Mostert's Mill

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.