The final weekend in June saw flower displays both inside the windmill and at neighbouring St Luke’s Church to celebrate the Flower Festival in Heage.
Below is a gallery of photos.
Congratulations to Sue Colclough from Clowne for winning this year’s Heage Windmill Art Challenge, now renamed the Margaret Bonsall Art Challenge in honour of the long-time past organiser of the event..
Under largely bright clear blue skies, the competing artists were invited to produce an image of the windmill, in the media of their choice, in just under four hours.
Sue Colclough, a painter with the Barlborough & Clowne Art Group, produced an appealing acrylic representation on canvas.
Certificates and monetary prizes were given out by the two Judges -Bryan Bonsall and Doreen Andrews, both artists from Matlock Artists Society.
Bryan, the husband of the late Margaret, presented her with the new trophy, a Dartington crystal rose bowl, which will be held for one year by the winner.
Second place went to Steven Ullyatt of Derby. Third was Mandy Ahlfors of Heage.
There was also a competition, for juniors under 16, which was won by 7 year old Amy Womble, who lives in nearby Harthill, for her acrylic on canvas.
The event was kindly sponsored by Alan Wilde Coaches of Heage in memory of Albert Wilde.
Heage Windmill is ranked in the top 10 wind and water mills to visit in the UK. The list of mills is published in the May/June issue of the national women’s magazine YOURS. Significantly – we like to think – we have by far the largest photo!
This story was covered by the Derby Telegraph. To read the article, click here.
Heage Windmill celebrated National Mills weekend by welcoming vintage tractors, ‘superior’ motorbikes and a radio club. In spite of the showers, visitors turned up in their numbers to enjoy the vintage transport.
The vintage tractors are a popular annual attraction and it was a pleasure for visitors to see such gleaming, beautifully restored tractors on display alongside their proud owners.
We also had a first-time visit from the Brough Superior Bikes Group, based in Winster. On display were some of the few Brough Superiors remaining in this country. Some of them have been known to fetch up to £250,000.
These vintage bikes, which were manufactured in the East Midlands between 1919 and 1940, were dubbed the ‘Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles.’ One famous owner – he had 7 – was Lawrence of Arabia.
We are delighted to learn that some of the Brough Superior Bikes Group hope to return for our Classic Bike Event on Sunday, July 27th.
We also enjoyed a visit from the Nunsfield Radio Club who set up portable transmitters over the weekend so they could contact similar groups at mills all over the UK. Ouor thanks to the Group for donation to the windmill.
Below is a gallery of photos taken by Anthony Sharp. Click on any image to view it larger.
Radio Derby’s Andy Potter praised Heage’s ‘glorious windmill’ in officially opening the 2014 season on Easter Saturday. Driving himself up to the windmill on a vintage tractor. Andy was then welcomed by Brian Naylor, Vice Chairman of the Friends of the mill.
Andy amused everyone present when he demonstrated the boundless knowledge he had gained on a reconnaissance visit earlier in the week! He regaled the crowd with just some of the facts he learnt about the mill – such as there were 126 shutters in the six sails! In cutting the tape he wished the mill a great season and a nice steady breeze such that flour could regularly be milled.
The Mayor of Amber Valley BC , Cllr Angela Ward, who is also the Chair of Heage Windmill Society, was attired in her full regalia and spoke of the urgent need for some new volunteers to help keep the 200 year old mill working and open to the public. Anyone interested was invited to come to mill and make themselves known. They could be assured of a warm welcome.
Also present was John Kirkland, Chairman of Bowmer and Kirkland, who is a Patron of the Windmill. He spoke at length of the considerable efforts and commitment shown by the retiring Chairman of Friends, Peter Straw, who had been in office ever since the mill opened in 2002. Mr Kirkland presented Peter with a scroll which recorded him as the first ever Honorary Life Member of Friends.
The gallery below shows more pictures from the opening, including: the presentation of a scroll to retiring Friends Chairman Peter Straw; a presentation of flowers to John Kirkland’s wife Sheila; the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the planting two years ago of a Hornbeam tree (hornbeam timber is traditionally used to make the cogs for the mechanism inside the windmill); and the unveiling of a plaque to show that the windmill’s new garden plot is dedicated to the memory of Margaret Bonsall – ‘Artist and tireless supporter of Heage Windmill.’ The photo below shows Bryan Bonsall flanked by sons Justin and David.
Want to see who’s involved with running the windmill? And read all about them?
You can now view specially taken portraits of the Trustees and Friends and find out what they do – and why they do it!
Over the last few months, Trustee and professional photographer Ashley Franklin has been taking portraits at the mill of all the people who effectively keep the sails turning.
These include: the Trustees, the ‘guardians’ of the windmill who ensure that it is properly financed and operated; and the Friends, the volunteers who manage and maintain the mill – these include the millers, guides, event organisers and visitor centre 
staff.
