Marsh Mill

Marsh Mill is a tower windmill in Thornton with five floors of brick and square windows along its height. At the top sits a distinctive boat-shaped wooden cap that originally held the milling machinery.

Ralph Slater built this mill in 1794 for Bold Hesketh as a working corn mill. It operated until the 1920s when industrial progress made traditional milling methods unprofitable.

The interior shows how grain was traditionally processed, with different levels revealing storage areas and milling equipment. You can see the methods people used to transform raw grain into flour.

The mill can only be visited during special event weekends, so check ahead before planning your trip. Tours are guided affairs that require advance notice to arrange.

The interior preserves a complete set of working machinery across all five floors, which is exceptionally rare among historic mills of this type in the region. Few other windmills have retained so much of their original milling equipment in working condition.

Location: Wyre

GPS coordinates: 53.87490,-3.01200

Latest update: December 13, 2025 12:23