We ask for "Donations to Visit" with suggested minimum of Adult £3.00, Child (5 to 15) £1.50.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
From 2022 we now ask for "Donations to Visit" with suggested minimum of Adult £3.00, Child (5 to 15) £1.50. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
At the entrance to the windmill, there are 3 steps down into the basement of the windmill. Inside, all four floors can be visited, however the access between floors is only by fairly steep steps and ladders. Unfortunately, this all makes the mill rather inaccessible to most disabled people. As a historic listed building with limited space, it is impossible to alter this situation. However disabled visitors are welcome to see the outside of the windmill, and there is a folder of information available for them to look at, which includes photos of each floor inside the windmill, as well as copies of most of the displays in the basement of the windmill.
It is necessary for visitors to park in Pink Road, and then walk up the path to the windmill, as we have no access for visitors' cars. Cycles can be brought up the path, but no motorcycles please.
Visitors should be aware that we have no catering facilities at the windmill. However, there will usually be a hired portable toilet available for visitors. We sell postcards, pencils, mugs, drawings and diagrams of the windmill, small books about mills in general, as well as our own booklet about Lacey Greeen Windmill. This is available by post - please click here for details.
There is a large display of photographs in the basement of the mill, showing some of its history over the last century, including the restoration that has been carried out since 1971. There are also displays about other mills and some of the more technical aspects of Lacey Green Windmill. Volunteer wardens are on duty when the windmill is open, they will be pleased to try and answer any questions, and show people around the mill.
The windmill is at the north end of the village of Lacey Green. The village is on the Chiltern escarpment, 2 miles south of Princes Risborough. For those who use maps or electronic means of finding their way around, I list the following details:
The NGR (National Grid Reference) of the windmill is SP 81920 00780.
The Postcode is HP27 0PG (Pink Road for parking) or HP27 0QG (Main Road for footpath to windmill and bus stops).
The OSGB co-ordinates (Ordnance Survey of Great Briain) X (Eastings) and Y (Northings) are X = 481920 and Y = 200780. These might need various prefixes in different systems.
The WGS84 co-ordinates (World Geodetic System 1984) are Latitude = 51.699800 (N) and Longitude = -0.816040 (W). These might need various prefixes in different systems.
A pdf version of the above map (which can easily be printed) is available by clicking here (set to open in a new window or tab)
LANDRANGER MAPS: The windmill is on Map 165 (Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard).
EXPLORER MAPS: The windmill is just at the base of Map 181 (Chiltern Hills North).
(any links here are set to open in new windows or tabs)
GOOGLE MAPS: Click here then in the "Search Google Maps" box enter Lacey Green Windmill.
Lacey Green is most easily accessed from the A4010, the main road between High Wycombe and Aylesbury.
IF TRAVELLING FROM THE NORTH, or Aylesbury, drive through Monks Risborough and Princes Risborough on the A4010. In Princes Risborough (with Tesco in front of you) turn left at the first roundabout, and turn right at the second roundabout. Continue on the A4010 which is signposted to High Wycombe.
After leaving the town of Princes Risborough, take the first turning on the left (signposted to Lacey Green). After a sharp bend to the right you will climb up the hill onto the Chilterns. Just at the very top of the hill turn left into Pink Road, where you will see The Whip pub. Park on the left hand side of Pink Road.
Immediately beside the right hand side of the pub, you will find a path to walk up to the windmill.
IF TRAVELLING FROM THE SOUTH, or High Wycombe and the M40 Junction 4 (from London direction), drive by the A4010 (from Handy Cross) and A40 to West Wycombe. At the Pedestal roundabout (with a Shell garage on your right) turn right onto the A4010, signposted to Princes Risborough and Aylesbury.
After passing under a railway bridge, take the first turning on the right, through the village of Bradenham, passing the village green on your right. Continue up through the woods to the top of the hill at Walters Ash. Turn left at the T junction. You will pass RAF High Wycombe on your left and a section of straight road will lead you to the southern end of Lacey Green village.
