No sails nowadays sadly, but an interest history...
Parbold Windmill was built in 1794 as a replacement for the nearby water mill that stood beside the River Douglas. The windmill was constructed next to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, just 20 years after it opened. This waterway would prove a real boon to the business of milling flour.
It is built from local sandstone, stands five storeys tall and, unusually, has an embattled parapet on top. It now houses the Mill House Gallery.
In July 1817, the windmill was put up for auction. It was to be sold complete with a warehouse, a plot of land and all of its machinery. This included two pairs of French stones (from the Marne valley in North France, used for finer grinding), two pairs of grey stones (from the Derbyshire Peak District) and three sets of beams and weights.
The buyer was Richard Ainscough, who had moved to the village just three years before and had set up as a grocer. When he retired, he passed the windmill on to his son, Richard junior. Richard’s older brother Hugh later joined the business.
Their milling business was the real powerhouse of the partnership though. They were able to import grain from America, which was brought from Liverpool up the canal to Parbold. Their windmill could not possibly meet the demand so they built two steam powered corn milling factories. One stood on the opposite side of the canal to the windmill and the other one was in the nearby town of Burscough. With the building of these Victorian factories, the windmill became redundant and stopped being used for milling in the 1850s.
Despite suffering a fire in 1951, the Parbold factory lasted until 1985 producing cattle food in its later days.
Paul.
Parbold Windmill was built in 1794 as a replacement for the nearby water mill that stood beside the River Douglas. The windmill was constructed next to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, just 20 years after it opened. This waterway would prove a real boon to the business of milling flour.
It is built from local sandstone, stands five storeys tall and, unusually, has an embattled parapet on top. It now houses the Mill House Gallery.
In July 1817, the windmill was put up for auction. It was to be sold complete with a warehouse, a plot of land and all of its machinery. This included two pairs of French stones (from the Marne valley in North France, used for finer grinding), two pairs of grey stones (from the Derbyshire Peak District) and three sets of beams and weights.
The buyer was Richard Ainscough, who had moved to the village just three years before and had set up as a grocer. When he retired, he passed the windmill on to his son, Richard junior. Richard’s older brother Hugh later joined the business.
Their milling business was the real powerhouse of the partnership though. They were able to import grain from America, which was brought from Liverpool up the canal to Parbold. Their windmill could not possibly meet the demand so they built two steam powered corn milling factories. One stood on the opposite side of the canal to the windmill and the other one was in the nearby town of Burscough. With the building of these Victorian factories, the windmill became redundant and stopped being used for milling in the 1850s.
Despite suffering a fire in 1951, the Parbold factory lasted until 1985 producing cattle food in its later days.
Paul.
