Overview

The corn-growing county of Essex was home to over 200 windmills at the peak of the milling industry in the mid-nineteenth century, of which twenty-three survive. In this book author Ian Yearsley explores the history of windmills in Essex, including images of those still standing today and those lost to the past. He examines how the windmills worked and explains the differences between the three main types of windmill – post, smock and tower – and how and why these came about. The book follows the growth and decline of windmill construction through the years and the heritage movement that saw many local windmills saved. Details are given of all of the surviving windmills in Essex, as well as many of the lost windmills in the county. This fascinating picture of an important but often forgotten part of the economy and heritage of Essex will be of interest to all those who live in the county or have known it well over the years, as well as those interested in the uses of renewable technology in centuries past.

Full Product Details

9781398125773

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Ian is the author of 14 books and four map narratives about the history of Essex and eight books in other genres that draw on Essex for inspiration. His history books include Secret City of Southend (2022), Southend in 50 Buildings (2016) and A History of Southend (hardback 2001, paperback 2010). His first book, Islands of Essex, was published in 1994. Throughout the 1990s, Ian wrote history articles for a number of county magazines, including Essex Countryside (as was) and This Month in Essex. He has an MA in History (with distinction) from the University of Essex (2011) for which he won a prize for his dissertation on population migration in the Rochford Hundred in the late 19th-century. In 2019-21 Ian worked as a historical consultant on a project to create a heritage tapestry celebrating 1,000 years of the history of Rochford District. He has also contributed several chapters to a forthcoming volume of the prestigious Victoria County History series about Southend.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available