Drive through the village (for a mile) until you see that the road is going to start going down the hill. At this point turn right into Pink Road, passing The Whip pub on your right. Park on the left hand side of Pink Road.
Immediately beside the right hand side of the pub, you will find a path to walk up to the windmill.
IF TRAVELLING FROM THE WEST, or Thame and the M40 Junction 8A (from Birmingham direction), drive from Thame on the A4129 to Princes Risborough. On reaching the town itself (with Tesco on your right), take the second road off the first roundabout (which is the A4010, and turn right at the second roundabout. Continue on the A4010 which is signposted to High Wycombe.
After leaving the town of Princes Risborough, take the first turning on the left (signposted to Lacey Green). After a sharp bend to the right you will climb up the hill onto the Chilterns. Just at the very top of the hill turn left into Pink Road, where you will see The Whip pub. Park on the left hand side of Pink Road.
Immediately beside the right hand side of the pub, you will find a path to walk up to the windmill.
IF TRAVELLING FROM THE EAST, or Great Missenden and Chesham, you would be advised to have a detailed map available to help you get to Lacey Green through Great Hampden. After passing the Pink and Lily pub, you will find you are on the edge of the Chiltern escarpment, falling away to your right. You are now on Pink Road, at the end you will find The Whip pub on your left. Park on the right hand side of Pink Road, before reaching the pub and road junction.
Immediately beside the right hand side of the pub, you will find a path to walk up to the windmill.
A pdf version of the above (which can easily be printed) is available by clicking here (set to open in a new window or tab)
These details were last amended on 27 August 2024.
On 14 May 2024, Arriva Buses suddenly announced that they were closing their bus depots in High Wycombe and Aylesbury, and ceasing nearly all their bus routes in Buckinghamshire (from late July), which would include the X9 (previously 300) between High Wycombe and Aylesbury, through Lacey Green.
From the end of July 2024, Carousel/Redline Buses are now running the same route through Lacey Green, which will once again be called Route 300. Their timetable shows an hourly sevice on Sundays, but NO service on Bank Holiday Mondays.
Route 300 - HIGH WYCOMBE to LACEY GREEN - On Sunday afternoons, the buses are scheduled to leave High Wycombe Bus Station at 30 minutes past each hour, and to arrive at Lacey Green (Whip PH) 21 minutes later at 51 minutes past each hour. The return journey is scheduled to leave Lacey Green (Whip PH) at 2 minutes past each hour, to arrive at High Wycombe Bus Station at 23 minutes past each hour.
Route 300 - AYLESBURY to LACEY GREEN - On Sunday afternoons, the buses are scheduled to leave Aylesbury Bus Station at 30 minutes past each hour, and to arrive at Lacey Green (Whip PH) 32 minutes later at 2 minutes past each hour. The return journey is scheduled to leave Lacey Green (Whip PH) at 51 minutes past each hour, to arrive at Aylesbury Bus Station at 24 minutes past each hour.
Although the bus stop is known as The Whip PH, the Whip has been closed since mid March 2024. The Bus Stop on the same side of the road as The Whip and the windmill is for buses travelling to High Wycombe, and the stop on the opposite side of the road is for buses travelling to Aylesbury.
Click on Redline Buses Timetables and then click on Route 130/300 to see bus timetables.(set to open in new window or tab)
These details were last checked on 22 February 2024.
On Sundays, Princes Risborough Station is served by Chiltern Railways services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street, or Oxford, or Aylesbury. However please be aware that not all trains stop at Princes Risborough.
Trains from Aylesbury are not as easy as using the Arriva Bus X9, which is a better alternative, as it travels through Lacey Green village, stopping very close to the windmill.
Click on Chiltern Railways to see train timetables. (set to open in new window or tab)
Lacey Green Windmill is 2 miles from Princes Risborough station, but to walk by road is not really advisable as some of the road is very narrow. A large amount is also uphill, so not easy for all. There are unfortunately no easily identifiable footpaths as an alternative.
