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Miller for the Day

Miller for Day Steve Holden July 2015It could not have been a better day for Steve Holden, of Rocester in Staffs, who was Miller for the Day recently.  On a warm day the sun shone brightly and there was a steady 20 mph wind, which made flour  milling operations imperative for the qualified millers Brian Naylor  and Alan Eccleston.  They acted as Steve’s mentors through the day, teaching him, amongst many things, how to open up the mill, stop and start the sails and how to control their speed.

Above all he was able to assist in the actual milling of grain, and during the day they milled over 175 Kg of flour! As Steve said: ‘I had a great time.  Many thanks to everyone for making me so welcome. It was one of the best things I’ve done in ages and would love to come back and spend another day milling.’

He was presented with a certificate to mark his day and left the mill quite delighted. We, of course, would be happy to welcome him back!

Details of how to become a ‘Miller for the Day’ can be found here

Classic Motor Bikes – Best One Yet

DSC_0108Heage Windmill had a hugely successful Classic Motor Bike Day on the first Sunday in July.

Exceeding all expectations, we had a massive turnout of British, Italian and Japanese Road and Racing motor bikes.

The apron area in front of the mill was full of bikes, and included a great assortment of bikes carefully restored to their original gleaming condition by their owners.

It was estimated that at one time there were between 300 and 400  bikes on show  included a BSA Rocket, a Kawasaki 750 Dragster,  Suzuki T20 , dating from 1967, along with more well known models such as  Matchless, Royal Enfield and Triumph.

The bikes were supported by various stalls and food outlets and the decent weather was enjoyed by all.

bikes at mill 2015Lynn Allen, who organised the event, assisted  by Simon Bartlett representing the various bike  clubs,  said: ‘ Today was easily the most successful bike event we have run at the mill.  There were so many people on site that we actually ran out of visitor badges.’

It goes without saying that we look forward to welcoming the bikes back again next season!

Alan approved as flour miller

Alan Eccleston - Flour Miller CertificateControlling and operating a 200 year old machine is not a task  for the faint hearted. Apart from learning how to using the various controls for the sails and other machinery, they have to learn to observe the weather, especially the wind, as its direction and force are essential factors  to the safe operations of the mill.

Everyone who ‘drives’ Heage Windmill undergoes a lengthy training period and then has to pass a practical ‘exam’ before he or she is permitted to be in sole control of the windmill. However those millers who seek to produce the renowned Heage flours, using the traditional mill stones,  still  has to continue to gain more experience.  The miller is now producing a ‘foodstuff’ so, apart from learning how to operate the mill stones and the feed and processing gear, he/she now has to ensure compliance to numerous regulations, something which the old-time miller never even knew about.

Heage Windmill Portraits 024Retired Rolls-Royce engineer Alan Eccleston, who lives in nearby Lower Hartshay, has just met all these exacting requirement and over the weekend was awarded his ‘Flour Miller Certificate’ by Piers Bostock, Chairman of Heage Windmill Society. In making the award Piers said ‘He  was delighted to welcome  Alan as a fully qualified person who could mill grain into flour –there are not many of them.’ Alan on his part said: ‘Ever since becoming a volunteer at the mill I have aspired to be able to mill and I am now delighted to join the elite group of qualified windmillers here at Heage’.

Don’t forget: Flour is normally on sale every weekend at the windmill, although sometimes lack of wind deems otherwise!

 

Windmill gains TripAdvisor Excellence Award

TripAdvisor CertificateHeage Windmill’s visitors have recognised the windmill’s wonderful customer experience, gaining us a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award.

Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great  reviews on TripAdvisor.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor takes into account the quality, quantity and current nature of reviews and opinions submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period.  To qualify, an attraction must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five over a 12-month period.

Piers Bostock, Chairman of Heage Windmill Society said: ‘There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s visitors. We always have tried to offer a great experience but this is the crust on our loaf when our visitors themselves declare how well we perform. I congratulate all of our team of volunteers for their tremendous and consistent  efforts.’

