Chesterton Windmill shut due to repair work

A 17th Century Warwickshire windmill will not open to the public this year due to maintenance work.



Chesterton Windmill, built in 1632, normally opens as part of the annual Heritage Open Days event, but will not be available on 10 and 11 September.

Work has been organised consisting of repairs to the stonework, replacing the zinc roof and repainting wooden sails.

The county council said it was sorry, but repairs would ensure the site would be in good shape for many years.

Built for family

Work at the scheduled ancient monument and Grade I listed building has taken longer than anticipated, and rain and wind have also caused delays to the programme, the authority added.

A miller usually goes to the site south east of Warwick once a year as it becomes a working windmill.

The council, which is responsible for maintenance, said it was built for the Peyto family, who lived at Chesterton Manor.

Heritage Open Days celebrate England's architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission.

The event, which attracted about one million visitors last year, is organised with the help of volunteers over four days in September.

Sails to return to historic windmill under plans



Historic Warwickshire landmark Chesterton Windmill is set for restoration after plans were submitted to replace its missing sails.

The Grade I-listed monument has overlooked the village of Chesterton for nearly 350 years and can be seen from several miles away.

It is proposed the new timber sails are to be slightly shorter, with clamps added for safety.

The old sails were removed in 2021 amid concerns about the risk their condition posed to the public.

In 2006, a visitor to the site was air lifted to hospital when a timber sail collapsed.

Site guardian Warwickshire County Council said the windmill was built between 1632 and 1633, external, probably by Sir Edward Peyton, former Lord of the Chesterton Manor House.

It was built from local limestone, with sandstone detailing on semi-circular arches at its base and a metal-lined dome roof.

The structure, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, is thought to be the earliest tower mill in England to retain any working parts.

According to a heritage statement, external submitted with plans, it ceased work as a mill in the 1910s and has been subject to numerous refurbishments over the years.

The design for new sails and stocks to mimic the historic working set was drawn up by Bonwick Heritage Consultancy.

The planning application also seeks to repair the monument's walls.

The council said a Scheduled Monument Consent application sent to Historic England in February had been approved, external.

An application to Stratford District Council, external for final approval for the works is due to be determined by 25 November.

Owlsworth Conservation was appointed as the main contractor for the refurbishment in May, external.

I fail to see who benefits from this? The windmill is in a field in the middle of nowhere. There's no nearby village to speak of; no café, no shop, not even a pub, just a few scattered cottages. I can't imagine anyone driving out there just to stare at a windmill.

Sail installation to start on much-loved windmill



One of the best-loved and most-photographed monuments in the West Midlands is about to be fully restored.

Over the next week, specialist engineers are expected to hoist new sails back on to Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire.

The tower, which can be seen from the M40 motorway near Warwick Services, has stood on a hilltop overlooking the village of Chesterton, just off the Fosse Way, for almost 400 years.

There are more than 15,000 photographs on Instagram where the location is tagged as Chesterton Windmill, external.

Ayub Khan, Warwickshire County Council's Head of Libraries, Heritage & Culture, and Registration Service, said: "Chesterton Windmill is an iconic monument both in Warwickshire's landscape and as part of our country's history.

"It won't be long until the sails are back on the windmill and it's going to be a very exciting day to watch their installation."

A heritage report prepared for Stratford-on-Avon's planning committee said: "Chesterton Windmill is of extremely high historical, architectural and cultural significance, which is reflected in its designation as both a Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

"It is one of only four windmills in England to be classified as such.

"The windmill is of national importance."