West Kingsdown Windmill, Smock mill in West Kingsdown, England
West Kingsdown Windmill is an eight-sided smock mill standing on a single-story brick base and equipped with four sails. The structure retains three pairs of millstones and its original machinery, allowing visitors to see the technical aspects of historical flour production.
The mill was built in 1800 at Farningham and moved to its present location in 1880. Another mill building on the site burned down in 1909, highlighting the importance of this surviving structure.
The mill demonstrates traditional agricultural engineering methods in Kent and shows how wind power was essential for grain processing in English rural communities.
The structure is easily accessible from outside and displays its original parts clearly from base to top. Visitors should be aware that the narrow interior is typical of historical mills and stairs can be steep.
The mill features an unusual combination of patent and common sails along with a seven-bladed fantail system for automated wind direction adjustment. This mix of older and newer techniques shows how mill owners modernized their machinery without replacing it entirely.
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