Lowfield Heath’s Windmill

Lowfield Heath’s Windmill

Found in the beautiful Surrey countryside close to the Sussex border is Lowfield Heath Windmill, and ahead of a busy summer, this month RH History Uncovered looks at the windmill and its industrial heritage as well as its journey from what is today the perimeter of Gatwick Airport to the edge of the village of Charlwood.

Grade II listed Lowfield Heath Windmill was built in the late 1730s at Lowfield Heath, north of Crawley, and was in full working order until the 1880s grinding wheat into flour. The mill is the oldest form of windmill, being a post mill so called because the upper part of the mill revolves around a central post.

The windmill has three floors, with an external staircase leading to the first floor, from where internal ladders rise to two further floors. For around a century the windmill lay dormant, falling into disrepair, before 33 years-ago in 1987 it was carefully dismantled and moved to its present site in Charlwood.

Emergency work was carried out in 1964 by Dorking and Horley Rural District Council and Surrey County Council, and further work between 1965 and 1971, but by the 1980s, the village of Lowfield Heath was demolished to allow for the expansion of Gatwick Airport, and the future looked bleak for the windmill.

The land on which the windmill sat was earmarked for further development of the airport for related infrastructure so the only future for the windmill was for it to be taken apart and assembled elsewhere, the Lowfield Heath Windmill Trust (LHWT) was set up in 1986 to restore the it to full working order.

Following dismantling in 1987, the windmill was rebuilt, repaired and restored to working order once again in 1999. The lengthy work was carried out by a team of volunteers, and millwright firms – where it was possible, the original bricks, machinery and timber was retained after almost 13 years of hard work.

The work was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Thomas Alexander Mason Trust – originally based in Lowfield Heath – the Science Museum, Gatwick Airport, and donations from others. Lowfield Heath Windmill was reopened by Princess Alexandra in 1990, and today has a small visitor centre.

Be The Mill’s Guest

This summer, volunteers from the LHWT will be welcoming visitors to the mill for open days: 

Sunday, May 31 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Sunday, June 28 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Sunday, July 26 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Sunday, August 30 2.00pm – 5.00pm

Lowfield Heath Windmill will also be part of the Surrey heritage open days once again for 2020:

Saturday, September 12 1.30pm – 5.00pm
Sunday, September 13 1.30pm – 5.00pm

All dates and times are subject to change. 

For more information about Lowfield Heath Windmill and the open day, visit: www.lowfieldheathwindmill.co.uk

Help Sussex-Surrey Heritage

Can you help this Sussex-Surrey landmark? LHWT is always looking for volunteers to help the windmill in anyway they can. 

For more information about volunteering, call Will Simons on: 01403 272664. To help keep the local heritage alive, you can 

make a donation to its upkeep, call Peter James on: 01403 272664.