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Main post moved to Argos Hill
The lower part of the main post and the pintle were later taken to Argos Hill Mill.
Site overview
Beacon Mill was a post mill at Crowborough. It was established by 1782 and had one of the largest post-mill bodies in Sussex. The mill was later altered as a beacon structure and burnt down between 1940 and 1944.
The charred main post and trestle remained into the late 1960s, and the lower main post and pintle were later taken to Argos Hill Mill.
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
Beacon Mill stood at Crowborough as a post mill and was established by 1782. It had one of the largest post-mill bodies in Sussex, was tarred black, and had a metalled roof and breast. The mill later lost its sweeps and was adapted with a turreted superstructure, a beacon basket, and a wind vane.
It burnt down at some point between 1940 and 1944. The charred main post and trestle still stood in the late 1960s. The lower part of the main post, together with the pintle, was later taken to Argos Hill Mill.
Timeline
1782
Post mill established
Beacon Mill at Crowborough was established by 1782.
1940–1944
Mill burnt down
Beacon Mill burnt down between 1940 and 1944.
1960–1969
Charred remains survived
The charred main post and trestle still stood in the late 1960s.
Sources and records
Wikipedia article: List of windmills in East Sussex
Mills Archive catalogue entry: Buck and windshaft only, Beacon Mill, Crowborough
Sussex Mills Group: Lost Mills
Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society newsletter material
Guy Blythman Windmill Photographic Register
Mills Archive catalogue entry: Buck and windshaft only, Beacon Mill, Crowborough
Sussex Mills Group: Lost Mills
Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society newsletter material
Guy Blythman Windmill Photographic Register