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Tractor Man opens Windmill

In recognition of bringing Tractor Days to Heage Windmill, John Allsop was invited to officially open the mill for our 2019 season. 

In what was probably the warmest opening day since the windmill was restored in 2002,  John made his entrance in fitting fashion by driving his Fordson Tractor down the track to the windmill, escorted by two other tractors, driven by local men David Hornsey and John Gould. 

They were welcomed by a large gathering of people , including Alan Eccleston, Chairman of Heage Windmill Society, and Cllr. Angela Ward, Chair of Friends of the Windmill.

Alan welcomed everyone present and thanked in particular the team of volunteers who make the mill such a great attraction.

He introduced John Allsop, who was born and bred in Heage and has had a long standing love of the mill.  It was John who, many years ago, suggested he organised a tractor rally at the mill.  This has blossomed into memorable and well-supported Tractor Days which have greatly helped support the mill.

Angela spoke on behalf of Friends and mentioned the continuing need for more volunteers to help maintain the high standards set at the mill.

Alan then invited John to cut the yellow ribbon.  In doing so doing, he said he sincerely hoped the mill would enjoy a great season and that that weather would be kind throughout. 

 

 

Morgan Cars Visit

It was a cool, but a mostly sunny day, with just enough wind to gently turn the windmill sails, when the first organised visit by Morgan Sports Cars club  arrived at  Heage Windmill on Sunday April 14th.

Some 30 cars, in a wide variety of colours and models, were displayed on the apron in front of the working windmill and were much admired by the many visitors to the site.

We learnt that Morgan cars were founded in 1909, and  have since achieved fame throughout the world due to their unique blend of charisma, craftsmanship and performance and it was easy to see why they were so well loved by their enthusiastic owners.

The Morgan Motor Company, based in Malvern, has evolved over 100 years into a true icon, a darling of the automotive industry and a brand synonymous with unrivalled excitement. The cars displayed true British craftsmanship and their owners are justly proud of their vehicles, regardless of their age.

 

Tractor Day – this Sunday, Sept 1st

This Sunday, Heage Windmill will again be visited by a large collection of vintage Tractors.

These machines displaced the horse as the motive power for farms and similar activities and now they are themselves being regarded as ‘collectables’. They will stand displayed adjacent to our 222-year-old wind machine!

Tractors will include 60-year-old Fordsons and Massey Fergusons. John Allsop, who organises the Tractor group, said: ‘We are always happy to come to the windmill’.

The tractors will be supported by some stalls, including a burger van and, if the weather permits, our now quite famous bric-a-brac stall, where one person’s junk becomes someone else’s treasure!

The tractors will arrive from about 10-30 am and will be with us until around 3-30.  The mill will, of course, be open for guided tours.

All funds raised will go to the upkeep of the Mill.

Peter Straw Remembered

It is with great regret that Heage Windmill has to announce the death of Peter Straw who was Chairman of the Friends for 13 years, standing down in 2014 for health reasons.

When Peter and his wife Celia moved to the area, they went to an early meeting of the Friends of Heage Windmill. Shortly after this Peter was voted in as chairman and held the position for 13 years until he stood down as Chair at the 2014 AGM. He took up the post in 2002 which was when the Mill opened to the public. Peter had also been a Trustee for 10 years.

Not everyone will realise the amount of work that Peter did in the background, not just at the Mill itself but attending meetings far and wide to promote the organisation, always looking for opportunities to enhance the mill experience for visitors. Also, Peter was always more than happy to encourage visitors to make the most of their time in Derbyshire by visiting other local tourist attractions. Throughout he was well supported by his wife Celia.

Over the years he worked tirelessly for the Mill. He was very dedicated and enthusiastic in everything he did. He was very caring towards all volunteers and very good at getting the best out of people. The volunteers who worked alongside him had nothing but praise for Peter and they had never known him to lose his temper. He had a calming influence and was always happy to listen to those volunteers with problems.

