Herne Windmill

Herne Windmill was built by John Holman in 1789 when he was working for Sweetlove, the Wingham millwright. In the 1930s, the mill was working on two sails only. Frank Wootton, the miller, sought the assistance of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and after Rex Wailes made a report on the mill, two sails from the Black Mill, Forncett End, Norfolk were fitted by Thomas Hunt of Soham, Cambridgeshire in 1936. A new pair of sails was constructed by Hunt, the work being made possible by support from SPAB, the Duchess of Kent and Trinity House. The latter assisted as the mill was marked as a navigational landmark for shipping. The mill worked by wind until 1952, assisted…

Herne Mill has a three-storey smock on a two-storey brick base. It has four double patent sails carried on a cast-iron windshaft, housed in a Kentish-style cap. The mill is winded by a fantail. There is a stage at a level between the first and second floor. New sails were fitted in 2004. These measure 33 ft long by 5 ft wide each, with a total span of 68 ft. The work was carried out by IJP Millwrights of Binfield Heath, Berkshire.