I was recently asked what was the last (flour) windmill built in the UK, for which the answer rather depends on exactly how you define your terms. Rather than give a definitive answer, I think it's worth giving a selection of the "youngest" windmills (some since demolished), from which you can choose the one that best fits your own personal definition!
I've been somewhat selective especially with 20th century windmills, where there are a number of other reduced scale mills I could have included. Also some full scale rebuilds from often fragmentary remains are in effect completely new mills - though there is a recent trend to design such rebuilds for residential rather milling use - with perhaps a token inclusion of the possibility of generating some electricity from the resultant structure.
For comparison, the last (commercially) new built flourmills in Holland were Vragender and Afferden, both built in 1957/1958. The United States has quite a number of 20th century windmills - including the replica post mill at Colonial Williamsburg, plus its various "clones", and a number of other Dutch designed and built working flour mills.
My thanks to the Windmill Hoppers group on Facebook, to whom the same question was posed, for coming up with a more comprehensive list than I did on my own.
Last updated 27/07/2020 | Text and images © Mark Berry, 1997-2020 - |