The post mill was deemed by Historic England to be in “poor condition” and “slow decay”
Throughout the county of Cambridgeshire, there are multiple beautiful buildings with captivating stories to tell that are suffering from deterioration and decay. As a result, these selected buildings have been placed on the Historic England ‘at risk’ register.
One at risk building is Great Gransden Windmill in Mill Road. This windmill is said to be one of the oldest in England.
The Grade II listed building dates back to the 13th century and parts of the existing structure date back to the early 17th-century. The mill stopped working over 100 years ago, when it was in a poor state of repair.
A local legend says that in 1867 a book of black magic entitled ‘An Infidel’s Bible’ was hidden in the mill, causing it to stop working. Interestingly, when the book was removed, the mill began to work again. The sails were removed in 2015 due to safety concerns. Aside from the sails, the structure needed extensive work to keep it standing.
Historic England deemed the building to be in “poor condition” and “slow decay” and the mill was added to the list. However, a major repair program is now well underway, according to the mill’s website. The work will help to restore the windmill – the fifth-oldest post mill in the UK – to its former glory.
Two wooden sails and frames for two canvas sails were lifted into position in 2023. The restoration involved a significant community effort to get it to that stage, with volunteers helping to paint, build and transport materials throughout the works.
These plans were a significant milestone in bringing the mill back to life. Although, Historic England requires both physical completion of all interior repairs and a legally secured, sustainable future plan before the monument can be removed from the ‘at risk’ register.
A post mill is the oldest type of European windmill, and its entire wooden body is balanced and rotates on a single central post.
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