A windmill believed to be the second largest in England is for sale through Savills for £1.25m.

The now Grade II listed converted tower mill in Aylesbury Road, Wendover is one of 14 windmills of various types still standing in Buckinghamshire.

It was built at the end of the 18th century to capitalise on the recent opening of the Wendover arm of what was then called the Grand Junction Canal.

The wharf enabled mill owner John Phillips to diversify and boost his income. Canal boats gave him the means to transport not just flour to London bakeries but also bales of hay and straw to stables that supplied the animals for the horse drawn vehicles in the metropolis.

Although Wendover wharf has long gone – the only reminder is the road that bears its name – the windmill is still there. It’s a local landmark.

According to building experts, 500 tonnes of bricks would have been needed to build the 66ft five storey tower. The bricks are thought to have come from a kiln in Cholesbury or St Leonards and carried to the site in panniers by donkeys.

Unusually for a mill, the outer walls are octagonal. At ground level they are 26ft in diameter and three foot thick narrowing to two foot thick and 20 ft in diameter on the top floor.

Although the date AD 1796 is carved in stone above the front entrance, the mill didn’t become operational until 1804.

Originally it was powered by wooden sails and a fantail. A hundred years later it was changed to steam because houses built nearby had upset the way the wind blew.

If a strong breeze suddenly changed direction, the sails went into reverse, then they had to be rewound by hand to re-set them. Not an easy job for the poor old miller.

In 1904 a severe storm put paid to the sails but production continued and for a while trade picked up “confounding the pessimists”.

Sadly by 1926 competition from other sources coupled with the rising price of coal following the fuel shortage caused by the General Strike brought about the closure of the business.

Fortunately a London actress and playwright rescued the landmark from the threat of demolition. Marian Fawcett saw its potential. She leased it for 15 shillings a week and turned it into her country house.

The most recent owner is Liz Griffin. The mother-of-eight bought the mill in 2008. She has since restored it from top to bottom, starting by replacing the roof to make the top floor watertight which it wasn’t when she moved in. By then her four eldest children had already left home but the four youngest spent their teenage years there.

Today, the ground floor provides ample space for the well equipped 21st century kitchen, dining room and cloakroom. There are two bedrooms and a shower room on the first floor.

The sitting room takes up the whole of the second floor. There are two more bedrooms and a bathroom and en suite shower room on the third floor.

The master suite with dressing room is on the fourth floor and beneath the conical loft on the fifth storey are what remains of the original mill mechanism such as the drive wheel to which the wooden sails were attached and the winding machinery.

Since the last of Liz’s children left home, she’s been renting it out as a holiday cottage. It’s become a popular destination particularly for large family get-togethers – it can sleep up to ten – but now she’s decided the administration involved with running a business is too time consuming.

“When I was 50 I retrained as a teacher. I work three days a week,” she explains, admitting: “I’d hoped to keep the mill because I love historic buildings. I’ll be sorry to leave but it needs a new family to enjoy living here. It’s in very good nick.”

*Wendover Mill is for sale through Savills in Amersham (01494 725636).