History
Marsh Mill was commissioned by local landowner Bold Fleetwood Hesketh of Rossall Hall and built in 1794 by Fylde millwright Ralph Slater. [2] [3] It was named after the marshy area in the north Fylde that was drained by Hesketh for the mill's construction. [4] Slater was a well-known millwright in the area;he also built mills at Pilling and Clifton. [5] The mill was initially used to grind different grades of flour. [6] From the early 19th century,it was used to grind meal for farm animal feed. [4] [6] In the 19th century,the original chain and wheel winding gear was replaced with a four-bladed fantail. [1] [6] The original common sails were replaced with patent sails in 1896. [1] The mill stopped working in the 1920s. [7] From 1928 to 1935,Marsh Mill functioned as a café. [4] In 1930 two women who intended to buy the mill fell and died while inspecting it,when the fantail staging collapsed when they stood on it. [4]
It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 24 March 1950. [1] The Grade II* designation—the second highest of the three grades—is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". [8] Beginning in 1965,a 20-year restoration took place by the Marsh Mill Preservation Society. [5] Further restoration was completed in 1990,bringing the machinery to full working order. [1] [4] It has been described as the "best preserved" and "finest" windmill in North West England. [5] [6] [9] English Heritage have called it "an exceptionally complete example of a tower windmill in a national context". [1]
In 1999 Wyre Council leased the mill for a 25-year period,having sold it to property developers Melrose Development Services for £1.4 million. [10]
Structure
Marsh Mill is built of rendered brick;it is more than 70 feet (21 m) tall and has five storeys. [6] [11] The tower tapers and it has plain square windows. [5] There is a two-storey kiln house attached. [1] The ground floor and first floor are storage areas and have drying rooms. [6] The second floor is the meal floor; [1] it contains corn-dressing machinery. [6] At the second floor,there is an external wooden stage that encircles the tower and is supported by stone corbels at the first floor level. [1] This staging gives access to the sails. [6]
The third floor is the stone floor,which contains four sets of millstones. [1] The top floor is the dust floor. [6] Like many Fylde windmills,the tower is topped with a boat-shaped wooden cap. [1] [6] It now has a "Lees Flyer" fantail. [5]
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