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Windmill stump is a post-mill base surviving in Ards, County Down. The monument comprises the substantial stone foundation of a windmill, whose superstructure has been lost. Mills of this type, common throughout the British Isles from the medieval period onwards, exploited wind power to grind grain and perform other industrial processes. The site lies on bedrock of the Gala Group, Telychian wacke, which provides the durable stone foundation visible today.
The post-mill design, whereby the entire wooden body rotated on a timber post to catch the wind, required a robust masonry base to support the turning mechanism. The surviving stump at Ards represents this critical structural element. The quality of the stonework and its preservation suggest this was a substantial working mill, likely serving the local agricultural community over several centuries before the milling function ceased and the wooden superstructure was dismantled or destroyed.
The monument is recorded in the Historic Environment Division's register of protected sites (reference 16336) and forms part of the archaeological and industrial heritage of the Ards Peninsula, an area shaped by centuries of exploitation of both land and water resources. The site contributes to understanding pre-industrial rural economy and technology in Ulster.
Windmill stump - c.f. ihr 2775 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 16336. View the official record →
Windmill stump is a post-mill base surviving in Ards, County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 16336.
Windmill stump - c.f. ihr 2775 is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 16336.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath & possible souterrain (2.5 km), Trivallate rath (4.4 km), Stone fish trap (4.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Windmill stump - c.f. ihr 2775's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Windmill stump - c.f. ihr 2775 stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.