Disused windmill tower, South Street, Owston Ferry. Picture taken in December 1986. Windmills have many uses; they have primarily been used to grind grain, but they have also been used to generate power and in some cases to help with land drainage and water pumping. There are two main types of windmills which were found across the Isle of Axholme. These were post mills and tower mills. Post mills are the earliest type. The whole body of the mill which houses the machinery is built around a single vertical post. The body can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. They were often turned by hand. The tower mill is made from brick or stone with a wooden cap or roof. This can rotate to being the sails into the wind. The tower mills could be built much bigger than the post mills so had an advantage. The windmill in this picture was built in the early 19th Century and is a tower mill. It is still standing and has since been converted into a house.
Image courtesy of North Lincolnshire Museum Image Archive.
