1840
Tower mill built
Cleveland Mill was built at East Markham around 1840 as a tower windmill.
Site overview
Cleveland Mill is the former tower windmill at East Markham, also listed under the name The Windmill at Priest Gate. The mill was built around 1840, with one local account giving 1837 for the village windmill. It was a tower windmill about 42 feet high with four sails and was used for corn milling.
The mill remained wind-powered until around the 1920s, after which oil and steam power are recorded as supplementary or replacement power sources. It continued milling corn until closure in 1976, after which it was converted into a residential property. Historic photographic material records the mill in derelict condition with an ogee cap, no sails, remnants of a fantail, and a balcony around the base.
The building was first listed as Grade II on 10 February 1975.
Map
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.
No site photograph is currently available. Images will be added as field visits are carried out.
History
Cleveland Mill stands at East Markham and is recorded on Priest Gate under the statutory name The Windmill. It was a tower windmill, built around 1840, with local historical material also associating the village windmill with 1837. The mill was about 42 feet high and had four sails.
It operated as a corn mill and continued to use wind power until around the 1920s. Later accounts record the adoption of oil and steam engines after wind power ceased to be the main source of power. Historic photographic descriptions show the mill in derelict condition, retaining an ogee cap but no sails, with only remains of the fantail and a balcony around the base of the tower.
The mill continued to mill corn until closure in 1976. It was then converted into a residential property, preserving the tower in a new use. The structure was first listed as Grade II on 10 February 1975.
The surviving sources establish a relatively full late working life and post-closure reuse, although ownership and detailed machinery chronology have not been identified.
Timeline
1920–1929
Wind power ceased as primary power
The mill is recorded as having been powered by wind until around the 1920s, after which oil and steam engines were used.
1975
Listed building status recorded
The Windmill at Priest Gate, East Markham, was first listed as a Grade II listed building.
1976
Corn milling ceased
Cleveland Mill is recorded as having milled corn until its closure in 1976.
1976
Converted to residential use
After closure, the former windmill was converted into a residential property.
Sources and records
Historic England National Heritage List for England entry: The Windmill, Priest Gate, East Markham
Windmill World entry: East Markham windmill, Cleveland Mill
Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record entry for windmill at East Markham
Madeinn local history walk account for East Markham
Mills Archive photographic description: Mill on Cleveland Hill, East Markham
List of windmills in Nottinghamshire
Windmill World entry: East Markham windmill, Cleveland Mill
Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record entry for windmill at East Markham
Madeinn local history walk account for East Markham
Mills Archive photographic description: Mill on Cleveland Hill, East Markham
List of windmills in Nottinghamshire