Chesterton Mill: A Brief History

At the heart of every community are focal points, tangible spaces, buildings and businesses that bring people together, be that in the pursuit of work, pleasure, inspiration, or simply somewhere to share ideas and conversations.

Traditionally such places have been schools, churches, pubs, parks and cafés, but they have also been iconic local business and institutions. One such place was Chesterton Mill, which thrived for over 100 years from the late 1840s producing grain and flour for Cambridge bakeries, delivered to the city by horse and cart.

Known locally as French’s Mill after William French, who began milling here in 1850, the sails and milling stones of this imposing smock mill turned grain into flour until 1955 when the French family business closed.

The family left its mark on the area – the road which leads to the mill today is called French’s Road – and the mill itself still stands proudly some 178 years after it was built, albeit without its sails which were removed in 1912.

Since the mid-1980s the site has housed various local businesses and in 2020 it was transformed again to tap into the city’s need for dynamic and stylish working space to house its burgeoning creative and tech-led businesses and freelance communities.

With a nod to the heritage of the site and the industry that took place here for over a century we are proud to run the city’s first winery here, in the basement of the Grade II listed windmill.

The urban winery – a first for Cambridge - follows in the footsteps of city-based wineries in London, Cape Town, New York and Paris. It offer a focal point for the site and brings a production facility back to Chesterton Mill for the first time in more than 60 years.

We host wine tastings in the basement of the mill and sell wine straight from the cellar door to consumers… you can't get more local than that.

Gutter&Stars - putting the wind back in the sails of Chesterton Mill.