Broad Eye Windmill

The Broad Eye Windmill is an historic windmill in the county town of Stafford, Staffordshire, England. The windmill is currently home to Windmill Broadcasting, and is looked after by the Friends of Broad Eye Windmill.It operated as a mill for exactly 100 years, with the sails being removed in 1897. Over the next 100 or so years, numerous businesses operated from the Broad Eye Windmill, including a butchers, but none lasted, probably due to the restrictive curved interior of the building.The patron of the Broad Eye Windmill is actor, TV presenter and historian Tony Robinson.History1700sDespite the town having three water mills, not enough flour could be produced to feed the poor of Stafford, as large amounts were being shipped to Birmingham via the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, built in 1772 at Radford Bank. Furthermore, high prices were being charged by the water mills, as a result of the corn laws which allowed farmers and millers to charge high prices for grain and flour. This meant local people went hungry, and, to get around this problem, work started on the Broad Eye Windmill in 1796, which was completed in the early 1800s. Allotment land was made available at Broad Eye for the project, which is one of the lowest lying areas of Stafford Borough, sited next to the River Sow.