Wiltshire's only working windmill with over 200 years of history in its sails has officially reopened to the public.
Wilton Windmill, located just outside of Marlborough, is a five-floor brick tower mill built in 1821 which was in operation for 100 years.
The mill fell into disuse in the early 1900s as a result of competition from larger steam roller mills, but was later bought by Wiltshire Council in 1971 and restored in 1976.
Today, the historic building is Wiltshire's only working windmill and produces stone-ground, wholemeal flour, and is closed to the public during autumn and winter, but offers guided tours and events in the warmer months.
With an early Easter approaching, the windmill doors will now be open for more days than ever before this summer.
"The Wilton Windmill will open on March 31st, Easter Day, and April 1st, Easter Monday, and thereafter on Sundays and Bank Holidays until September 29th," said a spokesperson for Wilton Windmill Society.
"Guided tours will run between 2pm and 5pm and the Granary Museum will be available to explore.
"Hot and cold drinks, ice creams and cakes will be available in the shepherd’s hut and visitors are most welcome to bring their own picnics. The site, of course, remains open for picnickers throughout the year even when the mill is closed. And so does the portaloo!"
The windmill is a lasting artefact of the way life once was, and shot to fame in 2009 when it appeared on the BBC television documentary 'Victorian Farmer' which followed historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn as they went back in time to relive the day-to-day life of the Victorian farmer.
"I am sure we all have fond memories of Wilton Windmill and mine started in 1948 when my mother took me over to see her day old chicks on the ground floor, which was next door to our home at the Wilton cottage," said society president Peter Lemon during a renovation in 2017.
This year's special events at Wilton Windmill will include a vintage car meet in August and the return of a popular murder mystery event complete with a hog-roast and bar run by Smoke and Mirrors Theatre Company on June 15 and 16.
The 2024 murder mystery named 'Burying the Hatchet' promises a "not wholly serious story of skulduggery in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Wiltshire" and more details will be released closer to the time.
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