Saving Our Mills: The Art of Windmill Restoration
There were once over 100,000 windmills across Europe. Today, a few thousand survive. Every year, more are lost to storms, decay, and demolition. But a remarkable community of craftspeople, volunteers, and mill enthusiasts is working to reverse the trend - restoring derelict mills to working condition using traditional techniques that would be recognizable to a medieval millwright.
This is the story of how windmill restoration works, why it matters, and how you can be part of it.
Why Mills Are Disappearing
The threats to historic mills are relentless and varied:
Weather
Mills were built to face the wind, which means they take the full brunt of every storm. Sails, caps, and exposed timbers are particularly vulnerable. A single severe storm can undo decades of maintenance.
Neglect
Once a mill stops working, deterioration accelerates rapidly. Water enters through the cap, timbers rot, the structure weakens. A neglected mill can become unsaveable within just 10-15 years.
Development
Prime locations that once made sense for catching wind are now prime real estate. Many mills have been demolished to make way for housing, roads, or commercial buildings.
Lost Skills
The specialized knowledge needed to maintain a windmill - millwrighting - nearly died out when commercial milling moved to steam and then electric power. Fewer people can do the work, and training new craftspeople takes years.
⚠️ The numbers are stark
England had over 10,000 windmills in 1800. Today, fewer than 50 are in full working order. The Netherlands has fared better thanks to strong preservation laws, but even there, maintaining the surviving 1,000+ mills requires constant effort and funding.
The Restoration Process
Restoring a windmill is one of the most complex heritage projects imaginable. It combines structural engineering, traditional carpentry, metalwork, and specialized knowledge of wind mechanics. Here's how a typical restoration unfolds:
Survey and Assessment
Before any work begins, specialists survey every timber, stone, and piece of ironwork. Historical research uncovers the mill's original design, modifications over the centuries, and any unique features. This phase alone can take months.
Structural Stabilization
The building must be made safe before detailed restoration begins. This might mean shoring up walls, temporarily removing the cap, or installing scaffolding. For tower mills, the masonry is repaired and repointed. For post mills, the main post and cross-trees are inspected and reinforced.
Timber Work
This is the heart of the restoration. Rotten timbers are replaced with matching species - typically English oak for major structural elements. Traditional joints are used: mortise and tenon, dovetails, and scarf joints. Power tools may rough out the shapes, but final fitting is done by hand with chisels and adzes.
Machinery and Gears
The gear train - brake wheel, wallower, great spur wheel, stone nuts - is rebuilt or repaired. Wooden gear teeth are individually carved from apple or hornbeam wood. The millstones are "dressed" - their grinding surfaces re-cut with precise furrow patterns using specialist tools.
Sails and Cap
New sails are constructed - typically from timber stocks and sail bars, covered with canvas or fitted with patent shutters. The cap is rebuilt with its turning mechanism (either a manual chain or an automatic fantail). This is the most visible and dramatic stage of the restoration.
Commissioning
The moment of truth: the sails are set, the brake is released, and the mill turns under wind power for the first time in perhaps a century. Fine adjustments follow - balancing the sails, setting the stone gap, testing the grain feed. A restored mill must be "run in" gradually, like a new engine.
The Craftspeople
Windmill restoration depends on a small number of highly specialized professionals:
The core specialists who understand how every component fits together and interacts
Carpenters specializing in heavy timber construction using traditional joinery methods
Forge iron bands, bolts, and fittings - many of which must be custom-made to match historical designs
Specialists who re-cut the intricate furrow patterns on millstones - a skill requiring years to master
Repair and rebuild the brick or stone towers using traditional lime mortar and matching materials
Apply protective coatings using traditional methods - the white paint on many Dutch mills is a specific lime-based formula
Apprenticeship matters: In the Netherlands, the traditional miller's qualification requires years of practical training under an experienced miller. There are currently around 3,000 volunteer millers keeping Dutch mills turning - but new recruits are always needed.
How You Can Help
You don't need to be a millwright to contribute to mill preservation:
Tourism generates the revenue that keeps mills maintained. Buy the flour, pay the entrance fee, drop something in the donation box. Your visit has real economic impact.
Organizations like the UK's Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) and the Dutch De Hollandsche Molen coordinate preservation efforts and always welcome new members.
Many mills are maintained by volunteers who help with everything from painting to guiding visitors. No specialist skills required - just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
Share mill visits on social media, recommend them to friends, write reviews. Raising awareness is one of the most powerful tools for preservation.
The Reward
There's something profound about seeing a derelict shell transformed back into a working mill. When the sails turn for the first time in generations, when stone-ground flour pours from the spout, when the whole building vibrates with the energy of the wind - it's more than engineering. It's a living connection to the people who built these machines, who depended on them, and who passed down the knowledge to keep them turning.
Every mill saved is a victory. Every mill lost is irreplaceable.
Discover mills worth saving
Explore our mill index to find historic and working mills near you. Many welcome visitors and volunteers.
Browse All MillsMay your sails always catch the wind,
The Mill Index Team