Post mill

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The post mill is the earliest type of windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single post, on which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have been built in the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest working post mill in England still used today is to be found at Outwood in Surrey. It was built in 1665. The earliest remaining example of a non operational mill can be found in Great Gransden in Cambridgeshire

Their design and usage peaked in the 1700s and 1800s, although many still exist today. They are primarily found in Northern Europe and Britain.