Hammerwich Windmill

The parish of Hammerwich was established in 1871. The village had some coal mining and nail making at that time but agriculture and animal husbandry provided the majority of occupations. A new parish church of St John the Baptist was built in 1874 and the Parish Council was established in 1894. On a hilltop to the west of the church stands the windmill, as much a landmark of the village as the parish church.

The first recorded mention of a windmill in Hammerwich dates back to 1300. That mill was held by Henry Wymer as part of the estate that had been granted to him by Henry Wymer the Elder in 1280. It is the earliest recorded windmill in Staffordshire.

The windmill that we know today was built in 1779 by Thomas Middleton, a maltster. He was still working at the mill in 1823, but in 1824 he conveyed it with the rest of his property in Hammerwich to his son William. By then it was known as Speedwell Mill. It was advertised for sale in 1827 with a newly built three-bedroom house adjoining it. In the 1830s, the mill was operated by Thomas Davies. He and his wife Ann had three children there, Henry baptised at the parish church on 3 February 1833, and twins Thomas and Anne born on 25 August 1838 and baptised, again at the church of St John the Baptist, on 15 September 1838.

By 1841, the Davies family had moved on and the mill was now owned by Elizabeth Benton and was being worked by John Benton, probably her son. He continued as the miller until his death in 1881, and his widow Elizabeth worked the mill until her own death in 1898. It then ceased grinding and was dismantled in 1908. It was bought by Robert Sanders, the Hammerwich postmaster, who converted it into a house and added a battlemented top to the tower. The windmill was given Grade II listed status on 28 June 1973. In 1976-7, the house was modernized and a fibre-glass cupola was placed on the tower.