Firstly we exclude the modern wind farms, wind turbines and their ilk designed for energy production and despoiling the landscape. Windmill has the clue in the name, a mill that uses wind!
Which area of the county has the greatest number of watermills and a tradition of maintaining them? In York there are 23, Beverly 19, and the surprise Hull with 29. There are fewer in the West Riding but do not ignore 4 at Aberford and Barwick in Elmet. Information from Watermill World
Perhaps Hull is not so surprising with its port and connections with Holland. Maud Foster Mill, notionally in Lincolnshire is an English tower mill was built in 1819 for the Reckitt brithers who at the time were corn factors. Their milling and baking then launched the Hull based business of Reckitt and Coleman as suppliers of starch.
Every organisation or interest group seems to have a national day and Windmills have coined two days in 2018 to promote their preservation. National Mills Weekend will be on 13 May 2023 and includes watermills. Part of The charity ‘Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) reg no. 1113753.