Windmills of the UK - mock mills

A windmill is a popular and striking landscape or townscape feature. For this reason, a number of so called "mock mills" have been constructed in the UK. My definition of a mock mill is a building constructed to look like a windmill, but which was never capable of using wind as a power source.

A number of these have been built as pubs or restaurants, sometimes employing millwrights who also work on true mills. Their appearance ranges from the authentic, through to the crude.

I have explicitly excluded a number of large model windmills, which are much smaller than building size.

Surviving windmills

#	photo	id	name	location	geo	type	condition	photos
1	no image	#mock19	The Flint Tower	Alfriston, Sussex	NGR: TQ520033 (50.80930,0.15664) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	8
2	no image	#mock30	Old MacDonalds Farmyard	Alton Towers	(52.99016,-1.8939) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	square smock	.	8
3		#mock31	Extraordinary Golf	Alton Towers	(52.98508,-1.8778) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	square smock	.	13
4		#mock5	.	Ashill, Somerset	NGR: ST315168 (50.94608,-2.9769) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	1
5	no image	#mock44	Flaxbourne Garden	Aspley Guise	(52.02315,-0.6373) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	1
6		#mock13	Polhill Garden Centre	Badgers Mount, Sevenoaks, Kent	NGR: TQ500612 (51.33017,0.15149) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	crude smock	.	0
7	no image	#mock38	Sparkmill Allotments	Beverley	(53.83759,-0.4165) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	derelict	2
8	no image	#mock56	Windrush Square	Brixton			.	0
9	no image	#mock34	Windmill Primary School	Brookside, Telford	(52.65052,-2.4436) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	playground feature	.	0
10		#mock11	.	Brownbread Street	NGR: TQ676149 (50.90849,0.38245) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	2
11		#1704	Caldecotte Arms Mill	Caldecotte, Milton KeynesBuckinghamshireUKCaldecotte, Milton Keynes	NGR: SP887355 (52.01098,-0.7078) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	285
12		#mock14	Enfield Garden Centre	Cattlegate Road, Crews Hill, Enfield	NGR: TL312001 (51.68434,-0.1031) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	crude smock	.	1
13	no image	#mock42	Dean Farm	Chipping Norton	(51.92414,-1.5156) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	0
14	no image	#mock49	.	Chislet		smock	.	7
15	no image	#mock58	.	Elmsett			.	0
16	no image	#mock57	.	Fleet Hargate		smock	.	0
17		#mock7	.	Gatwick Manor, Sussex	NGR: TQ271393 (51.13888,-0.1839) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	23
18		#mock15	Wood Green Animal Shelter	Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire	NGR: TL261683 (52.29886,-0.1502) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	sails	.	1
19	no image	#mock2	The Harvest Mouse	Heswall, Wirral, Merseyside	NGR: SJ270825 (53.33436,-3.0969) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	1
20		#mock4	The Milestone	Hinckley	NGR: SP417954 (52.55458,-1.3852) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	3
21	no image	#mock48	Paulaner Windmill Bar	Hyde Park, London			.	12
22		#mock10	.	Kenn, Somerset	NGR: ST411696 (51.42221,-2.8489) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	4
23		#mock37	Green Acres	Lapworth	(52.33456,-1.7646) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	0
24	no image	#mock6	.	Leinthall Starkes, Herefordshire	NGR: SO444698 (52.32364,-2.8178) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	residential smock	.	3
25	no image	#1539	Pride of Lincoln	LincolnLincolnshireUKLincoln	NGR: SK925680 (53.20060,-0.6152) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	1
26	no image	#mock12	Windmill Entertainment Centre	Littlehampton	NGR: TQ029014 (50.80324,-0.5408) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	attached sails	.	9
27	no image	#mock55	.	Lytham	(53.73698,-2.9634) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps		.	0
28		#mock16	Windmill Cinema	Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk	NGR: TG531070 (52.60166,1.73592) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	windmill sails	.	48
29	no image	#mock41	.	Mill Hill	(51.62488,-0.2477) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	smock	.	0
30	no image	#mock32	Bumble Hole Mill	Netherton	(52.49213,-2.0752) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	3
31		#mock20	Chase Tower	Newhall, Harlow	(51.77256,0.13812) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	post mill body shaped apartment block	.	5
32		#mock40	Krazy Windmill	no fixed location		travelling fairground fun house	.	6
33		#mock23	.	Pecks Hill, Nazeing, Essex	NGR: TL393069 (51.74373,0.01571) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	attached sails	.	1
34	no image	#mock9	.	South Dissington	NGR: NZ129695 (55.02046,-1.7996) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	0
35	no image	#mock29	Pleasureland	Southport	(53.64929,-3.0189) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	15
36	no image	#mock46	.	Swilland	(52.14010,1.19867) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	garden playhouse	.	0
37		#mock28	Moulin Rouge	Tate Modern	(51.50766,-0.0997) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	3.8m tall 'sculpture'	.	0
38	no image	#mock39	Leeway House	Thorney		tower	.	0
39		#mock27	.	Warwick Road, Coventry	(52.39937,-1.5161) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	square tower	.	1
40	no image	#mock17	.	Wednesbury, Staffordshire	NGR: SO988952 (52.55505,-2.0182) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	tower	.	5
41	no image	#mock54	Windmill Farm	Westry	(52.56444,0.04021) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps		.	0
42		#mock8	Whitewebbs Farm	Whitewebbs Road, Enfield	NGR: TL330000 (51.68286,-0.0774) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	crude tower	.	0
43		#mock1	Splash windmill	Wraysbury, Berkshire	NGR: TQ005741 (51.45744,-0.5546) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps	residential smock	.	29

