Herne Windmill was built by John Holman in 1789 when he was working for Sweetlove, the Wingham millwright.

In 1858, the mill was raised, and a two-storey brick base built underneath it.

Frank Wootton, the miller, sought the assistance of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and after Rex Wailes made a report on the mill, two sails from the Black Mill, Forncett End, Norfolk were fitted by Thomas Hunt of Soham, Cambridgeshire in 1936.

A new pair of sails was constructed by Hunt, the work being made possible by support from SPAB, the Duchess of Kent and Trinity House.

It has four double patent sails carried on a cast-iron windshaft, housed in a Kentish-style cap.