Although there had been a windmill in Upminster since at least 1768,[2] this mill was built for James Nokes of Hunt's Farm in Corbets Tey Road in 1803 on land transferred from Bridge House Farm which was owned by his brother William.

A steam engine was added early in 1811 driving two pairs of millstones, an action which increased the rateable value of the mill from £30 to £77.

Thomas Abraham purchased the mill in 1857, having previously been in the employ of Nokes at both West Thurrock windmill and Upminster.

In 1889 the mill was struck by lightning and on 5 January 1900 the windshaft snapped at the neck and the sails crashed to the ground.

After the death of John Arkell Abraham, the mill passed to his nephews Thomas, Alfred and Clement.

The cap is thought to be the work of the millwright William Bear of Ballingdon[5] and is unusual in having an external gallery.

[3] The octagonal cast-iron windshaft has two square sections to take a head wheel and tail wheel as was its intended purpose in a post mill, and was moved to Upminster from a post mill near Maldon in 1899 to replace one broken during a storm.

[3] It carries a 10-foot-4-inch-diameter (3.1 m) composite brake wheel with eight cast-iron arms and six wooden cants.

The wallower is of compass arm construction, 5 feet 4 inches (1.6 m) in diameter with 43 cogs.

At the bottom of the upright shaft, the 10-foot-diameter (3.0 m) compass arm great spur wheel has 126 cogs.

[5] The steam engine was located in a brick building built against the north-east side of the windmill, and drove two pairs of millstones, a centrifugal governor, and a sack hoist.

[3] References for above:-[3][4] The mill is located in a small open space maintained by Havering Council, known as Windmill Field[9] on St Mary's Lane.

Views from the top of the windmill include Canary Wharf and the transmitter at Crystal Palace.