Once again, Heage Windmill supported the local church – St. Luke’s – in their annual flower festival, to celebrate the onset (somewhat belatedly this year!) of summer.
The church was festooned with floral displays as the windmill.
The now traditional spinning of a spiders web at Heage windmill took place in lovely sunny conditions at Heage on the windmill’s last day of opening.
Friends of the mill and visitors were all guided by head ‘spider’ Lynn Allen along with her assistant, Jack Evans, into the intricacies of making a web from very stretchy elastic and then carrying and laying it on the field adjacent to the 220-year-old windmill.
This year a good number of adults turned up as well as some children proving that this is an event for people of all ages.
The windmill closed for the winter at 4-00pm on the 29th October and re-opens on 31st March 2018.
In spite of her slumbers the Mill will wake up from time to time as Flour will be on sale at the mill, as available, on the second Saturday of each month, from November until March, from 10-00am until 1-00 pm.
The Mill will also be open for Santa Day on December 3rd when we welcome Santa to use it as his grotto. More details will follow on this event at a later date.
Alan Gifford
Trustee HWS
The windmill will be open during 2017 (11-00am to 4-00pm) every weekend from
April 1st until the end of October.
Over 400 visitors came to the windmill to enjoy Santa Day last Sunday, December 3rd.
After a very cold week the day dawned cloudy but dry and relatively mild which pleased our Santa who was glad to get away from all that snow up in Lapland.
Santa arrived on a motorised sledge, (kindly loaned by Amber Valley Rotary Club) and was greeted by a crowd of happy and excited youngsters. He soon made himself comfortable in his grotto on the ground floor of the windmill and during his visit saw over 100 children, each of whom received a specially wrapped present from him.
All our visitors enjoyed the entertainments and refreshments available in the nearby marquee and on site, whilst they waited their turn to meet Father Christmas.
To pass the time while waiting, there were various games to play, raffles, Hug a Husky and food, including the very popular hot food van providing a range of things according to taste.
Angela Ward, Chair of the Friends of the Windmill said: ‘It’s been a great day. Every one of our volunteers has worked hard to make it a success and, above all, the profits will all go to keeping the windmill working. It was also good to see so many people on site enjoying themselves.’
At what is now a cherished annual event, well over 100 classic motor bikes made Heage Windmill their destination on Sunday 21st May.
On a bright if largely cloudy day, visitors poured in to see, touch, snap and discuss the bikes, which were of all types, ranging from tourers to out and out racers.
There were some well known makes such as BSA , Honda, Royal Enfield but notable were a trio of beautiful Vincents, some Harley Davidsons, an MV Augusta and there was even a rare Russian machine on display.
At one point, David Hitchcock from Alvaston appeared on an unusual bike: a genuine US Secret Service Motorcade Support Vehicle. In his shades and dark leathers, he replicated the cyborg villain from Terminator 2!
There were a number of back up stalls, including a Tombola and a selection of lovely jewellery, whilst refreshments were in high demand.
All in all the day was a pronounced success, with great feedback from all involved. All profits will go into keeping the mill working and improving the facilities.
The Veteran Car Club made it a memorable National Mills weekend, organised by the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and supported by Heage Windmill, who welcomed large numbers of visitors on both Saturday and Sunday.
There were 27 cars from the Veteran Car Club, whose members owned cars dating from the 1930s and earlier.
The oldest car was a 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 Tourer whilst the ‘newest’ was a Riley 12/4, dating from 1937.
The cars arrived and departed throughout the day and attracted much attention from mill visitors.
In a corner of the site the Nunsfield Radio Club set up a mobile radio station and made a total of 114 contacts with places as far away as eastern Russia and the United States. They also managed to contact 14 similar clubs who were based at other wind and water mills in this country, although radio air conditions did not favour local contacts.
This Sunday we again have a rally of classic road and racing motor bikes, from a variety of countries including Britain Italy and Japan, all assembled at the windmill, from 11-00 until about 4-00pm.
There will be a great assortment of these bikes, most carefully restored to their original gleaming condition by their now loving owners.
The bikes on show could well include a BSA Rocket, a Kawasaki 750 Dragster, Suzuki T20 – dating from 1967 – as well as more well-known models, such as Matchless, Royal Enfield and Triumph.
There will be great photo opportunities as well as maybe a chance to sit on one of the ‘beasts’.
The event will be again backed up by our popular bric-a brac stall (weather permitting) where the item you have been looking for could just be available.
There will also be a burger van on site for the day. And, of course, our dear ‘Old Lady’, the 220 year old windmill, will be open for guided tours.
BBC Radio Derby presenter Aleena Naylor, accompanied by husband Paul and daughter Unity, officially opened Heage Windmill’s 2017 season.
As is usual at our windmill openings, our guest of honour made a grand entrance driving a vintage tractor kindly provided by John Allsop of Belper.
Amidst the celebration was poignancy at the sight of the Derbyshire flag flying at half-mast in memory of Andy Potter, the last Radio Derby presenter to open the windmill in 2014. Andy died only a few months ago.
