1832
Windmill built
Portishead windmill was built on Bristol Corporation land by John Nesbitt.
Site overview
Portishead windmill was built in 1832 on land belonging to Bristol Corporation. It was leased by John Nesbitt, a miller, and was intended to compensate for the loss of the town's tide mill. The windmill had a short working life.
By 1846 it was out of production, and in 1848 permission was granted to remove the machinery and convert the tower into a two-storey dwelling. The former mill was later incorporated into the golf clubhouse when the golf links were laid out in 1908. The tower survives as a converted former corn mill and is associated with the Windmill Inn.
The listed remains are Grade II and are described as random rubble with a tiled roof, two storeys, and two-light casement windows under segmental arches. The site is therefore a surviving but heavily adapted windmill tower, preserved through conversion rather than as a working 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
Portishead windmill was erected in 1832 on land owned by Bristol Corporation. It was built by John Nesbitt, a miller, who leased the site at an annual rent of £3. The windmill appears to have been intended as a replacement for the town's lost tide mill, but it did not remain successful for long.
By 1846 the windmill was out of production. The failure of the milling operation was followed by a formal change in use: in 1848 permission was sought and granted to remove the machinery and convert the tower into a two-storey dwelling, providing additional accommodation for the tenant of the mill cottages. In 1908, when the golf links were laid out, the tower was incorporated into the golf clubhouse.
The surviving structure is a former tower corn mill, now converted, and is associated with the Windmill Inn. Its listed description records a random rubble building with a tiled roof, two storeys, and two-light casement windows beneath segmental arches. The tower was first listed at Grade II on 4 August 1981 as the remains of a former windmill in the golf club.
No working machinery or sails are recorded as surviving in the consulted material.
Timeline
1832–1846
Short working life
The windmill worked as a corn mill before going out of production by 1846.
1846
Out of production
By 1846 the windmill was out of production.
1848
Converted to dwelling
Permission was granted to remove the machinery and convert the tower into a two-storey dwelling.
1908
Incorporated into golf clubhouse
The former windmill tower was incorporated into the golf clubhouse when the golf links were laid out.
1981
Grade II listing
The remains of the former windmill in the golf club were first listed at Grade II.
Sources and records
Windmill World entry: Portishead windmill
Historic England list entry: Remains of Former Windmill in the Golf Club
Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society Journal Vol. 6: Windmills of Somerset
Historic England list entry: Remains of Former Windmill in the Golf Club
Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society Journal Vol. 6: Windmills of Somerset