Editing Pitstone Windmill

{{Short description|17th-century windmill in Buckinghamshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox windmill
| name                = Pitstone Windmill
| image               = Pitstone Windmill - geograph.org.uk - 1480797.jpg
| alt                 = Pitstone Windmill seen across a cornfield with a blue sky
| image_size          = 
| caption             = The windmill in 2008
| name_of_mill        = 
| location_of_mill    = 
| gbgridref           = SP 945 147
| coordinates         = {{coord|51.8317|-0.6299|display=inline,title|type:landmark}}
| operator            = 
| built               = 1627
| purpose             = [[Grist mill|Corn mill]]
| type                = [[Post mill]]
| roundhouse_storeys  = Single storey roundhouse
| sail_number         = Four
| sail_type           = [[Windmill sail#Common sails|Common sails]]
| windshaft           = 
| winding             = Tailpole
| pairs_of_millstones = 
| lost                = 
| other               = Grade II* [[listed building]]
}}

'''Pitstone Windmill''' is a [[listed building|Grade II* listed]]<ref name=heritage_list>{{National Heritage List for England |num=1310208 |desc=The Windmill|access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref> [[windmill]] in England. It is thought to have been built in the early 17th century, and stands in the northeastern corner of a large field near the [[Civil parish|parish boundary]] of [[Ivinghoe]] and [[Pitstone]] in [[Buckinghamshire]]. Presently, the windmill belongs to the [[National Trust]].

==History==
It is thought to have been first built circa 1627 as this date is carved on part of the framework. This is the earliest date to be found on any windmill in the [[British Isles]]. It should be remembered that such a structure would have needed frequent repairs, so the mill may predate 1627. It was dendrochronologically dated in 2004 by Dr. Martin Bridge of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory when the oldest pieces in the buck were found to be from trees felled in winter 1595/96 and spring 1597. The 'new' crown tree was made from a tree that felled in spring 1670, while the quarter bars of the trestle were from trees felled between 1824 and 1826, so like most mills, it is a mix of old timbers variously recycled or hanging on from their original use.

For nearly three hundred years [[cereal|grain]] grown in the two adjoining villages was ground at the mill into [[flour]]. In 1874 the mill was bought by [[Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow]] who owned the nearby [[Ashridge Estate]]. He subsequently left it to a local farmer, who ran a successful milling business from the mill.

In 1902, the mill was damaged beyond economic repair during an enormous gale. Around 1922, the derelict ruined mill was bought from the Ashridge Estate by a farmer whose land was close to the mill. In 1937, he donated it to the National Trust. However, it was not until 1963 that a band of volunteers began to carry out renovations at their own expense. The mill appeared in an episode of [[The Champions]] entitled ''The Invisible Man'', which was filmed in 1967.<ref name=film>{{cite web|url=http://www.windmillworld.com/mills/stars.htm|title=Windmills and Watermills as stars of TV and film|publisher=Windmill World|access-date=2008-07-19}}</ref> In 1970, after an interlude of 68 years, the mill once again ground corn.

Today the windmill is open to the public on Summer Sunday afternoons.

[[File:Pitstone Windmill - geograph.org.uk - 1024342.jpg|left|thumbnail|200px|Rear view of Pitstone Windmill showing the rotation wheel]]

==Design==
Pitstone is a [[post mill]], with the superstructure of the mill resting on a central post. The post rises from ground level, passing through a brick foundation chamber. The post is the pivot for the wooden body and sails above the chamber. The body and sails can be turned to face the direction of the wind. Reinforcements added in the 20th century prevented the upper section from turning. The [[Glossary of mill machinery|mill machinery]] in the rotating section was reached by a flight of external steps.

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/pitstone-windmill Pitstone Windmill information at the National Trust]

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[[Category:Windmills in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:National Trust properties in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Museums in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Post mills in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Grinding mills in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Mill museums in England]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1627]]
[[Category:Windmills completed in the 17th century]]
[[Category:1627 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Pitstone|Windmill]]
[[Category:Ivinghoe]]