Stembridge Tower Mill

Stembridge Tower Mill at High Ham is the last remaining thatched windmill in England, built in 1822 and, the Trust says, the last survivor of five in the area. The four-storey tower of local blue lias limestone, ringed by a wooden platform and topped by a thatched cap, was built for Robert Tatchell. A steam engine added in 1894 took over entirely after a storm damaged the mill a few years later, and commercial milling ended in 1908. Professor Hugh Hale Bellot left the mill and its miller's cottage to the National Trust in 1969, and local craftsmen carried out a major restoration in 2009. The Trust says the mill is closed for the foreseeable future for conservation reasons, so for now it can only be admired from outside. Reviewers say it stands on private land behind a gate but is clearly visible from the road and worth a short stop if you are passing. The Trust notes there is no designated parking and no toilets.