Alistair Hardaker
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Historic England upgrades 1843 Draper’s Windmill in Kent, recognising partnership between volunteer trust and county council in preservation.
Draper’s Windmill in Margate, Kent has been granted an upgrade to Grade II* listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England. The timber-framed windmill on St Peter’s Footpath in Dane Valley had been Grade II listed since 1973, but its significance as a 19th-century smock mill with rare surviving internal machinery has now been formally recognised and its entry on the National Heritage List for England revised.
The windmill was built in around 1843, thought to have been built by the millwright John Holman of Canterbury, to grind grain into flour. It is the earliest, and only survivor, of three windmills that were built along St Peter’s Footpath during the 19th century. A second smock mill known as Little Draper’s Mill and a brick tower mill called The Pumper fell out of use and were demolished by the early 20th century.
The mill has been fully restored to working condition via the Draper’s Windmill Trust in partnership with owners Kent County Council. Last month marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Trust on 16 September 1965. Draper’s Windmill is open to visitors and run as a museum by volunteers from the Trust. Alongside the mill is an engine house, workshop and cart shed which help tell the story of how the mill was powered over the years by wind, steam and gas.
Its new Grade II* listed status puts the windmill in the same category as some of Thanet’s most significant historic buildings, including the 1930s Dreamland Cinema on Margate seafront and the Clock House at Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour. Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest, with around 5.8% of listed buildings receiving the grade.
Tim Horne, listing adviser at Historic England, said the upgraded status “recognises the building as a particularly important survivor of Kent’s rural past and “reflects the increasing rarity of operational historic mills across England”.
Anny Squire, Vice Chair and Trustee at Draper’s Windmill Trust, said it is hoped the new listing “will encourage even more people to visit us and experience this valuable asset to Margate itself.”
