octagonal smock mill is not the most impressive of London's old windmills; after all the algae-smothered thing no longer has its sails. Still, if you happen to be passing by, why not take a look.
Last, and certainly not least, the Grade II*-listed Upminster Windmill dates back to 1803, opens one weekend a month from April-October, costing £6 to visit. With its white clapboard exterior, and surrounding poppy-flecked gardens, this is generally considered one of the country's finest remaining smock mills.
