Little Marton Mill is a 19th-century English towerwindmill in Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It was built in 1838 by John Hays for grinding corn, and worked until 1928. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by Historic England.[1]
History and assessment
Little Marton Mill was built in 1838 by millwright John Hays for John Whalley, on the site of a previous mill.[2][3] It was once one of several gristmills in the area, and is the last remaining of perhaps four mills that once stood within the current boundaries of Blackpool.[4] The hamlet of Little Marton was part of the township of Marton which, by the end of the 19th century, was incorporated into Blackpool and St Anne's-on-the-Sea.[5] Marton had a watermill until the mid-18th century, and another wind-powered gristmill up to the late 19th century, both at Great Marton.[4] Little Marton Mill was later worked by a miller named Cornelius Bagot.[2] It stopped working in September 1928.[6] Bagot restored the mill and in 1937 gave it to the Allen Clarke Memorial Fund as a memorial to local teacher, writer and windmill enthusiast C. Allen Clarke (1863–1935).[2][7] The mill was extensively renovated in 1987 at a cost of £88,000. The mill is now open on Sundays to members of the public to visit and features demonstrations and information from volunteers about the milling process and its history.[2]
Little Marton Mill is situated on a green, close to the M55 motorway and is a familiar landmark on this major route into the seaside resort.[2][8]Historic England designated the windmill a Grade II listed building on 20 October 1983.[1] The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".[9]
In April 2023, one of the mill's sails fell off and a second was loosened during high winds. Blackpool Council stated that a survey would be undertaken to assess the damage.[10]
Structure
For a general explanation of the elements of windmill machinery, see Mill machinery.
Little Marton Mill is of a typical style for windmills built in the Fylde. On four storeys (including a basement), it has a circular plan and a broad base in proportion to its height. It is constructed of stuccoed, whitewashed brick.[1][8] On the exterior wall there is a commemorative plaque to local writer Allen Clarke.[2] The mill is entered through double doors (at basement level) to the east, and a single door to the west.[1] There are square windows at the first, second and third storeys.[1]
Typically for Fylde windmills, the cap (replaced in 1987) is boat-shaped.[1][2] There are four sails and a fantail with eight blades. The machinery is incomplete, as some of it is now at Lytham Windmill.[2]
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