The oak machinery inside dates from around 1650, making it the oldest smock windmill in England. The body of the mill was rebuilt in the early 1800s and it was a working, commercial enterprise until 1915.

In the 1920s the mill was used as a weekend cottage, but in the following years its condition deteriorated very badly. By 1935 some locals and enthusiasts had shored up the rotting building but a long period of neglect followed. From 1940-44 the windmill became an observation tower for the Home Guard and after the war the adjacent farm used it for storage.

By the 1960s the windmill was twisted, tilted and close to collapse but in 1971 the Chiltern Society stepped in and volunteers, led by Christopher Wallis, began restoration work. The fully restored windmill near Princes Risborough is open to the public on certain days: for details www.laceygreenwindmill.org.uk

Michael Hardy, Honorary Secretary of Lacey Green Windmill Restoration Committee, kindly provided these photographs and information about the history of this major Chiltern Society project.

Click here to see location on a map.