Ashdon Windmill Trust

Welcome to the Friends of Ashdon Mill

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Thank you for visiting our website and welcome to the Friends of Ashdon Mill.

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The Trust endeavours to hold Open Days at the Windmill on the second Sunday of each month from April to October. If you wish to visit outside these times, this may be possible by special appointment.

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A variety of gifts are available to purchase at the Mill, and we are always delighted to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer their time or expertise to assist with the running and restoration of the Mill.

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“We” are, in reality, the community of Ashdon village, which has a current population of approximately 900 residents. The village was formally established in 1087, although there is evidence of earlier settlement. During the 18th century, Ashdon was home to four mills, one of which was a small watermill.

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The acquisition of the Mill followed a public meeting held in the village in April 1999, when more than 100 residents unanimously voted to save and restore it.

At that time, the Mill was owned by Thurlow Estate, who generously agreed to transfer ownership to the village along with a grant towards restoration—helping the project get off the ground, almost literally.

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The Mill is now legally owned by Ashdon Windmill Trust Limited, a registered charity (No. 1078153).

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The current trustees are Kevin Nicholas, John Moran, and Jason Davis, all established residents of the village.

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Much of the restoration and operational work is shared across the community, with specialist tasks undertaken by an experienced millwright where required.

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One of the oldest photographs of the Mill in our collection dates from 1932. It was shown to us by Mrs Farries, whose late husband, Kenneth G. Farries, published Essex Windmills, Millers and Millwrights in 1984, now available in five volumes.

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We are confident that older photographs may still be hidden away in family albums, and we would be delighted to see them. We are particularly interested in photographs from around the time of the Second World War, when many people from overseas and other parts of the country were based in this area.

For example, the US Fighter Wing at Little Walden and evacuees from London were present locally during that period.

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We currently hold some preliminary notes about the historical events surrounding the Mill and look forward to expanding this information as our research continues.