1540
Mill associated with Halfnaked manor
A mill on Halnaker Hill was associated with the manor of Halfnaked by the mid-sixteenth century.
Site overview
Halnaker Windmill stands on Halnaker Hill near Boxgrove. A mill on the site was associated with the manor of Halfnaked by 1540, and the surviving tower mill is thought to date from the 1740s. It worked as a corn mill until lightning damage in 1905.
The derelict mill was restored in 1934 and has been repaired several times since.
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
Halnaker Windmill stands on Halnaker Hill near Boxgrove. A mill on the site was first mentioned in 1540 as part of the manor of Halfnaked, and the surviving tower mill is thought to have been built in the 1740s for the Goodwood Estate. It is a four-storey tower mill with a beehive cap.
The mill originally had common sails on a wooden windshaft and worked two pairs of overdrift millstones. It was working until 1905, when lightning damaged the sails and windshaft. The derelict mill was restored in 1934 by Neve's of Heathfield as a memorial to the wife of Sir William Bird.
A cast-iron windshaft from a wind sawmill at Punnetts Town was fitted during restoration. Further repairs were carried out in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the mill survives as a restored landmark tower without internal machinery.
Timeline
1740
Surviving tower mill built
The surviving Halnaker tower mill is thought to have been built in the 1740s.
1905
Lightning damaged mill
Lightning damaged the sails and windshaft and brought wind working to an end.
1934
Mill restored
The derelict mill was restored as a memorial to the wife of Sir William Bird.
1954
Further repair work carried out
Further repair work was carried out by E Hole and Sons of Burgess Hill.
2004
Restoration repeated
The tower mill was restored again.
Sources and records
Historic England listed building record: Halnaker Windmill
West Sussex County Council Halnaker Windmill page
Boxgrove Parish Council Halnaker Windmill history
Windmill World entry: Halnaker Windmill
Halnaker Windmill article
West Sussex County Council Halnaker Windmill page
Boxgrove Parish Council Halnaker Windmill history
Windmill World entry: Halnaker Windmill
Halnaker Windmill article