Please note that taxis are not normally available at Princes Risborough station on Sundays, but it is not a long walk from the station to the A4010, where the X9 bus runs, as detailed above, although note that this is only an hourly service when the windmill is open on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.
Turn left out of Princes Risborough station building, then the access road turns to the right. Turn right again along Station Road, keeping on Station Road where it turns to the left. Turn next right into Poppy Road. At the end you will come to the main A4010 road. You will need to cross this road to the bus stop on the opposite side for buses on Route X9 towards Lacey Green and High Wycombe.
In these days of people seeking sustainable forms of transport that are friendly to the environment, then we have to mention that the Chiltern Way footpath passes very close to Lacey Green Windmill, in fact through a gate beside the bus stop mentioned above, where buses on Route X9 stop on their way from Aylesbury to High Wycombe.
So if you feel like walking to the windmill then a fine way of exploring the Chilterns is via the Chiltern Way which is a footpath of around 180 miles (or 300km) that the Chiltern Society has established around the Chiltern Hills. Of course, if you intend walking from a great distance, then you will have the added challenge of timing your walk to arrive at Lacey Green Windmill during the three hours that we open on around 30 days each year.
We have Brown Tourist Signs directing visitors from the A4010, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE OPEN, and once arriving in Lacey Green, at the top of the hill a sign directs visitors down Pink Road for parking, and another sign shows the location of the footpath to the windmill. As we are only open on around 30 afternoons each year, the signs are folded away at times the windmill is closed. We are grateful to the Chilterns Conservation Board and Buckinghamshire County Council, for enabling us to have these signs fitted.
On A4010
In Lacey Green
We are pleased to consider requests for special visits by interested groups, such as local history societies. They give the opportunity to have a more in-depth and exclusive tour than visiting on our usual Open Days. However, due to space on each floor, they have to be restricted to a maximum of 15 people.
Special Visits cannot be accommodated during our normal opening hours, as they would inevitably restrict access for other visitors who often travel considerable distances to visit the windmill during our normal published opening hours. Special Visits also have to be restricted to the months of April to September, as the interior of the windmill is changed to its winter mode for the other 6 months.
We are occasionally asked if groups of artists can visit to make drawings or paintings of the windmill. We have very restricted space around the windmill, which is all private land. The driveway cannot be blocked as it is used by residents, Windmill Farm, and customers of Windmill Beauty Barn. It is not possible to use the fields either side of the driveway, as they are either in use for livestock or growing hay crops.
Unfortunately, when special arrangements have been made in the past, we have been let down by groups not turning up, and sometimes not even offering apologies. Others have ignored specific requests on where they could set up their equipment. Some have even been annoyed about the direction that the sails are facing, and that the cap can turn whilst they are painting. As working machinery, the cap is left to turn for the windmill's own safety, and we will not stop it turning, other than for essential maintenance work.
Therefore the Windmill Restoration Committee and the Farmer decided in March 2015 that we will no longer be able to agree to any such requests from artists.
Although we are obviously pleased that the windmill is seen as an important part of the Chilterns landscape, and people wish to portray it as such, our decision has been taken after various problems which have occurred over many years.
We are often asked if people can fly drones to photograph or film the windmill. We have to respect the wishes of our landlord regarding all forms of access to the windmill, and partly due to inconsiderate and dangerous experiences in the past, sometimes from people not seeking any permission at all, we have to decline any requests for flying over or near the windmill.
We also know of instances where drones have collided with windmills, where even minor damage could be costly and time consuming to repair, and could interfere with the working machinery of the windmill, which in turn could put the windmill itself at risk.
We fully appreciate that there are a whole range of drone pilots, from somebody who has just got a toy drone out of a box, through to fully qualified professionals with sophisticated equipment. However this decision is final, and also takes into account the interests of all local residents and livestock.
This page ( visitors.php ) was last updated on 27 August 2024.
The Chiltern Society is a Registered Charity No 1085163 and a Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales Registration No 4138448.