The   history   of   windmills   on   the   present   site,   as   far   as   the written   record   goes,   begins   in   the   14th   century   when   a   windmill was   mentioned   in   an   “Inquisition   Post   Mortem”   which   was   an English   medieval   record   of   the   death,   estate   and   heir   of   one   of the   King’s   “Tenants-in-Chief”   otherwise   known   as   feudal   barons. The   miller   at   that   time   was   William   Reigate   who   paid   an   annual rent   of   6d   (2.5p   today)   or   a   pair   of   gilt   spurs   to   the   owner Arnold   de   Buckton.   In   1575   two   windmills   were   recorded   on   the site;   one   of   them   was   marked   on   Jeffreys’   map   of   1772   and   is

We   see   the   mill   again   25   years   later.   This   is   a   photograph taken   by   a   publisher   from   Leeds.   It   was   later   hand-coloured and   offered   for   sale   as   a   picture   postcard.   Edwardian   visitors would   send   it   to   family   and   friends   telling   about   the   holiday they    had    spent    at    Filey.    We    were    delighted    to    find    and purchase   one   of   the   originals   on   eBay   and   we   have   used   the image   as   a   header   to   these   web   pages.   As   can   be   seen   the mill   already   had   two   of   its   four   sails   dismantled,   the   remains of   them   are   visible   in   the   1910   picture,   lying   alongside   the cart   track.   This   happened   frequently   when   expensive   repairs were   needed   but   not   considered   economically   viable.   The mill   could   still   grind   corn   but   nowhere   near   as   efficiently, especially when winds were light.    The   next   evidence   of   the   mill’s   decline   comes   from   the photograph   on   the   right,   taken   by   the   Reverend   Stanwell   in 1910,   after   storm   force   winds   had   wrecked   the   fantail   and badly   damaged   the   two   remaining   sails.   This   was   the   point   of no   return   for   the   old   mill   as   shortly   afterwards   the   cap,   sails and   the   whole   third   storey   were   dismantled   and   a   crude temporary    roof    made    from    old    floorboards    over    which concrete    was    poured.    This    kept    the    weather    out    and incredibly   lasted   until   2010   when   the   present   owners   had   a very   lucky   escape   -   of   which   more   later! There   are   several theories   about   why   the   mill   was   reduced   to   a   “stump”,   which was   not   an   unusual   occurrence   as   windmills   gradually   fell   out of    use    around    this    time.    Certainly    the    mechanical    parts which   remained   intact   would   have   had   a   value   as   spares      for other   mill   owners.   The   wind   shaft,   the   brake   wheel,   the   curb and   various   parts   of   the   milling   machinery   would   have   been especially    valuable.    Removing    the    cap    and    general    “top

hamper”   would   also   serve   to   consolidate   the   structure   and prevent   further   deterioration.   A   further   possibility   is   that, following   the   devastation   wreaked   by   the   German   Grand Fleet     when     they     shelled     Scarborough,     Whitby     and Hartlepool   early   in   the   First   World   War,   causing   several thousand     mainly     civilian     casualties,     including     many deaths,   the   War   Office   anxious   to   remove   any   landmarks that    might    assist    the    enemy’s    navigation    took    drastic action.   The   mill   was   clearly   visible   from   the   North   Sea   and was   used   by   the   local   fishing   fleet   as   a   “mark”   when entering   the   bay   so   there   was   a   credible   case   for   ordering it   to   be   dismantled   in   return   for   a   generous   state   subsidy. Whatever   the   reason,   repairing   the   mill   was   obviously   not considered    an    economic    proposition    as    it    was    already becoming    apparent    that    the    age    of    wind    power    was passing.   Steam   and   electricity   were   proving   more   reliable sources   of   power   than   the   ever   changing   strength   of   the wind   and   the   arrival   of   the   railways   made   the   transport   of grain easier and less expensive.

The   next   sighting   we   get   is   the   photograph   below   taken   by William   Muggeridge   in   1955.   It   had   survived   intact   through the   Second   World   War   providing   storage   for   the   farmer   and shelter   for   his   animals   during   those   turbulent   times   and   had been   well   maintained   over   the   45   years   since   we   last   saw   it; its   windows   and   doors   were   intact   and   it   looks   in   reasonably good   condition.   Unfortunately   this   state   of   affairs   did   not last.   An   unknown   photographer   took   the   shot   on   the   right   in

1980   and   despite   its   poor   quality   we   can   clearly   see   the   mill has   been   totally   neglected   for   a   long   time   and   appears   to   be in   a   very   sorry   state.   The   windows   and   doors   have   rotted away,   weeds   are   growing   out   of   the   roof   and   the   protective pitch   coating   had   almost   all   gone.   It   is   obviously   still   proving of   some   use   to   the   farmer   as   an   animal   shelter   but   clearly   it was   having   no   money   spent   on   it   and   being   allowed   to become dilapidated.

Finally   and   sadly   we   see   the   mill’s   desperate   condition   when we   purchased   the   field   in   2002.   It   is   hard   to   believe   it   possible to   bring   it   back   to   its   former   impressive   stature   standing   tall once   again   on   the   hill   above   the   town.   Despite   this   after   15

years   research,   hard   work   and   a   steadfast   refusal   to   admit defeat   in   the   face   of   adversity   we   are   already   well   on   our   way to achieving that goal.

Muston Mill 2002

The   last   photograph   on   this   page   was   taken   in   the   spring   of 2011.   It   gives   the   reader   a   glimpse   of   the   mill   after   we   had carried   out   emergency   repair   work   and   made   the   building weatherproof   and   secure.   Fortunately   permission   was   not needed   to   do   this   as   the   inevitable   long   delay   would   have

meant   it   would   be   too   late   for   us   to   save   the   fast   crumbling structure   from   complete   ruin.   The   next   page   lists   details   of the   work   we   did   to   provide   protection   for   the   structure   thus gaining   the   time   necessary   to   complete   our   twelve   year struggle to obtain planning permission.

The Sad Story of Muston Mill’s Decline

The   years   rolled   by   and   the mill,   now   much   reduced   in stature,     sat     in     its     field without    anything    of    note taking   place.   We   next   meet it     in     1942     during     the Second    World    War    when one    of    our    twin-engined Wellington   bombers   piloted by   an   Australian   crew   ran

out    of    fuel    returning    to Leconfield    from    a    mission and   was   fortunately   able   to make    a    forced    landing    in the    mill    field.    The    crew were      unhurt      and      the aircraft   was   not   very   badly damaged    as    can    be    seen from   the   photograph   inset. The   mill   itself   is   just   out   of view on the right hand side.

Muston Mill 1904

Muston Mill 1910

              Muston Mill 2011