1689
Post mill built
Drinkstone Post Mill was built in 1689.
Site overview
Drinkstone Post Mill stands at Drinkstone Mills on Woolpit Road. It was built in 1689 and is the oldest surviving windmill in Suffolk. The mill was worked by successive generations of the Clover family from 1775.
It was badly damaged in 1949 and restored by Wilfred Clover in 1962. Further conservation work followed after 1997, including removal of the sails in 2002, repair of the buck completed in 2007, and roundhouse work completed in 2016.
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
Drinkstone Post Mill is part of the Drinkstone Mills site, which also includes a smock mill and mill cottage. The post mill was built in 1689, although some of its timbers have been dated to the sixteenth century. It became associated with the Clover family from 1775 and remained in their hands for generations.
The mill was badly damaged in 1949 and became derelict before Wilfred Clover restored it in 1962. By that time it could still work, but its role was no longer a full commercial milling business. The Clover family sold the mills in 1997.
The post mill sails were removed for restoration in 2002. Major conservation work began in May 2005, with repair of the buck completed in 2007. The work included repair of the windshaft, which carries the sails.
Further work on the roundhouse was completed in 2016, leaving the post mill structurally secure. The mill is listed Grade I.
Timeline
1775
Clover family working period began
The mills were worked by successive generations of the Clover family from 1775.
1949
Mill badly damaged
Drinkstone Post Mill was badly damaged in 1949 and became derelict.
1962
Restored by Wilfred Clover
Wilfred Clover restored the post mill in 1962.
1997
Sold by the Clover family
The mills were sold by the Clover family in 1997.
2002
Sails removed for restoration
The sails were removed for restoration in 2002.
2005
Major conservation work began
Major conservation work on the post mill began in May 2005.
2007
Buck repair completed
Repair work on the buck was completed in 2007.
2016
Roundhouse work completed
Work on the roundhouse was completed in 2016.
Sources and records
Drinkstone village history page: Drinkstone Mills
Suffolk Mills Group site entry: Drinkstone Windmill
National Mills Weekend entry: Drinkstone Windmill
Mills Archive catalogue entry: Post mill, Drinkstone
List of windmills in Suffolk
Suffolk Mills Group site entry: Drinkstone Windmill
National Mills Weekend entry: Drinkstone Windmill
Mills Archive catalogue entry: Post mill, Drinkstone
List of windmills in Suffolk