In 1813, rich local landowner William Blundell commissioned the building of a new windmill at Great Crosby. He employed William Murray from Chester le Street in Durham to construct it. Work began that May and was completed a year later. Murray produced a brick-built tower windmill, with five storeys above the ground floor. An external platform surrounded the second floor. The four sails were cloth-covered, and a fantail at the rear ensured that the main sails would rotate to face full into the prevailing wind. An imposing building standing in a flat landscape meant that it soon became a familiar and useful landmark for ships in the Mersey.
In 1821, a Miller’s House and stable were added. With the advent of steam power, an engine was installed in 1870 so that corn could still be ground when the wind was not blowing. Steam power was later replaced by gas, and then finally by electricity in the 1920s. The sails survived in place until 1932 when they were removed as they had become unsafe.
During the Second World War, the windmill was commandeered as a look-out post. Buildings taken over by the military in this period were often treated badly. The windows were removed to afford a better view to spot enemy planes. An old millstone that stood by the building’s entrance was broken when an army lorry reversed into it. Protection came to the windmill when it was registered in 1952 as Grade II listed.
Remarkably, the windmill was still grinding flour until just beyond the end of the 1960s, and was only finally decommissioned and turned into a private residence in 1972. A number of families lived in it, but presumably because it was becoming hard to maintain it was abandoned in 2005. Unoccupied old buildings seldom do well, and the windmill soon fell into disrepair. Two years later, it was sold at auction to a local businesswoman. Surveys showed a huge amount of dry rot in its main timbers, which had spread into the surrounding brick walls. Over the next six years, the owner undertook a long process of trying to renovate a building that was in poor shape. Numerous planning applications were submitted and assorted architects came and went. Even a celebrity property developer from one of Channel 4’s interminable property shows became involved.
Despite becoming habitable in 2014, the financial stress of the restoration continued to take its toll and further repairs were still being required. A hard frost had damaged the lime render that covered the external brick work, and the original stone window sills were no longer waterproof. The owner looked to other ways to bring in income, including a Kickstarter campaign to cover the cost of erecting scaffolding to fix these latest problems. A more reliable and regular source of income was found by renting out the building as a holiday destination, but complaints about noise led Sefton Council in 2016 to rule that it could no longer be used for this purpose.
Restoration of heritage buildings is not for the fainthearted. Unforeseen structural problems, budgets that don’t fully cover costs, and the difficulties of working with a listed building often make the process long and harrowing. Anyone that takes on such a project is to be applauded, as they seek to preserve the legacies of our historic past.
Viewing the Windmill
Today, the windmill is covered in a white lime render, and its dome is clad in metal. Although the sails are long gone, the four stumps that once held them are still in place. Each of the upper floors has four small rectangular windows, and there is an external platform on the second floor. The original date stone can still be seen, with a ‘B’ at the top for Blundell, ‘WM’ at the bottom for William, and ‘W plus C’ in between for William and his wife Catherine Stanley, a member of the leading aristocratic family in Lancashire. The original Miller’s House still stands next to the windmill on Moor Lane.
Site visited by A. and S. Bowden 2024
Access
There are good views of Great Crosby Windmill on Moor Lane and Poplar Avenue. Please respect the privacy of the local residents. On-street parking is available.
Nearby
References
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1257388?section=official-list-entry
andrewhoward-photography.com/info.php?lid=753
windmillworld.com/millid/1459.htm
liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/local-news/crosbys-landmark-windmill-set-full-blown-6973659 2008
liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/gallery/windmill-crosby-7568229
liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/local-news/crosby-windmill-set-major-makeover-6960128
liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/see-inside-crosbys-200-year-old-windmill-7916729
liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/step-inside-crosby-windmill-been-9440221
liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/property/fancy-living-old-windmill-take-14529562 3018
liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/gallery/step-inside-award-winning-crosby-9440305
iverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/neighbours-tell-raucous-drunk-guests-12067274
thetvdb.com/series/double-your-house-for-half-the-money/allseasons/official
kickstarter.com/projects/1184759897/preserve-crosby-windmill-the-final-chapter
southportvisiter.co.uk/news/southport-west-lancs/you-fancy-200-night-holiday-11778166
Lancashire Past 
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