Visiting Shirley Windmill

Shirley Windmill is located in Postmill Close, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 5DY, about 2 miles from East Croydon station.
For maps and travel information, please see our Finding Us page.

Open Days in 2026

We are hoping to have yet another successful Open Day season this year.

Event Date Opening Times
National Mills Day 10 May 12 noon – 5pm
Open Day 7 June 12 noon – 5pm
Open Day 5 July 12 noon – 5pm
Open Day 2 August 12 noon – 5pm
Open Day 6 September 12 noon – 5pm
London Open House Day 20 September 12 noon – 5pm
Open Day 4 October 12 noon – 5pm
     

Last year’s Open Days

We had a very successful Open Days season again in 2025. The total number of visitors to the mill, including several group visits, was a very gratifying 1,037, despite us being very short of volunteers to show the mill to everyone.

You may like to know that this means the total number of visitors to Shirley Windmill since we started our Open Days in 1995 is a staggering 29,612! So if you’d be interested in being a volunteer to show people round the mill or to help out in any way, do go to our Contacting Us page and please do let us know. Thank you. We really do need YOU.

Please visit this page from time to time to check our planned dates and times for 2026. We hope to be having some repair and maintenance work done this year, so please do check before travelling to the mill, as there may be changes.

Guided tours

Visitors to the mill are given a full guided tour covering the history, operation and principal features of Shirley Windmill. The tour takes between 45–60 minutes to complete, though this can vary, depending largely on the agility of the group — and the number of questions they fire at their guide!

After the tour, visitors can relax and enjoy their refreshments from our Visitor Centre in convivial surroundings on our little “village green” around the mill.

The last guided tour of the day starts at 4pm — visitors are advised to come early to avoid disappointment!

From time to time, special events for visitors to enjoy are arranged by The Friends of Shirley Windmill. They are also pleased to arrange visits to the mill for groups of at least 12 people who are unable to attend on normal Open Days. Please go to our Group Visits page for further information and advice.

We look forward to welcoming you to the mill!

Accessibility

There are steep stairs to climb in the mill, so visitors must be able to manage these without undue difficulty, though there is plenty to see on the Ground Floor too, for those unable to climb stairs. “Sensible” shoes are best, and long skirts are not recommended.

Admission charges

There is no charge for visitors, though donations to help with the Friends’ expenses are welcome.