1737–1738
Lowfield Heath Windmill built
Lowfield Heath Windmill was built as a post mill.
Site overview
Lowfield Heath Windmill was built at Lowfield Heath in 1737-1738 and later stood beside the A23 south of Gatwick Airport. It was a post mill used for grinding wheat into flour and was still working into the late nineteenth century. The mill deteriorated during the twentieth century and was moved to Charlwood, where it was dismantled, repaired, and re-erected.
It now survives as a restored heritage windmill.
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
Lowfield Heath Windmill was built at Lowfield Heath in 1737-1738. It was a post mill, with the body of the mill turning on a central post to face the wind. The mill worked as a corn mill and ground wheat into flour.
It stood on Lowfield Heath, close to the later A23 route between Horley and Gatwick, and was long regarded as the northernmost Sussex windmill. The mill was in full working order until the 1880s. By the later twentieth century its condition had deteriorated, with the roundhouse roof lost and the trestle exposed.
The mill was later moved to Charlwood. Restoration work involved dismantling, repairing, and re-erecting the structure over a long period. It now stands on the edge of Charlwood village as a restored post mill.
Timeline
1762
Mill shown at Lowfield Heath
The windmill stood at Lowfield Heath by the mid-eighteenth century.
1880–1889
Commercial working ended
The mill stopped working in full commercial use during the late nineteenth century.
1987
Mill moved to Charlwood
The post mill was moved from Lowfield Heath to Charlwood for preservation.
2000
Restoration completed
The restored mill stood again at Charlwood after dismantling, repair, and re-erection.
Sources and records
Lowfield Heath Windmill Trust history
Charlwood and Hookwood village history entry
Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society newsletter
RH Uncovered article: Lowfield Heath's Windmill
List of windmills in Surrey
Charlwood and Hookwood village history entry
Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society newsletter
RH Uncovered article: Lowfield Heath's Windmill
List of windmills in Surrey