More profiles will be added right up to the season opening on April 5.
Click here to Meet the Trustees
Click here to Meet the Friends
Two East Midlands Today reports have been found about Heage Windmill. View them here…
It is difficult to visualise Heage Windmill nowadays as the wreck it was before restoration, as so much work has been done to bring her back to working order.
Alan Gifford, one of the earliest volunteer workers, has recently found two video clips from BBC TV’s East Midlands Today which clearly show what was faced in bringing the windmill back to life in the mid 1990’s when it was in a seriously neglected condition.
The first news report, probably in 1994 or early 1995, shows the eroded condition of the soft ironstone from which she is built. Alan, with Margaret Kent , the then Chairman of Heage Windmill Society, and Dave Nicholls, another early worker, are seen examining rotten flooring, caused by water ingress. The condition of some pieces of machinery are also shown.
To see the video, click here
In the second news report – 22nd of January 1997 – the poor condition of the stone work is again displayed. Some shots of the internal machinery are also shown, with new paint which has been added by volunteer workers. The group is also seen examining the sail which was damaged by a lightning strike in 1995, whilst Alan unearths what might be a hidden stone path way and a fragment of kiln tile. Dave expresses hopes for the future whilst Margaret cannot wait for the sails to turn again as a result of an application for Heritage Lottery funding which, in due course, contributed to the full restoration, even to grinding corn again and making Heage flour.
To see the 1997 video, click here
Thanks to Dave Tindall for sending us some amazing aerial photos of Heage Windmill. Look at the black and white one and you can see the curvature of the Earth – very dramatic! Below is another one…
Sadly, we had to announce that the Heage Windmill Photographic Competition had to be cancelled. The competition was due to be judged and the prizes presented on Sunday, September 22nd. Due to the small number of entries, it was decided it was best to cancel. However, the photographers who who DID enter will have their images displayed at the mill over the next two weekends – as well as on this website – and they will be given free entry into a future contest.
Heage Windmill is proud to produce and sell stone ground flour, in various grades, using essentially traditional methods.
In order to maintain the quality of the product, it is necessary to clean and sharpen the grooves which are cut into the millstone. In days of old, itinerant stone dressers toured wind and water mills and performed this essential task for the miller.
Today there are no such skilled men to hand and so it has been necessary for the team of maintenance volunteers at Heage Windmill to learn how to do this themselves.
Some of the longstanding mill workers are now getting ‘ a bit long in the tooth’ and this year the opportunity was taken to pass their experience on to newcomers.
In order to carry out this operation it is necessary to lift and turn the runner ( or top stone) exposing the faces used in grinding the flour to enable them to be serviced.
The runner stone at Heage weighs 722 kilos (nearly 1600 lbs) and this has to be carefully raised and then swung out, to be turned over and laid on its back, with due attention being paid to relevant Health & Safety issues.
Brian Naylor, the Mill Maintenance manager, gathered a team of workers to the site last week and, guided by experienced miller John Boucher, performed the task, which went off without a hitch.
The runner stone was lifted by a temporary crane which was erected over the stones and the actual lift carried out in the traditional manner, using scissor-like grips with pegs which fit into pre-existing holes in the stone. The lift was powered by a modern pull lift, although in the old days wedges and pulleys would have been used!
Once turned over, both stones could be closely examined to establish if there were any high spots, (there weren’t!) and all surfaces cleaned. The grooves and cutting faces were then sharpened using hand operated, traditional mill bills which chip away and sharpen any worn areas.
For several hours the mill rang to the sound of hammering whilst the various team members tried their hand at the dressing process, until the two stones met the high standard demanded by John.
Once completed, the runner stone had to be raised and turned again and then carefully lowered back onto to its bearings and the rest of the milling ‘furniture’ – or equipment – was re-installed. All in all, a long day’s work, but one which proved very satisfying to those involved and which will hopefully ensure Heage Windmill will continue to produce high quality flour.
The Trust expressed its sincere thanks to all who worked so hard in performing this very necessary task.
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 |
 |
2°C light rain |
|
Wind
22 mph, WNW
Humidity
88%
Pressure
1 bar
|
||
| Day | Cond. | Temp. | Wind | Humidity | PressurePres. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sun dec 22 |  |
4/4°C | 23 mph, WNW | 88% | 1 bar |
| mon dec 23 |  |
5/2°C | 10 mph, WNW | 82% | 1.02 bar |
| tue dec 24 |  |
11/7°C | 8 mph, W | 96% | 1.02 bar |
| wed dec 25 |  |
10/7°C | 7 mph, SW | 94% | 1.03 bar |
| thu dec 26 | |
9/6°C | 3 mph, WNW | 91% | 1.04 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
