History
The mill was built in 1821 because the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal had included the canalisation of the River Bedwyn which had previously powered several water mills in the area.
The windmill was in use for a century, continuing into the 1920s, but fell into disuse, probably as the result of competition from large steam roller mills. In the 1960s it was added to the list of buildings of architectural or historical merit as Grade II. In 1971 it was bought by Wiltshire County Council and leased to the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust, which early in 1972 began to restore it to working condition. By the end of the summer of 1976 the windmill was once again making flour. It is now owned by the new Wiltshire Council and managed by the Wilton Windmill Society, formed in 1976 and operated entirely by volunteers. In the 1980s the mill was in financial difficulties, which led to the Society forming a cricket XI, the Wilton Millers' Cricket Team, to raise funds by playing sponsored matches, and in 2011 this was still in existence, although no longer needed for fundraising.
Flour, made from locally-grown wheat, is still produced at the mill and can be bought on site and in local shops.
Read more about this topic: Wilton Windmill
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