Warwickshire County Council is delighted to confirm that work to install four new sails at Chesterton Windmill, located nearby to Chesterton and just south of Leamington Spa, has been completed.
Chesterton Windmill’s sails were removed in 2021 after regular safety checks identified cracks in the wood, deeming the sails unsafe to remain on the windmill and requiring replacement.
As guardians of the windmill, Warwickshire County Council has worked closely with construction and heritage consultants, Chana Projects, and the millwright specialists at Owlsworth Conservation, to deliver the successful restoration of the windmill sails.
Due to the remote location of the windmill, and being a nationally important archaeological site, the project team chose to install the new sails on to the windmill by hand. This involved using traditional methods such as ropes, pulleys, winches, and block and tackle, with assistance from use of a hoist, rather than having a large crane on site.
The project team have also worked hard to navigate various challenges ahead of the sails installation, including working around the bat roosting season, and adjusting sails restoration plans to ensure that bats can continue to roost safely in the windmill going forward.
Ayub Khan, Head of Libraries, Heritage and Culture, and Registration Services at Warwickshire County Council, said:
“Chesterton Windmill is an iconic monument both in Warwickshire’s landscape and as part of our country’s history. The restoration of the windmill’s sails means a lot to the local people who visit and photograph the site often, and we are all delighted to see the sails stand proudly on the windmill once again.
“Heritage and culture is important to our county and our sense of belonging here in Warwickshire. It’s so important that we maintain and care for our county’s history, as it means that special monuments like Chesterton Windmill will continue to be enjoyed now and by future generations to come.”
Chesterton Windmill is Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is one of only four windmills in England to have this classification and has stood on a hilltop overlooking the village of Chesterton for nearly 350 years. It is often considered to be one of Warwickshire’s most famous landmarks.
The windmill was built around 1632 – 1633, likely by Sir Edward Peyton, who was Lord of the Chesterton Manor House. At this time John Stone, a pupil of Inigo Jones, was in Chesterton designing the new Manor House and it is thought he probably helped with designing the windmill.
The estate accounts at Warwickshire County Record Office show that that the structure has always been a windmill, making it the earliest tower mill in England to retain any of its working parts. The windmill was restored between 1965 and 1974 by Warwickshire County Council, who are now the guardians of the windmill.
To find out more about the history of Chesterton Windmill, please visit: https://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/visit/chesterton-windmill