Mostert's Mill, Historic windmill in Mowbray, Cape Town, South Africa.
Mostert's Mill is a historic windmill in the Mowbray neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa. The tower is built from stone and brick, topped with a rotating thatched cap and fitted with four sails that can still turn in the wind.
The mill was built in 1796 on Welgelegen Farm, making it the first privately operated mill in the Cape Colony. After a fire caused serious damage, a full restoration was completed in 2024, bringing it back into working order.
The mill displays traditional Dutch building methods through its four sails and stone grinding mechanisms that visitors can watch in operation. The way it was built tells the story of the craftspeople who created such structures.
The mill opens to visitors on the third Saturday of each month, so it is worth checking current times with the Friends of Mostert's Mill before making the trip. The site is in Mowbray, within easy reach of central Cape Town.
Mostert's Mill is the only working structure of its kind south of the Sahara on the African continent. This makes it a rare surviving example of a milling tradition that has disappeared almost everywhere else on the continent.
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