[TQ689713] Shorne Mill. Originally a post mill. The date of its construction appears to have been towards the end of the eighteenth century. According to fragments of diaries of 1776, a windmill of Shorne which was struck by lightning and severely damaged at this time was replaced by a mill on a slightly different site. This would be the mill of which the remains survive today. The first mention of a windmill near the village was in 1315 (Calender of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward II, Vol 6 No 181). At turn of the century the mill was converted into an observatory. Unfortunately much of the weatherboarding of the body was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1952, although the crowntree, centre post, quarter bars, cross- trees and the brickwork, added when converted, miraculously survived. (1)

<1> The Windmills of Kent 17 103 1979 (J West) (OS Card Reference). SKE50537.

<2> National Record of Industrial Monuments (NRIM): Index Cards (Index). SKE53912.