Wimbledon Windmill Museum

01/09/2026

Sourdough September!

The whole of September is dedicated to baking with proper slow-fermented bread. Connect flour milling heritage to the bread people are baking this month.

Specifically: the stone-ground kind. The kind that comes from a millstone turning slowly, cracking grain rather than crushing it, keeping the germ and the bran intact. The kind that gives sourdough its depth.

Wimbledon's mill last ground flour in 1864. The tradition it represents is what makes the bread you're baking this month possible.
Come and see where it starts. Open Sundays 11-5pm. Free entry.



https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/sourdough_september/

30/08/2026

Did you know "top dog" has a literal origin?

In the 1800s, cutting timber required two men and a long pit saw. One man stood on top of the log — he directed the cut, stayed in control, and kept his position. The other stood in the pit below, doing as he was told and getting covered in sawdust for his trouble.

Top dog. Underdog. Two sides of the same saw.

The phrase has stuck around because the dynamic hasn't really changed — some people are positioned to lead, and some are positioned to follow.

26/08/2026

Ready to unleash your creative spark and make a difference? 🎨🖥🌐

Join our team as a Digital Content Volunteer and help Wimbledon Windmill Museum shine online! 💫

Are you passionate about storytelling, photography, and content creation? Do you want to gain valuable experience in social media and marketing while giving back to your community? 🌟 We're looking for a talented individual to create engaging content and maintain our website, using easy-to-use tools like Wix and Canva. No coding skills required! 💻

You'll have the freedom to work at your own pace, with flexible hours and the ability to pre-schedule content up to 6 weeks in advance. 🕒️ By joining our team, you'll not only enhance your portfolio but also contribute to a local charity that makes a real impact. 🌈 So, what are you waiting for? Email us your CV and a brief note on why you're excited to join the team: [email protected]

26/08/2026

It's International Dog Day, and here at the Windmill we have a soft spot for anything that gets excited about wide open spaces. Wimbledon Common was made for muddy paws and morning walks.

Tag us in your Commons dog pics today! 🐾

22/08/2026

Wondering about the Bank Holiday? We'll be open!

19/08/2026

After the mill stopped working in 1864, Earl Spencer converted it into homes.
Six families lived here. Sixteen fireplaces were installed. Four chimney stacks appeared on the roof. The sails were shortened.
By the time the last residents left in 1974, the timbers were so badly rotted they could be powdered in the hand.
The restoration cost £20,000 and nearly a decade. The museum opened in 1976.
What you see today is the result of a very determined group of people refusing to let it go.
📍 Free entry | Wimbledon Common


Thanks to Alistair Higgins for the photo of the fire!

13/08/2026

International Left Handers Day
As it happens, millstones have a handedness. The furrows cut into a runner stone run in a specific direction - and if you put two stones with opposite cuts together, they don’t grind, they clash.
The miller had to know which way his stones turned. It mattered.
Lefties: you were ahead of the engineering curve.
📍 Free entry | Wimbledon Common | Sun 11-5



The face of each millstone had a pattern of grooves or
furrows cut into it as shown. As the stones turn these furrows
help to reduce the grain to meal and at the same time feed it
outwards to the edge of the stones. An interesting experiment
is to draw out this pattern (10 - 15 cm diameter) on to card
and onto a transpment slrca (making a cory on acetote sheet
as usedfor overheadprojectors is the bestway). The clear
sheet should be laid over the original drawing, so that
the lines cross each other, and fued with a draning pin
through the centre. The transparent sheet can then be
rotated to show how the grtnd@ process works. lVhen
twmvd in the correct direction the lines appetr to produce a
movementfromthe centre to the outer edge.

09/08/2026

08/08/2026

The sails are turning this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday, (8th/9th Aug) a ranger releases the brake at 2pm. The oldest hollow post mill in England does what it was built to do, for 30-45 minutes - or longer, if the wind has opinions.
Free. No booking.

📍 Wimbledon Common SW19 | Sat & Sun 2pm

07/08/2026

Another every day saying from milling... "Three sheets to the wind"

A (four-sailed) windmill with only three of its sails covered in ‘sheets’ of canvas will turn clumsily because it is off balance.