Listed Building record MDR10064 - Tower House, Findern

West of Findern village is a brick tower mill, now converted into part of a dwelling. (1) At the top of a narrow lane on the west side of the village of Findern is the tower of a brick windmill, built between 1781 and 1825, now converted into residential accommodation. It is rendered and capped with a tile capping. (2) This tower windmill is to the north-west of the village of Findern. It is not clear when the mill was built. It is not shown on Burdett's map of Derbyshire in 1767, nor is it listed by Farey in 1808, despite an advertisement in the Derby Mercury of October 5 1797 offering it for sale as follows: "To be sold by Auction - A smock mill at Findern, one pair of French stones, one pair of grey stones, dressing machine etc. Enquire of Mr Thomas Lovatt of Findern". It was again offered for sale in 1814, being described as "a substantial Wind corn mill". The mill is shown on both Greenwood's map of 1825 and the 1st ed. OS map in 1836. The mill appears to have been working at the time of the OS map of 1887 but after this is described as 'old windmill'. The mill features in a painting by Karl Wood made in 1932 which shows it looking much as it does at present when viewed from the north. No illustration of the mill with sails has been found. It was one of the first mills in the county to become a house conversion, probably about the turn of the century. The cap was removed, a conical slate roof installed and a two-storey house built up to the mill structure. For some years, up until 1998, it was the home of the then Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire, Mrs Edwina Currie. (3)