MEOPHAM WINDMILL

Meopham Windmill (formerly known as Killick Mill) was built in 1819 by the three Killick brothers reputedly from old ships timbers purchased from Chatham Dockyard. It is one of a handful of six-sided smock mills in the UK, eight being the usual number. The mill’s black smock tower stands on a brick base of two storeys. The mill stands preserved with all its milling machinery including three pairs of millstones. The Windmill is a grade 2* listed building. It is now owned by Kent County Council and leased to the Meopham Windmill Trust, which also owns the land around the mill (the 'Windmill Garden'). The former engine shed is currently used by Meopham Parish Council as its Parish Office. For many years the hexagonal base of the windmill was used for meetings of the Parish Council, forming a very unusual council chamber, possibly the only one of its kind in the country.

Kent has many other interesting windmills. The website for the Union Mill in Cranbrook has an excellent page of links to other windmills in Kent that are open to the public.

The Windmill is currently under restoration. It is expected that it will be reopened to the public later this year.

A drawing c 1865 used by J & W Norton on their invoices