Name: Saxtead Green Post Mill
Rating: 5.0

Saxtead Green Post Mill

The Mill House, Several Road, The Green, Saxtead, Woodbridge, UK

1-99 Years

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Description

Saxstead Green Post Mill is a striking, four-sailed corn-grinding mill. It’s a rare ‘post mill’, whose whole body turns on its roundhouse base, propelled by wind on a ‘fantail’. Originally raised in about 1796, Saxtead Green Post Mill has been rebuilt three times. It stopped commercial milling in 1947, and is now one of just a handful of fully operational mills remaining in Suffolk.

A beloved feature of the local landscape, the distinctive body and sails of Saxtead Green Post Mill have been a Suffolk landmark for generations. The mill is still visible from a distance across the open fields, and one can imagine the sails sent spinning by the wind in this flat and windswept setting, grinding corn since at least the 18th century.

If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Saxtead Green Post Mill: A beloved feature of the local landscape, the distinctive body and sails of Saxtead Green Post Mill have been a Suffolk landmark for generations. The mill is still visible from a distance across the open fields, and one can imagine the sails sent spinning by the wind in this flat and windswept setting, grinding corn since at least the 18th century.
Early references: Village mills, like castles or churches, tend to occupy the same site for years, so it’s possible that the mill we see today is on the same site as the one first mentioned in records in 1287. We can’t know for sure how long the current site has been in use, but we do know that a mill was in place here from at least June 1796.
Watch the Mill in Action in 1948: This original British Pathé footage shows Saxtead Green Post Mill in action in 1948. While the mill no longer produces flour, at the time it was one of the few mills still grinding corn.
A mill on a post: The mill now at Saxtead Green is a post mill, whose whole body (or buck) revolves on its base. In a post mill, the buck of the mill contains the machinery. Sails are also mounted onto the buck. These sails turn to face the wind and the mill body moves around the single central post (hence the name ‘post’ mill). The buck turns automatically, by the fantail at the rear, to face the sails square into the ‘eye of the wind’.
A fine specimen: The buck of the mill at Saxtead Green is covered with handsome white-painted weatherboards, which extend all the way down to create a ‘petticoat’ that covers the two-storey brick roundhouse on which the buck is mounted. The mill is 14 metres high overall, of which the roundhouse at the base accounts for half. The mill is considered to be an especially well-proportioned example, which may in part explain its longevity.
Sailing away: Of course, no mill is complete without sails. The sails on the Saxtead Green mill span 17.7 metres and are made of wood. Such sails would have originally been wooden frames with sailcloth spread across them, but the wooden structures used now are of a sort developed by the significant millwright and engineer William Cubitt (brother of Thomas Cubitt, also known for his prowess as a builder) in 1805.
Changes through time: The mill house that can now be seen on the Saxtead Mill site was built for the then miller, Robert Holmes, in 1810. It’s hard to be sure how much of the mill structure and innards that we see today are original. But we do know that local millwrights Whitmore and Binyon’s undertook repairs to the mill in the 1850s and 1890s, so it’s likely that many parts were changed then and over time.
A mill in retirement: The mill produced flour until the Second World War when, like so many other country mills, it was forced to go over to grinding for animal feed. This was to mark the end of its working life.

Facilities

Parking: There’s no on-site parking at Saxstead Green Post Mill. On-street parking is available in neighbouring roads, but please park considerately.
Food And Drink: There are no food or drink facilities on site. The nearest facilities are located at the village Public House.
Toilets: There are no toilets at the site.

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Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

This site is currently closed.

Address: The Mill House, Several Road, The Green, Saxtead, Woodbridge, UK

Post Code: IP13 9QQ

Council: East Suffolk

County: Suffolk

Road Access: 2.5 miles north-west of Framlingham, on the A1120.
Bus Access: Galloway European 119; High Suffolk Community Transport (Tue only)
Train Access: Wickham Market 9 miles.
Bicycle Access: Plan your cycling route to Saxstead Green Post Mill at sustrans.org.uk, the National Cycle Network.
Parking: There’s no on-site parking at Saxstead Green Post Mill. On-street parking is available in neighbouring roads, but please park considerately.