Rayleigh Windmill is a restored tower mill built in 1809, standing in the grounds of Rayleigh Mount. It is one of the few working windmills in Essex and operates as a small museum covering the history of milling and local history. The mill worked commercially for about 60 years before being preserved, and the original millstones and much of the machinery survive intact.
The windmill is open on selected weekends and during school holidays; volunteers run demonstrations of the machinery when conditions allow. Combined with the adjacent Rayleigh Mount, the Rayleigh Town Museum, and the Dutch Cottage a few hundred metres away, it forms the core of a worthwhile tour of the town's historic quarter. Entry to the windmill museum is free.