European Windmill Technology

Timeline

1. 1161–1166East Anglia, England · East AngliaIn the 1160s, grain windmills based mainly on the post mill structure appeared in eastern England, with the entire mill able to rotate around a central post to face the wind. Manors and free towns used windmills to supplement or replace watermills, reducing dependence on rivers and seasonal water levels and increasing grain-processing capacity.
2. 1167–1170Coastal Flanders and Zeeland · FlandersBy around 1170, windmills along the coast of the Low Countries began to be used for draining polders and lifting water at salt works, with the rotor driving chain pumps or scoop wheels through gear trains. Windmill technology became closely integrated with land reclamation and town grain supplies, forming an early version of the later Dutch windmill network.