Mosterts+Mill

Mostert's Mill is a windmill built privately on the Welgelegen family farm in 1796. The mill was named after Sybrand Mostert. Sybrand was the son in-law of the mill's owner, Gysbert van Renen. Sybrand took ownership of the mill after van Renen’s death. The mill was the first privately owned mill in Cape Town.

The windmill is about 21 feet and 11 inches tall which is close to a three story building. The mill stopped working in 1873 because only mills owned by the Dutch East India Trading Company were allowed during the Battle of Muizenberg. The windmill was sold many times from the Mostert family until it reached its final destination with Dr. Lorontz. The windmill opened back up on February 1, 1936. It was occasionally updated because the wind shafts broke and the sail fell off. In 1993 the Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa made a campaign to preserve the mill which leads to the Friends for Mostert’s Mill, a group that emphasized the importance of the mill when it was built. Mostert's Mill was very interesting to learn about and I hope we get to see it in South Africa.