Cromer Windmill

The first windmill in Ardeley parish was built at some time between 1192 and 1222, in which year its existence is first documented. A windmill was stated to be "in ruins" in 1374 and another is mentioned in 1576, when it was sold to William Crane, and it is believed to have remained in his family for some 200 years. No windmill is shown on John Seller's map dated 1676 or Herman Moll's map dated 1700. Despite the omission from the latter map, tree-ring counts on the Mainpost show that the tree was felled in the spring of 1679, and a partially cut-away date on another timber reads 1681. In 1719, Matthew Crane was the miller. In 1773, John Pearman of Luffenhall inherited the mill from his…

Cromer Windmill is a post mill with a single-storey roundhouse. The trestle, entirely made of oak, It is winded by a fantail mounted on the ladder. The four Patent sails are of unique configuration, with one-piece shutters spanning the full width of both leading and driving sides of the sails. Each sail is 26 ft long and 7 ft wide, spanning 56 ft. They are carried on a cast-iron windshaft which replaced an earlier wooden one. The windshaft carries a wooden clasp arm brake wheel with 72 cogs. The brake wheel drives a cast-iron wallower with 18 teeth, carried at the top of the cast iron upright shaft. At the lower end, the cast iron great spur wheel with 64 wooden cogs drives the two pairs of…

Cromer Windmill is open 2.30pm to 5pm on Sundays, Bank Holiday Mondays and second and fourth Saturdays from mid-May until mid-September and groups at other times by appointment.