Wimbledon Windmill Museum

The Wimbledon Windmill Museum is situated in a secluded spot of the Common, inside an actual windmill from 1817. It’s only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 – 5, so visiting can be a little tricky, but if you’re in the area, I highly recommend it. Admission is only £2 for adults, and even if you’re not particularly interested in windmills (I wasn’t), it’s still pretty great. The ground floor is devoted mainly to model windmills, with little buttons underneath each to make them revolve. Who doesn’t love a teeny interactive windmill? They’ve also got various farming implements, and some swell wax figures in the act of constructing a windmill. Upstairs, the windmill has more of its original interior, and the museum goes into the process of grinding wheat, which children can try their hands at. The windmill was divided up into small cottages (flats, really) after it fell out of practical use in the 1860s, and you can marvel at the cramped living quarters of one of the recreated flats, complete with two stuffed cats. You can even climb up a rickety ladder to the old storage area at the top of the windmill, and view authentic dust and flies, in addition to the names of repairmen dating back to the 19^th century that have been carved on a post. There’s also lots of history on Wimbledon Common in general, which was a nice bonus.
All in all, it’s a pleasant way to spend an hour, and you’ll end up learning quite a bit about the working of windmills (which honestly, was fascinating). They’ve got lots of good stuff in the gift shop as well, including postcards and model windmills you can assemble yourself out of paper. Don’t pass up the locally made fudge, it’s delicious!