As early as 1736 some mills are known to have existed in Kent. By 1796 this total increased to 95. The demand for milling continued to grow and by 1819-43 it had reached a peak of some 239 mills. By the beginning of the 20th century however the number of mills in use had dropped to 77 and by 1930 only seventy remained of which 16 were powered by wind and a further 12 or so were being driven by oil or gas engines.

Overall around 410 mills have stood in Kent. Smock mills, such as Sandhurst, were typical of later mills. Other than its size and its distinctive feature of five sweeps, the style of Sandhurst was typical of Kent smock mills. It had a cap similar to Union Mill at Cranbrook.

The mill was built in 1844 and was one of a number of mills in the area at that time. A mill at Rolvenden had been on the site of the existing post mill since at least 1596. Beacon Mill at Benenden was shown as one of a pair on the ordnance survey map of 1819-43 and there was also a post mill on the Benenden Sanatorium site until it was pulled down in about 1870. Some six mill sites are known of in Hawkhurst. Union Mill at Cranbrook is of course the best known of local mills.
The first evidence of a windmill in Sandhurst is shown on the survey of 1769. A plan of 1793 shows a mill at Boxhurst Farm on the other side of the main road. The 1819-43 map shows the mill at Boxhurst Farm. It was owned by Jack Collins of Ringle Crouch Green. After a field near the mill, Watchhouse Field, was planted as a hop garden he apparently insisted that the poles obstructed the wind and commissioned a new five-sweep mill on his own farm at Ringle Crouch Green. The post mill at Boxhurst Farm came to grief in a high wind in about 1842.

James Collins commissioned the mill from Millwright Warren of Hawkhurst and it was to become known as Warren’s masterpiece. There was little reason, other than prestige, for constructing it with five sweeps rather than four, in fact there were certain disadvantages. It is the only five sweep corn mill known to have been built on the south of England and for over a century was a well known and notable feature of the landscape.

It drove four pairs of stones, which could all be run together in a strong wind, two for wheat, one for corn cracking and another for oat grinding. This compares with 3 pairs of stones initially installed at Cranbrook.

After James Collins commissioned the mill, he worked it in conjunction with a water mill at Bodiam and was thus able to make the best use of the weather conditions. The Collins family also owned a baker's shop in Sandhurst village as an outlet for the flour and rented it to a baker. On James Collins’ death the mill was taken over by his son Edward and his other son, Thomas, worked the Benenden Mill for some years in the 1870’s. Thomas died on 1914. Edward Collins continued at the mill until his death in about 1911. His sons Edward and Harry worked it for a few months and then it was hired for about a year by C J Bannister of Northiam before it fell into disuse. Harry Collins died in 1946.

A water well was sunk adjacent to the mill and a wind driven pump supplied water locally via a storage tank in the mill. Clem Ransom had located the position for the well by divining. The well was later capped for safety reasons.
The staging was taken down in about 1926 to prevent children climbing on it. The mill gradually decayed until the timber superstructure was removed in the early 1950’s.

The remaining base of the mill was used both as a workshop and for a short time was a scout hut. The flat roof to the base was damaged during the storm of 1987 and the first floor collapsed in the early 1990's