and   close   so   varying   their   effective   area   and   keeping   the   rotation speed    as    near    constant    as    possible    despite    the    unpredictably fluctuating wind speeds. In   several   surveys   traditional   windmills   have   been   voted   Britain’s favourite   buildings   and   looking   at   these   photographs   it   is   not   at   all surprising.

North Leverton Mill - Nottinghamshire

Here   are   a   selection   of   photographs   showing   beautiful   examples   of the   millwright’s   trade.   These   buildings   are   the   result   of   centuries   of practical    experimentation    in    ways    to    extract    the    last    ounce    of driving   power   out   of   the   lightest   winds   and   at   the   same   time   require the   minimum   of   human   intervention.   The   fantail   automatically   keeps the   sails   pointing   dead   into   the   wind   and   shutters   in   the   sails   open