Here at The Windmill, can you imagine the sails turning against the Manx sky? This isn’t just any windmill. We are standing before a testament to innovation and resilience. Let’s delve into the story of The Windmill.
The Isle of Man has seen very few windmills. This is possibly due to strong gales or the cost of waterwheels. Waterwheels were cheaper and readily available on the island’s streams. George Head noted this in 1832. He found it curious that the wind-swept island favored watermills. He knew of only one windmill in the south near Castletown. He doubted there was another.
The Castletown windmill was built in 1828. It wasn’t successful initially. However, it gained notoriety in the 1950s. It became the Museum of Witchcraft then. The mill itself was derelict, but the outbuildings housed the museum. Today, The Windmill is an impressive apartment block.
Nick Kelly documented six mills with reasonable remains. He noted five other sites of former mills. Peter Kelly included a photo of a four-blade windmill in “Manx Millennium 2000”. It was at Daniel Kelly’s workshop and Saw Mill at Kirk Michael. An earlier photo showed a five-blade sail, which burned down in 1865. It was presumably replaced by the four-blade mill.
The Windmill in Castletown had a tumultuous history. It drove four pairs of millstones. A threshing mill operated in the attached barns. Shortly after completion in 1828, it was tailwinded and lost its sails. It was damaged again in August 1829. A fire destroyed it on January 6, 1850. By 1874, it was a ruin.
From 1951 to the 1960s, The Windmill operated as a museum of witchcraft. Locals started calling it The Witches Mill. In the 1990s, it was converted into a house. A glass roof was built within the tower.
Other windmills dotted the Isle of Man. There was one at Ballakermeen. Phillip Moore got permission to build it in 1755. Another mill is mentioned in Captain Thomas Christian’s 1725 will. One more short-lived windmill was built at Ballaquane in 1841. It burned down in 1847.
Lezayre Mill in Ramsey combined corn and saw milling. John Monk completed it in 1836. By the 1870s, it likely stopped working. The six-story tower was reduced in the 1960s. Now, it’s part of a residential care home.
The Windmill in Castletown stands as a reminder. It stands as a reminder of the island’s industrial past. It demonstrates Manx ingenuity and adaptability. From grinding grain to housing witchcraft artifacts, it has transformed. It continues to evolve. It’s a unique landmark. It connects the past with the present.