History In Brief

The Windmill Inn at Portishead has a long and varied history. It has served the community in various capacities including a working windmill, a golf club house, headquarters for the home guard during WW2 and even a base for smugglers. The Windmill in modern times has served the community as a public house since 2000.

Full Story

The earliest part of this building is the round stone tower, all that remains of Portishead's windmill which was finished in 1832, one of the last to be built in Somerset. The mill had a short life, however, and ceased operation during the 1840's, mainly because of the construction of a new mill in the village operated by steam. In 1848, permission was sought to remove the mill machinery and convert the tower into a dwelling to provide additional accommodation for the tenant of the windmill cottage nearby.

In 1905, Bristol Corporation decided to develop 83 acres of their Portishead estate into an 18 hole golf course designed for them by Harry Vardon, winner of the British Open six times and also the U.S. Open. The course measured 5,015 yards, extending both above and below Nore Road, and had a par of 77. A Golf Club House was built, incorporating, the tower of the former windmill, and the course opened for play in 1907. Part of the course was dug up during both World Wars to grow food crops and the club house was used as a Home Guard Headquarters during the 1939-45 war. After the last war the golf club was dissolved, and for a time the building was used by Lexicon Libraries as a regional office.

In the 1960's the club house became a licensed premises, trading as the "Hole in One" until its refurbishment and re-opening in 2000 as the "Windmill Inn".

Smugglers in the Bay: A True Tale of Portishead

Somerset Memories and Traditions
By
Frances Hariott Wood

Extract from "Somerset Windmills and Sites"
pdf file