There’s something about the Halnaker Windmill – and it’s not just the fact that it’s literal centuries old. The iconic landmark, which served as a flour mill and a WWII lookout station, is located in Sussex, England, and, in addition to its long and storied history, is also just exceptionally beautiful. To reach it, you’ve got to go on foot (a trip that will bring you through one of the most gorgeous tree tunnels a person could hope to see and photograph). Once you reach the top of the hill, you’ll be greeted by this non-mechanized structure which is thought to date back to at least 1740, though mentions of a mill on the hill are found as far back as 1540.
Restored multiple times over (here’s a photo of the reconstruction process), the mill is mostly just for decoration these days, though the original charm persists. Complemented by spacious grass and wildflowers, as well as views of the city of Chichester below, it’s a sight to behold.
It’s no surprise, then, that plenty of photographers have tried their hand at capturing the Halnaker Windmill. Below are a handful of the images, showing the mill in various seasons and states – because though a structure may have been photographed a lot (in this case, many of the images are by Flickr user sage_solar, who has caught multiple sides of the structure), it’s rarely photographed the same way twice.
Photographer Jason Smith snapped this imposing image.
Naturally, the windmill’s interesting geometry makes it a great subject for silhouette photos.
The tilt-shift in this photo makes the windmill look like a toy.
Halnaker Windmill #halnakerwindmill #sussex #windmill #noir
A photo posted by Chris (@thatsmagnificent) on
Care to peek inside the windmill? It’s not quite as beautiful – but think of all the history in these bricks!
Many photos of the Halnaker mill are focused on the structure, but this one offers a great juxtaposition between the mill, the natural beauty of the sky, and the light polution from Chichester down below.
