Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire
Mount Pleasant Windmill
is a traditional four-sailed brick tower mill built in 1875, on the site and
remains of a post mill.
The mill had four patent-sails, on a slightly
tapering four-storey tarred tower mill with onion-shaped cap and fantail on
top of the remaining roundhouse of a previous post-mill that was on the
site.
It is located on
the Lincoln Cliff
overlooking Kirton-in-Lindsey with extensive views over the Trent Valley and the
Wolds. It was wind powered until 1936 when the sails were removed.
It did not start milling by wind power again until fully renovated in 1991.
The current windmill, Mount Pleasant, was built in 1875 for Edric Lansdall.
This was erected on top of a post mill roundhouse, although here the junction is
so subtle as to be almost indistinguishable. It is only given away by the fact
that the walls begin vertically at ground level, with smaller bricks and thicker
tar than the remainder of the mill, which is built in large 3 inch machine
moulded bricks laid to the batter of the tower.
The initials E. L. and the date 1875 can still be seen above the lintel above
the loading back door.
In the late 1850's he became the owner of the post-mill which had stood on North
Cliff Road for centuries. This earlier post-mill had been blown down in a gale
and he ordered the construction of a new tall brick tower mill.
The Snell family were the next millers until they sold the mill in 1936 to the
Banks brothers. The sails were taken down at the time of the sale, as they had
reached the end of their useful life. Milling continued, with an engine to power the mill.
The barn which housed the engine is now the Tea-Room and the grain store next
door has been converted into a house.
Technical description of its workings can be found at
http://microsites.lincolnshire.gov.uk/windmills/section.asp?catId=3392
The
Wikipedia article
and mills own site also give additional information.
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