Rising above the rooftops of a quiet housing estate just north of Eastbourne stands a graceful survivor from a vanished age: a tall brick windmill that has ground the district’s grain since 1817. Polegate Windmill is one of the finest tower mills in Sussex and home to a lovingly assembled milling museum. Here’s the story of the mill with three names — and how to visit it today.
The tower mill
Polegate Windmill is a classic Sussex tower mill: a tapering four-storey tower of red brick, around 45 feet tall, topped by a domed cap that was turned to face the wind by a little fantail at the back. Four “patent” sails once drove the machinery inside, turning several pairs of millstones to grind the local farmers’ corn. Built in 1817, it replaced an older post mill that had stood up on the Downs, and it’s a handsome, dignified thing — the kind of building that reminds you the whole countryside once ran on wind and water power. It’s now Grade II* listed, marking it out as a building of more than special interest.
The mill with three names
Confusingly, this one windmill has gone by at least three different names over its life — each one tied to the people who owned it. It was built in 1817 for a local farmer and landowner, Joseph Seymour, and originally stood in the parish of Willingdon, so for its first century it was known as Willingdon Mill. When it passed to Matthias Mockett around 1857 it became Mockett’s Mill; and later, under the Ovenden family — whose Albert Ovenden was the last man to work it — it was Ovenden’s Mill. It only became “Polegate” Windmill in 1939, when the parish boundary was redrawn and the mill found itself in a new parish without moving an inch.
Did you know? Standing in the grounds is an old windshaft rescued from Caldbec Hill smock mill near Battle — a hill that is one of the sites some historians have proposed as the actual spot where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066.
Decline and rescue
Like almost every windmill in England, Polegate was overtaken by industrial milling. It last worked by wind power around 1943; after that it ground on with the help of an auxiliary engine and finally an electric motor, until it stopped altogether in 1965. By then the old mill was slipping into dereliction. Its saviour was the Eastbourne and District Preservation Trust, which bought the mill and its grounds and had it restored to working order in the late 1960s by the Burgess Hill millwrights E. Hole and Sons — the kind of specialist craftsmen who kept Britain’s windmills alive. It’s thanks to that rescue that the mill still stands, cap and sails intact, above the surrounding streets.
The milling museum
Today the mill is run by dedicated volunteers and houses a genuinely charming museum of milling, packed with original artefacts — tools, millstones, machinery and everyday objects used by the last generations of millers who worked here. Interpretation panels and enthusiastic, knowledgeable guides explain how a wind-powered mill actually functioned: how the sails drove the great wooden brake wheel, how the grain was fed to the stones, how the whole delicate machine was kept turned into the wind. For anyone interested in local or industrial heritage, it’s a lovely window onto a way of life that has almost entirely disappeared.
Visiting Polegate Windmill
The windmill stands on Park Croft, off the Eastbourne Road (A2270) in Polegate, roughly three miles north of Eastbourne town centre — tucked into a housing estate, so it can be a little tricky to find, with limited street parking nearby. It opens to the public only on selected event days through the year (traditionally including the national Mills Weekend), when you can explore the museum and grounds and enjoy tea and cake in the café.
Please note: the mill has been placed on the Heritage at Risk register, and because the tower’s internal timbers and floors are currently considered unsafe, visitors are not able to climb up inside the tower at present — the museum, grounds and café remain open on event days. Because opening days are limited and can change, always check the mill’s official website or Facebook page before you set out.
Polegate Windmill: FAQs
How old is Polegate Windmill?
It was built in 1817, making it over 200 years old. It worked by wind power until around 1943 and ground its last grain in 1965 before being rescued and restored.
Why is Polegate Windmill also called Ovenden’s Mill?
Because mills were often named after their owners. It was Willingdon Mill, then Mockett’s Mill, then Ovenden’s Mill after successive families — and only became “Polegate” Windmill in 1939 when the parish boundary changed.
Can you go inside Polegate Windmill?
You can visit the milling museum, grounds and café on the mill’s open event days, but the tower interior is currently closed for safety reasons, so climbing up inside isn’t possible at present. Always check ahead for open dates.
Where is Polegate Windmill?
On Park Croft, off the Eastbourne Road (A2270) in Polegate, about three miles north of Eastbourne. It sits within a housing estate, so watch for it as signage is limited.
Explore nearby: our Polegate area guide, neighbouring Willingdon, and the best things to do in Eastbourne.