SHIRLEY WINDMILL near Croydon - Mavic 2 pro

SHIRLEY WINDMILL near Croydon Shot from the Mavic pro 2. We just stumbled across this amazing restored windmill. (Hope the 360 shots don't make you too dizzy!) Shirley Windmill is one of only four windmills open to the public in Greater London. Shirley Windmill is a Tower Mill, built in 1854 by Richard Alwen to replace an earlier (1808) timber post-mill on this site, lost by fire. It ceased working in about 1890, but most of the original machinery, including its two pairs of millstones, is still in place, and has recently been restored, so there is a lot to see. One of the last windmills to be built in this country, this fascinating piece of industrial archaeology is opened to visitors regularly in the summer months. It is a great place to visit for young and old alike as it is virtually complete, and thus the story of milling flour in Victorian times can be easily understood. You are sure to receive a warm welcome when you visit this interesting part of Croydon’s history, so why not come along and see for yourself? Visit The windmill is usually open for guided tours on the first Sunday of the month, from June to October, and also on National Mills Day (in May) and London Open House Day (in September), with limited weekday opening for group visits by arrangement. The adjacent Visitor Centre contains informative displays and offers refreshments and souvenirs. About the organisation that runs the mill Though owned, maintained and repaired by Croydon Council, the windmill is staffed and managed on Open Days entirely by The Friends of Shirley Windmill, a group of volunteers interested in the mill and its history who are keen to enable as many people as possible to visit and enjoy this part of Croydon’s heritage. For further details, please contact the Hon. Secretary, on 020 8406 4676. Shirley Windmill is a five-storey brick tower mill. It has four double Patent sails carried on a cast-iron windshaft. The Kentish-style cap is winded by a fantail. The tower is 21 feet (6.40 m) diameter at the base and 11 feet (3.35 m) diameter at the curb. The mill is 55 feet (16.76 m) high to the top of the cap. The iron Brake Wheel is 9 feet 3 inches (2.82 m) diameter and has 172 cogs. It drives an iron Wallower of 4 feet (1.22 m) diameter with 75 teeth. The cast iron Upright Shaft is 25 feet (7.62 m) long and has a dog clutch just below its midpoint, to allow the mill to be driven by engine without working the sails. The Great Spur Wheel is of iron, with wooden teeth, and drove two pairs of underdrift millstones.