Chislet Windmill

Chislet windmill was a Grade II listedsmock mill in Chislet, Kent, England. It was built in 1744 and burnt down on 15 October 2005.

History

The earliest record of a mill at Chislet is from 1666.Chislet windmill was built in 1744. It was marked on Murdoch Mackenzie's map of 1774 and the 1819-43 Ordnance Survey map and subsequent maps. The mill was working until 1916, when the cap and sails blew off in a gale, it is said that the fantail was tied up by the tenant of the Mill House and thus was unable to turn the mill into wind, thus leading to the mill being tailwinded. During the Second World War, Barnes Wallis lived in the Mill House, and watched the tests of the bouncing bomb at nearby Reculver from the top of the mill. The corrugated iron clad tower of the mill, with a simple roof over and retaining its major machinery stood until 15 October 2005 when it was destroyed by fire.

In 2011, a replica mill was built on the site of the old mill as part of a new house.

Description

Chislet

Coordinates: 51°20′02″N 1°11′29″E / 51.334°N 1.1913°E / 51.334; 1.1913

Chislet is a small English village and a sprawling rural parish in northeast Kent between Canterbury and the Isle of Thanet, the second largest in the district. A former spelling, 'Chistlet', is seen in 1418. Most of the land use is fertile agricultural and a significant minority of the land is marsh where low-lying.

Geography

The Chislet marshes mark the western end of the Wantsum Channel, an arm of the North Sea that separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland. Saltmaking was an important activity in the marshes in ancient times. Chislet Windmill stood north of the Thanet Way on the road to Reculver until it burnt down in 2005; a replica was built on the same site in 2011.

Economic history

The Anglo-Westphalian Coal Syndicates Ltd was set up in 1911 to lease land near Chislet and after various setbacks they finally moved approximately 2 miles to the south to the south side of the A28 to take advantage of the road on one side and the rail on the other sinking started in 1914 with control taken over from the German company a new company set up called The Chislet Colliery Limited they finally reached the coal in 1918 at 1350 ft (411 metres) Chislet Colliery Housing Society was formed in 1924 to build a small colliery village of 300 houses North of the colliery on the main road to Thanet.formally called Chislet Colliery Village the name was changed to Hersden in 1929 to avoid confusion with Chislet village some 2 miles away Until its closure in July 1969, Chislet was the most northerly colliery in Kent.