Tilting at windmills

The weather seems to be changing every few minutes today. It's sunny at the moment but the sky was looking very different when I went for an early walk past this windmill on Bidston Hill.

There's been a windmill here since 1596 although the current one was built in about 1800 and was used as a flour mill until 1875 after which it fell into disrepair and was restored about 20 years later when the surrounding land was purchased jointly by public subscription and by Birkenhead Corporation. A plaque on the windmill states that the land

"must always be used as an open space and place of public recreation and must be preserved and maintained, so far as possible, in its present wild and natural condition. Special care being given to preservation of the trees, gorse, heath and also of this windmill."

So far, so good! Over a century later trees, gorse and heath are all still in evidence and the hill, which commands excellent views across the Mersey to Liverpool, remains a popular spot.