Mostert's Mill
The windmill, known as Mostert's Mill on de Waal Drive (M3) at Mowbray Cape Town is the only working windmill in Africa, south of the Sahara.
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In the beginning windmills constructed at the Cape were often damaged by the strong winds. The Dutch "Here Sewentien" (Council of Seventeen) decided in 1717 to send out masons, carpenters, bricks and materials on the ship Meijnden to erect a more efficient mill. This mill was called the "Oude Molen" but sadly all that remains of this historic mill is the place name. Mostert's Mill is a farm windmill (small) and was built about 1796 to the new standards and survives today as a monument to those early artisans. Mostert's Mill is a truncated tower-mill with a revolving cap (thatched roof) that allows the sails to be turned into the wind. This type of mill is called a Grond Zeile by the Dutch and refers to the fact that the sails are serviced from the ground. There is no equivalent English term for Grond Zeile. This Grond Zeile mill is usually found where there is no obstruction to the wind. |
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| Milling days 2012 (provisional, depending on weather etc.) | Upcoming provisional dates: | |
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Contact our VoiceLink info service on 088 129 7168 email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for latest information on opening times. |
9th Feb, 9th March, 6th April, 4th May, 1st June |
