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Page 11

Newsletter 92, Spring 2011  © Hampshire Mills Group

 

Tail Race ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mill is never silent while the damsel sings her song

 

 

Amongst the many mills for sale here are some new to the market: 

Hele Watermill, nr Ilfracombe, Devon  and its tearoom, is well known to west country holidaymakers. www.helecornmill.com.   Everybody must know Jack Windmill at Clayton which is partially converted to living quarters and partners the white Jill Windmill. Duncton Mill Roundhouse (of the original Duncton Mill) sits adjacent to Jack, connected via double doors it is currently used as a workshop. Jack played a significant part in the Michael Caine film, The Black Windmill. For sale thru Savills.  Lovedays Mill, Painswick, Gloucs., A stone built, converted, large, former water driven textile mil. The Old Flax Mill Nr Coleraine, County Londonderry BT51.  Paston Windmill at Stow in Norfolk  A fine tower mill in the village. http://www.stowmill.co.uk/history.html  Finally, Alvechurch, on Weatheroak Hill nr Birmingham – a converted tower mill surmounted with a 360degree viewing room. Google each mill on the internet for histories and/or sales brochures.

Meanwhile, these windmills are all facing problems and need a great deal of help: Argos Hill Mill at Mayfield in East Sussex is a grade II* listed post mill now in need of urgent repairs. A fund raising campaign hopes to raise £100K in 2011. To enable shoring up the mill with a temporary steel framework, while the main structural timbers can be repaired or replaced. Keep up to date with the Friends of Argos Hill Mill on Twitter @ArgosHillMill and have your say on the Mills Archive Trust’s Blogsite on: www.millsarchive.org

Burgh le Marsh Windmill, High Street, Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire.  The Skegness Standard reports that Sub-zero temperatures have caused a burst pipe at Burgh Le Marsh Windmill, which has drowned out its cafe and toilet facilities and left it hanging in the balance between being saved and being written off forever.” Sutton Windmill, Britain’s tallest, towering over the Norfolk Broads, is losing timber from its cap and is in a worrying condition. North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) experts say the 79.5ft-tall mill is not a safety risk and the mill’s owners warn they cannot afford the six-figure sum needed fully to restore the 18th-century mill - but both have pledged to work together in a bid to preserve an important piece of Norfolk’s heritage.

Thorpeness (aka Aldringham) Mill was sold by Suffolk County Council for £72,100 (AP £150,000); now councillors are being questioned over this apparent “fire sale”.  New owners say it was in a very poor state but pledge to restore to its former glory. 

UpminsterMill in Essex first opened in 1803, was selected as the building to represent Havering on the series of London Borough Olympic badges. The Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust is now working with Havering Sixth Form College to create an archive of historic pictures and people’s memories of the windmill.  It’s hoped to create more interest in the mill locally and raise the necessary funds through a Lottery Grant to repair its deteriorating structure.   Most of these mills have been brought to our attention by William Hill who emails monthly bulletins but here is another gem, this time from Windmill World, another source of mill news items:  A video is now available which shows Moving Robertson's Windmill at Colonial Williamsburg, USA. The little white post mill was found to be inoperable due to the height of the many surrounding trees and so it was moved in August, 2010, to a new site.  The film has good narration.  And finally, House Mill, London.  William Hill writes to correct some of the press release whoopsies faithfully printed in our last newsletter: “The HLF has awarded us around £250,000 as development funds, and then our next bid, for delivery funds, will be for £2.6million; we have a lot of work, surveys etc to do and commission before then. The current House Mill was used for grinding grain for the production of grain for gin, and not flour. We hope that what is exciting about this project, is that it is projected that the four water wheels, together with contemporary external turbines, will be used to generate hydroelectricity, which will be excellent both as an education tool and an income stream, to ensure long-term sustainability of the buildings here.”   

The Editor gratefully acknowledges all contributors and sources.

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