Opening proceedings, Trustees Chairman Piers Bostock, welcomed volunteers, friends and visitors and spoke of Andy Potter as a great friend and supporter of the windmill. Aleena said she was ‘very moved’ to see the flag, then wished the windmill well for the season ahead and cut the ribbon – with a bit of help from Unity.
Angela Ward, Chair of the Friends of Heage Windmill, thanked all the volunteers for their support and then made an impassioned appeal for more volunteers to help keep the sails turning.
Following a presentation of flowers to Aleena – and a cuddly rabbit and Easter Egg for Unity presented by our own Easter bunny Wosemary Rabbit – Aleena’s family went on a tour inside the windmill, conducted by miller Danny Ashley. The photos below show what a great family day out can be had visiting the windmill.
The Bank Holiday celebrations continue on Monday when Wosemary Rabbit will lead an Easter Egg Hunt.
James Clark, who is a grandson of Stuart George, maintenance volunteer at the mill, took these outstanding aerial shots of Heage Windmill during our last Tractor Day.
On a pleasant, some time sunny day, with a steady wind to turn the sails, Heage Windmill entertained a multifarious collection of 39 tractors.
They were supported by a restored 1920s steam traction engine* which itself was backed up by two (3” to a foot) working scale models of steam tractors – both of which were giving rides to children – old and young.
A surprise visitor was a wartime restored 1942 25lb Howitzer Gun, towed by a 1943 Morris C8. We have never had such a large weapon on site before!
We also had about a dozen portable steam engines on site, all in working order. These, together with tractors, helped to replace horses on farms over the last 100 years.
There were a very large number of visitors to the site who enjoyed the veteran machines, with many taking on the mill tours where our guides explained the history of the mill and how it worked. They also took full advantage of our bric a brac stall and came away with bargains galore.
All in all – a great day for everyone.
*The Garratt Traction Engine, owned by David Bosworth from Smalley, was built in 1920. She is called ‘Queen Mary’, as named when built, and was first used for moving goods, mainly timber, along public roads. Powered by coal and water, she would travel up to 15 miles before she needed more water, even though she could hold up to 250 gallons.
Heage Windmill has won Best Volunteer Project in the Derbyshire Heritage Awards for its Trouble at Mill Appeal (TAMA).
The award honours the magnificent efforts made by volunteers at Heage to get the windmill quickly back in action after wet rot was discovered in the cap structure.
The event was attended by Angela Ward, Chair of the Friends of the windmill, Lynn Allen representing the fundraising team and Alan Clark, who was one of operations team, both teams being set up to deal with the emergency following the discovery of wet rot in August 2015.
As Angela reports: ‘It was quite nail biting as I think we were in the most contested category and I believe there may have been 6 or 7 worthy contenders. When Andy Potter (Radio Derby) announced the winners as Heage Windmill, I felt so privileged to represent the Friends & Volunteers of the Mill, such an excellent team of hardworking, committed and enthusiastic people who give their time freely to ensure that the ‘Old Lady’ keeps turning for everyone to enjoy. The award was just the icing on the cake after a demanding time getting her better!’
The award plaque will be on permanent display as soon as this can be organised.
Heage Windmill is open every Saturday and Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from April to the end of October, 11am to 4pm. For Admission Prices, Details of Group and School Visits and Where to Find us, click here >
In the early 19th century, Britain had 10,000 windmills. Heage Windmill experienced fluctuating fortunes until the Heage Windmill Society was formed in 1995. To discover Heage Windmill's history and how it was restored to working order, click here >
All our flour is stoneground at the windmill from wheat grown in this country and can normally be bought at the mill during visiting times, and at Bakewell Farmers' Markets every month. For more about our flour, click here >
Heage Windmill cannot operate without volunteers, so why not join us? To read more about the different ways you can help - as a miller, guide, working in the shop or helping out at the farmers' markets, click here >
| Belper, GB |
 |
26°C few clouds |
|
Wind
1 mph, E
Humidity
54%
Pressure
1.02 bar
|
||
| Day | Cond. | Temp. | Wind | Humidity | PressurePres. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fri jul 11 | |
30/22°C | 2 mph, S | 50% | 1.02 bar |
| sat jul 12 |  |
29/14°C | 8 mph, NE | 77% | 1.02 bar |
| sun jul 13 | |
24/14°C | 9 mph, NE | 70% | 1.02 bar |
| mon jul 14 |  |
26/14°C | 8 mph, ENE | 90% | 1.01 bar |
| tue jul 15 | |
23/9°C | 9 mph, SW | 85% | 1.02 bar |
Please note the wind speed. If it is more than 5 or 6 mph, then normally the sails will be turning.
Heage Windmill is owned by Derbyshire CC but is controlled and operated by Heage Windmill Society, a charitable organisation (Reg Charity No 1065980), to whom all profits from running the windmill are donated by the Friends to help ensure its continued preservation
