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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Inglinghem windmill, also known as the Guilleman windmill, is a windmill built in limestone and brick. Located near a farm in Mentque-Nortbécourt, it has lost its roof and shows traces of levels marked by ressalts. Currently in poor condition and inaccessible by a private road, it bears witness to a declining rural industrial heritage. Its partial mechanism was reused to restore the mill of Saint-Martin-au-Laërt in Pas-de-Calais.

According to oral sources, this mill dates from the 18th century and would have operated until 1954. He was still active in 1891 as Guilleman, reflecting his local economic role. Disused since then, he was partially listed as a Historic Monument in 1977, protecting his remains (cadastre B 11). Its current condition does not allow for visits or reuse.

The mill illustrates the evolution of milling techniques and the gradual abandonment of windmills in the 20th century. These structures, once vital for agricultural communities, declined with the mechanization and centralization of production. In Hauts-de-France, a region marked by agriculture, these mills symbolized the autonomy of villages before being replaced by industrial mills.

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