Friston Windmill

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title: "Friston Windmill" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["grade-ii*-listed-windmills", "windmills-in-suffolk", "post-mills-in-the-united-kingdom", "windmills-completed-in-1812", "grinding-mills-in-the-united-kingdom", "grade-ii*-listed-buildings-in-suffolk", "suffolk-coastal"] description: "Windmill in Suffolk, England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friston_Windmill" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Windmill in Suffolk, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Windmill"]

Field	Value
name	Friston Windmill
image	Friston Post Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1970480.jpg
image_size	250px
caption	Friston Windmill in July 2010
name_of_mill	Friston Windmill
location_of_mill
coordinates
operator	Private
built	1812
purpose	Corn mill
type	Post mill
sail_number	Four sails
sail_type	Patent sails
windshaft	Cast iron
winding	Fantail
fantail_blades	Six blades
::

|name = Friston Windmill |image = Friston Post Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1970480.jpg |image_size = 250px |caption = Friston Windmill in July 2010 |name_of_mill = Friston Windmill |location_of_mill = |coordinates = |operator =Private |built =1812 |purpose =Corn mill |type =Post mill |roundhouse_storeys = |sail_number =Four sails |sail_type =Patent sails |windshaft =Cast iron |winding =Fantail |fantail_blades =Six blades |auxpower = |pairs_of_millstones= |stone_size = |other = Friston Windmill is a Grade II* listed post mill at Friston, Suffolk, England which has been conserved.

History

Friston Windmill was moved from Woodbridge by Collins, the Melton millwright in 1812 and erected on land purchased by William and Mary Scarlett. They sold the mill to Joseph Collings in 1812. The mill was worked by several different millers until 1837 when it was purchased by Joshua Reynolds from Knodishall. The mill passed to Caleb Reynolds Wright in 1883

In 1965, permission was granted for the demolition of the mill but this was not carried out. Due to changes in planning law, permission had to be sought again in 1968. Villagers were divided as to whether the mill should be kept or demolished and there was much debate in the local newspapers. A millwright was asked to inspect the mill and the decision was deferred for a month. The millwrights’ report showed that the mill was structurally sound and it was agreed in principle that the mill should be moved to the East Anglian Rural Life Museum at Stowmarket, where plans for the museum included a windmill. Meanwhile, money was raised locally and repairs started on the mill in 1971. Permission for demolition was rescinded and on the death of the last miller in 1972 a new owner bought the mill with the intention of preserving it. In 1977, the body of the mill was restored by Messrs Jameson Marshall, millwrights.

In 2003, English Heritage gave a grant covering 20% of the cost of repairs which then needed doing to the mill. In 2004, it was announced that a steel framework was to be erected around the mill in order to allow work on the trestle and body of the mill.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Friston_Mill_1965.jpg" caption="Mill machinery}}"] ::

Friston Windmill is a tall post mill with a roundhouse. It had four Patent sails and was winded by a fantail carried on the rear steps in the Suffolk style. The mill is 50 ft high, making it the tallest surviving post mill in the United Kingdom. The mill had two pairs of millstones in the breast and one pair in the tail.

Millers

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Friston_mill.jpg" caption="The mill in 2006"] ::

• William and Mary Scarlett 1812
• Joseph Collings 1812 –
• Robert Reynolds 1850s
• John Reynolds 1850s
• Joshua Reynolds 1850s – 1883
• Caleb Reynolds Wright 1883 – 1924
• Caleb Reynolds Wright Jr. 1924 – 1964 Reference for above:-

References

References

1. {{NHLE
2. Brown, R J. (1976). "Windmills of England". Robert Hale Ltd.
3. "Friston mill to get steel framework to allow work to stabilize mill". Windmill World.
4. "Bob Wright, miller at Friston Post Mill". Windmill World.
5. Flint, Brian. (1997). "Suffolk Windmills". The Boydell Press.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::