All Sails Set….

Heage Windmill, Derbyshire

As it was National Mill Weekend and to continue Saturdays theme we thought we would take a Guided Tour of our local Windmill.  Built in 1787 Heage Windmill has seen some tough times.  It was for most of it life very productive but the weather reaped havoc to those large sails on several occasions…repairs were always expensive.  On one occasion in order to improve productivity the mill that was once a four sail mill was upgraded to 6 sails to increase both speed of rotation and of course milling capacity.  Heage Windmill fell in to disrepair but thanks to a team of enthusiastic volunteers this Grade 11 listed building was slowly restored.

By 2002 the Mill was once more grinding Flour (as it does today) and is the only working stone-towered six-sailed windmill working in England.

So join us on a brief tour.  Note that whilst the grinding stones are indeed stone millstone most of the gearwheels and drive shafts are wood….a tribute to the original craftsmen and the modern day volunteers.

I think what was so amazing, that with a quick pull of a chain by the Miller, the sails were opened to catch the wind…..I say wind but it was only a light breeze yet it was powerful enough to set those sails spinning at quite a lick….I wonder what a proper wind would do?

14th May

(C) David Oakes 2018