top of page
THE WINDMILLS OF BUCKDEN
To stagecoach passengers travelling from London in the 18th and 19th century, Buckden’s windmill must have been a comforting sight - in a few minutes they would be tucking into a hearty meal, drinking some good ale and, if they were lucky, relaxing in a warm bed in one of the village inns!
​
The Windmill was situated at the very southerly end of the village just before Perry Road. The Inclosure Map of Buckden, dated 1813, shows the windmill (as a small, enclosed symbol) in the possession of John Hipwell, just to the west of the Great North Road (Ref 1).
On the 23rd of April 1933 Buckden’s windmill, also known as Barton’s Mill, was one of a number surveyed by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, (Ref 2). The survey listed the mill as having been built around 1740, being round and made of brick with 2 floors. It documented that inside there were flour dressing machines powered by a steam engine. Unfortunately it did not note the number of sails and whether they were single or double.
​
The records also only noted three of the last occupants. Firstly there was Mr Barton c.1840-1865, then Mr Sharp who worked the mill c. 1865-1880 and most recently was Mr Thomson who had the mill for 15 years c. 1880-1895.
During Richard Barton’s time a couple of sad events occurred. On one occasion a man, who was either visiting or working at the mill, went out of the wrong door while the sails were turning and was killed. Then Barton's son, John, was found guilty of arson in 1863, having set fire to the barns of the two local magistrates Messrs Thornhill and Duberly. They sentenced him to 12 years penal servitude in Australia, where he died 4 years later. (Ref 3).
It was during Mr Thomson’s occupancy that a strange event was noted. Apparently a man came to him one day with a bizarre plan saying he wished to watch the horse racing on Porthome in Huntingdon from the mill, a distance of 4 miles away. The story goes that Mr Thomson allowed the man to place himself head downwards on the bottom sail so that when it was moved to the top he had a clear view and was even able to distinguish the jockey’s colours! The surveyors were not convinced this was true and a footnote was made in pencil along the side of the survey: The story of the man being carried to the top of the windmill is probably incorrect as I am informed by a miller this is nearly impossible except in a gale. He probably climbed up - an easy feat.
Windmills of Buckden: Activities
The survey went on to record that an unfriendly neighbour planted trees around the mill to stop the wind. By 1888 the trees were sufficiently tall to cause the windmill to go out of commission and in 1893 it was made into a cottage.
​
Sadly, there are no pictures of the windmill before it was converted. This photograph from the Huntingdon Archives shows Mill Cottage in the 1930s.
Windmills of Buckden: About
Mr Thomson, possibly the former miller’s son, owned the cottage in the 1930s and remained living there till it became derelict. The Mann family then acquired the mill and used it for storage.
The current owner, Derek Randall, bought the property in 2002 and began renovating and extending it and still lives in it today.
Don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about our activities.
Windmills of Buckden: Activities
_JPG.jpg)
Going back to our stagecoach passengers, as they passed the windmill and looked towards the village they would have seen the Windmill public house at what is now the most southerly end of the High Street on the same side as the Vine. Almost certainly not a public house in the current sense but rather one of Buckden’s numerous alehouses/brewhouses. The landlord/lady of the Windmill probably sold ale from a bench or trestle fronting the present High Street or in a front room.
The pub was run by William White in the early twentieth century, but he was wrongly accused of the theft of a few handfuls of corn from Stirtloe Farm and imprisoned for a year, losing the beer-sellers licence. He came home a skeleton and his wife died of a broken heart, and he died a few months before both his sons were killed in the First World War. A tragic story told by his granddaughter to the History Society in 2017.
A November 1914 photograph shows The Windmill ale house (extreme left) with a windmill sign standing out above the doorway, still very much in use.
The Record of Valuations by the Inland Revenue for Buckden in 1910 (Ref 5), recorded Mrs Ingram as the owner of the Windmill public house with a gross annual value of £10 and a rateable value of £8 10 shillings. A Miss ingram lived there between the wars, and after the Second World War Mr. Sharpe was the occupant until the early 2000s.
But by the 1930s, another photo would indicate that its beer house days were over, with lovely flower baskets cascading beside the door.
A former Parish Councillor remembered an archaeological survey being done on behalf of the building contractors prior to the new cottages being built in roughly 2011. Unfortunately, despite a lot of searching with the help of York University and the York Archaeological Trust, no record can be found of it.
Windmills of Buckden: Activities
 |  |  |  |
|---|
VIDEOZ
Videoz is a San Francisco-based History Club that was created by and for individuals who are passionate about a common interest. New members are always welcome, so get in touch to find out what you need to do in order to join.
Windmills of Buckden: Welcome
bottom of page