This was a last minute decision to take a drive out to look at this Windmill in Marlborough. Easy... read more
This was a last minute decision to take a drive out to look at this Windmill in Marlborough. Easy... read more
We had a lovely visit to the windmill with our two young children. They enjoyed exploring and... read more
Fantastic evening. Wilton Windmill is a great location. The views from the windmill were breath taking. The murder mystery event was hilarious the actors did a terrific job. We were unsure of what to expect but we were not disappointed with both the location and the evening as a whole.
The windmill is one of those places you just ought to visit. Rather than it being a lifeless relic of the past, with the help of the volunteers, this is an interesting and active building (impressively it still mills its own flour). It is surrounded by the most beautiful scenery and being on a hilltop the views are amazing.
I can understand why other reviewers balk at the price, we had walked up from Wilton village and just hadn't taken sufficient cash (£48) for all 6 adults in our party to enter so in the end we just settled for tea and cake from the shepherds hut and enjoyed the glorious view!
Dear Kevin
Thank you for taking the time to review Wilton Windmill - we are glad you enjoyed the setting and the views, which as you say, are just magnificent. I am concerned that you say the cost of 6 adults was £48 - it should have been £24 as it is £4 entry per adult and children are free.
We have an Open Day (Wind in the Willows) on Saturday 13th June when guided tours will be free and on Sunday 13th September we are open for the national Heritage Open Days weekend when tours will again be free - I do hope you can join us for one of these dates.
Once again, thank you for coming to our lovely windmill and we are glad that you enjoyed your visit, even if you didn't see the inside.
Susie
This wasn't open when we visited but you can walk around the gardens, which is worth it just for the views
Thanks for your review - we are glad you enjoyed your visit to Wilton Windmill and its site. As you say, the views are just magnificent and so it is worth a visit even when the building isn't open.
Our opening times are on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter through to the end of September every year. We also have an Open Day this year on Saturday 13th June 2015 from 12 noon to 4.30pm.
The building is all in working order and so it is worth making a trip back if you can to have one of our guides take you round - it is very interesting!
Thanks for taking the time to submit a review.
How amazing that a piece of vintage technology like this is still in full working order - and how amazing that you can visit it, thanks to the efforts of volunteers. Ignore the mean-spirited comments made by earlier reviewers about £8 being too much - it is astonishing that they can keep it going at all. We visited on a hot (19 degrees) Easter Monday and it was busy but all absolutely fine. Like many business people visiting places like this I couldn't resist doing a quick mental calculation on their daily takings. OK, it was a sample of one day, but keeping this stuff in first class condition (which it is) when they can only escort a limited number of small paying groups around must be a bit of a juggling act - I very much doubt it's a cash cow. They have some takings from a little cafe which doubtless helps a lot, so buy a coffee and cake when you're there! As to complaining about the cramped conditions ... what do these people suggest they do? Design and build a different one with more room? Is it really necessary to explain that this was designed as a working piece of machinery in a different time, not as a 21st Century visitor attraction? Amazing. It's not Alton Towers, it's a fantastic piece of genuine history, in a stunningly beautiful setting; it is well looked after and operated by genuine enthusiasts; it is fascinating even if you aren't necessarily train-spotterish about these things (I'm not) and it's a piece of living history. They have done - and continue to do - a superb job and they deserve congratulations, admiration, respect and support for their work. There were young children playing happily on well tended grass, and adults ranging from the merely curious (that was us) to the well-informed all enjoying it on their own level. Thanks so much to those who work on it for their dedication. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and everyone else who was there at the same time seemed to do so, too.
Dear David - We are so glad you enjoyed your visit - we think our volunteers are marvelous too and quite simply couldn't do it without them. Thank you for your enthusiasm and support, we hope to welcome you back soon!
We visited the windmill on a glorious summer's day, kicking things off with a picnic at the foot of the mill as we waited for it to open. There are picnic tables and plenty of room for the kids to run around.
Tickets are sold from a shepherd's hut, which also sells ice cream and sweets - so it may be best to keep the children outside! Adults are charged £4 each, while children are free, so the cost is pretty reasonable for a family group.
The tour guides wait until there are enough members in the party before taking people up, so there may be a short wait, but it is well worth any delay. The guides are very knowledgeable and explain things very well, so they are fun and interesting for adults and children.
The windmill itself has been beautifully restored inside and out, and has some unusual features, having been built later than many other mills, with regulators and other gadgets designed to make the miller's life easier.
There are five floors to explore, each with their own function and bespoke machinery. Everything is on display and hands-on, with nothing roped off or shut away behind glass, and you really come away with a good understanding of the engineering of the mill and the work of a miller.
Combine it with a visit to the nearby Crofton Beam Engine and you have a great day out and a much greater appreciation for our industrial heritage.
(NB: There are some very steep stairs inside the mill so this is not suitable for anyone with a mobility impairment and younger children may need to be carried)
Dear Gordon O
We are very glad you enjoyed your visit and do hope you will come back soon. You can picnic at the windmill even when we are closed, so if you are looking for somewhere peaceful with panoramic views, then the windmill will be delighted to see you!
I happened to contact the Wilton Windmill team for some info and was delighted to hear that the Windmill would be in full operation and grinding flour a few days later. The Mill is located on the top of a chalk hill in wide open countryside, easy to see and sitting quite proud in the landscape. To see the power of the sails wooshing round, was a truly awe-inspiring moment and then, to have the opportunity to go up inside the mill, see and hear the giant gear system grinding away, smell the locally grown wheat being ground down and to feel the fine flour dust floating around was quite magical. I felt as though I had been transported back in time. It was like being inside the belly of the beast, inside a huge engine. To see the mill running, special windy conditions are needed. To have the chance to see the mill in operation you would need to contact the mill directly. if you can afford the time. I took my young daughter a few days later for a bit a of living history lesson, the team showed us around and were so helpful and knowledgable. There are so few working mills left in the UK and this is the last one working in the Wessex region so take the time and go and have a look. A thoroughly recommended experience for all ages.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our lovely windmill - we are so glad you enjoyed your time with us.
Your description of being inside a huge engine is spot on - it is breathtaking to see it in action and it makes you realise how powerful the wind can be and what a brilliantly engineered building it is.