Mills ‘On The Air’

Nunsfield 2015Coinciding with National Mills Weekend, we hosted the Nunsfield House Amateur Radio Group who were taking part in ‘Mills On The Air’, when amateur radio groups set up radio stations at mill sites all over Britain and the world. This year the Nunsfield House group brought a mighty mobile aerial mast, which must have been 60 feet tall.

Over the two days they broadcasted to and received messages from other mill sites.

A very successful weekend and thank you to them for letting the country and Europe know about the wonderful mill at Heage.

A Major Minor Event

Morris Minors 2015 001Members of ‘Mad Mog’ (Mansfield and District Minor Owners Group) and the East Midlands Morris Minor Owners Club dropped in at Heage Windmill on the last Sunday in April.

Around 15 cars arrived, dating from the 1950s onwards.  Many types were represented, including the old  split windscreen, four door, two door travellers with wooden framing,  etc.

There was also a good selection of traditional Morris Minor colours including the well-known Clarendon Grey and others such as Almond Green, Bedouin, Almond and Empire Green.

 

 

 

Fire Drill at Mill

Fire Drill 004The fire crew at Alfreton came to our mill for a training exercise, seeking to get a ‘casualty’ from the upper floor of the mill. The team of five, led by Incident Commander Andy Lee, arrived in a very shining Scandia fire engine and quickly sorted how they could best use the mill sack hoist shaft  to get the casualty down to ground level.

It was  an interesting visit for everyone involved and one we hope never has to be carried out for real!

Opening Ceremony – April 4

Heage Windmill 2015 Opening 012Our windmill is now open for 2015, with the opening ceremony ribbon being cut by John Boucher, a former Heage Windmill volunteer who played a vital role in bringing the windmill to life.

Prior to the opening, John drove down to the mill  on a 1948 Fordson Tractor, loaned for the occasion by John Allsop of Heage. Mr Boucher, who was the Project manager  for the restoration of the windmill in 2002, was welcomed by the Town Crier of Belper; Piers Bostock, Chair of Heage Windmill Society; and Angela Ward, Chair of the Friends of the Mill. Angela spoke at length of the debt the mill owed to John for his expertise in the bringing the mill back to life, and becoming a major Tourist attraction in Amber Valley. She also thanked the diminishing band of volunteers who keep the mill open, appealing for any potential new recruits to come and join  in the good work.

John was presented with a specially made book by John Hunter of the Friends to mark the occasion, illustrating his work over a 50 year span in working on various mills, including Heage.  In 2003, John was responsible for producing the first flour at the windmill for almost a 100 years and, in front of a sizeable gathering of supporters, said he was immensely proud and delighted to be invited to declare the mill open for its 14th season.

See Gallery below for more photos.  See photos here from the Derby Telegraph.

 

 

Display of Artefacts at Windmill

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Heage Windmill now has a display board showing artefacts discovered during the restoration of the windmill between 1996 and 2002.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhen the site at Heage was cleared, many artefacts – mainly made of iron – were found buried in and around the mill. In addition there were numerous pieces removed from the mill as they were either broken or worn out (see photo). These were collected together and in due course moved into covered store where they have been conserved but not displayed.

As they represented something of  the mill’s past, a number of the mill maintenance team felt ‘something should be done’ with them on a more permanent basis. The various items were therefore carefully identified and the concept of a display was born. There is no spare space inside the building so a large board, mounted on posts, was conceived and the various piece mounted onto it.

All the pieces have been treated with preservative and the board itself can be demounted for internal storage during the closed season. Our guides have all been briefed and are able to explain in more detail than the small labels on the board can offer and what they represent.

 

The result  is the current display board and our thanks are extended to the volunteers who assembled and presented  this collection of our mill’s heritage.

 

 

Photo shows a collection of roller tie bars, as removed from the mill during restoration in 2002.