Historical locations

Battersea (#mock52)

Festival Gardens: smock

An illuminated structure within the fairgrounds, whose sails rotated.

[info] [video] [video]

Birmingham (#mock22)

Cannon Hill Park: Dutch style post mill

A large scale model, set up at the time of the Tulip Festival in 1970. Mentioned as still existing in Arthur C. Smith's survey of Warwickshire windmills in 1977, and Geograph has a photo dated 1989. A time capsule was buried at the former site on the 16th June 1997.

Entries in photo archives:

Windmill at Cannon Hill Park 1989 [1989-07-01]

Roy Hughes

Geograph images are licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licence

Flickr

Flickr images are copyright their individual photographers.

Blackpool (#mock18)

NGR: SD305341

(53.79849,-3.0563) OS map + aerial, Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

smock

Part of the illuminations, once described as "20ft plywood windmill, little more than a cunning disguise for a ventilation shaft". Originally built in Manchester Square in 1931, then moved to the promenade opposite Waterloo Road in 1963. Placed in storage in 2005.

[info] [info]

Entries in photo archives:

Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr

Flickr images are copyright their individual photographers.

Chinnor (#mock35)

(51.70314,-0.9174) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

The Windmill Nursery: playground feature

existed in March 2004, not present in 2011

Playground of Windmill Nursery, Chinnor, 27/3/04

Flixton, Lowestoft (#mock25)

Postcode: NR32 5PD

(52.50098,1.70399) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

Meadow View:

A custom built playhouse, square plan, like a post mill. According to the Nov 08 sales particulars of the house whose garden this is in, this is listed on the house deeds - however it did appear to have been removed by Spring 2009.

Hurleston, Cheshire (#mock21)

(53.08520,-2.5623) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

Snugburys: approx full size tower mill made of straw around a metal framework

A temporary structure, constructed summer 2008

[homepage]

Entries in photo archives:

Flickr images are copyright their individual photographers.

Panoramio

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.

PicasaWeb

Picasa Web Album images are copyright their individual photographers.

News item: A windmill made from straw bales (6/7/08)

Paignton (#mock43)

rectangular smock on the promenade

[photo]

Soho (#mock51)

(51.51120,-0.1341) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

neon sails

At times in its life, the Windmill Theatre has been made to look like a windmill, such as sporting neon sails in the 1960's and 70's.

[homepage]

Entries in photo archives:

Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr

Flickr images are copyright their individual photographers.

Southend on Sea (#mock24)

Boating Lake:

A pair of mock mills by the boating lake in the 1950's or 60's

Entries in photo archives:

Flickr

Flickr images are copyright their individual photographers.

Southend On Sea (#mock26)

(51.53400,0.71084) Google Maps Aerial - Dual Google & Bing Maps

Fairy Windmill:

Originally stood alongside the Cliff Lift funicular railway. Comment on the Flickr postcard notes that this was built in 1909 by WJ Cooper (as part of the celebrations for the arrival of the Atlantic and Home Fleet) and was really an ornamental 'cover' for a water pumping station supplying 5 cottages on the seafront below. Was illuminated at some time.

I've also seen a picture of a very similar looking mock mill on the level, near the Kursaal. I suspect this was the same structure, relocated.