Until he retired Peter was a regular guide at the Mill, making it come alive for the visitors. He also stood Bakewell Farmers’ Market on occasions on behalf of Heage Windmill.

Under Peter’s chairmanship the Mill gained and successfully retained the 5-star rating from Amber Valley Borough Council for Health and Hygiene.

Again, under Peter’s watch the Mill gained and successfully retained the Place of Interest Quality Assurance Scheme (PIQAS) status.

In his retirement from the Mill he still visited and supported all the events.

All the Friends and Trustees would like to extend their deepest sympathy to his widow, Celia plus all of his family.

 

Go Online and help Heage Windmill

Did you know that Heage Windmill has signed up with Easy Fund Raising?

What it means is that every time you – our supporters – use the internet for shopping a small donation will be donated, free of charge to the windmill’s funds.  Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it’s happening, and it’s working – so far, we have received over £250!

It’s very easy to use.  If you follow the link below you can sign up and then help us, with contributions being made from most major online shopping outlets when you make your purchase.

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/invite/A99I5M/

When you shop online, you first click on the Easy Fund-Raising logo which will appear on your phone or other device, and find the outlet you want to use. Then, when you make your purchase, the companies that participate will automatically make a small donation which is paid directly to the mill.

Thank you for helping Heage Windmill.

Christmas Quiz 2018 Answers

What The Dickens!

1) A Christmas Carol

2) Great Expectations

3) Oliver Twist

4) A Tale Of Two Cities

5) Hard Times

 

Xmas Letter Equations

6)  2 Front Teeth = All I Want For Christmas

7)  9 = Reindeer in Santa’s Sleigh

8)  3 = Ghosts of Christmas (Past, Present & Future

9)  4 = Weeks in Advent

10)0 = Creatures Stirring

 

Crack The Code

11) Bread

12) Potato

13) Pasta

14) Rice

15) Cabbage

 

It’s In The Stars

16) Pegasus

17) Orion

18) Sagittarius

19) Ursa Major

20) Andromeda

Oh Carol!

21) Good King Wencelas

22) The First Noel

23) O Little Town Of Bethlehem

24) Ding Dong Merrily On High

25) I Saw Three Ships

Christmas In The Title

26) Wonderful Christmas Time – Paul Macartney

27) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland

28) Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid

29) All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

30) It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Johnny Mathis

 

Pass The Popcorn

31) Jack Skellington

32) A Christmas Story

33) The Polar Express

34) Howard Blake

35) Jack Frost

 

My Word

36) Eggnog               37) Chestnut

38) Myrrh                   39) Toboggan

40) Wassail

 

Tree-mendous!

41) Norway Spruce

42) Douglas Fir

43) Blue Spruce

44) Normand Fir

45) Fraser Fir

 

And Finally

46) Auld Fang Syne

47) Elfis Presley

48) They always drop their needles

49) Deep pan, crisp and even

50) Noel Coward

 

How Did You Do?

46 – 50             Incandescent

41 – 45             Brilliant

36 – 40             Polished

31 – 35             Matte

Less than 30     Black Hole

Santa Day – Great Success

Ethan Wood and his dad say hello to Santa
Santa and his elf helper Lynne Allen arrived in a motorised sleigh

Sunday 2nd December dawned cloudy and a bit damp, but mostly dry and mild. This was important because Santa Claus was coming to Heage Windmill and  duly arrived at 11.00 am on a motorised sledge, (kindly loaned by Amber Valley Rotary Club) to be greeted by a crowd of happy and excited youngsters.

Helped by the mill’s head Elf (Lynn Allen), Santa soon made himself comfortable in his grotto on the ground floor of the windmill.

Toby, with his daddy Jack Davies from Fritchley, met Santa on his way to the grotto.

The excited children were able to see Santa in turn (as result of a numbered ticket scheme which worked very well) and during his visit he saw over 130 children, each of whom received a specially

Inside Santa’s Grott with Phil and Karen Mulchinock and their daughters Rose and Daisy

wrapped present from Santa. As he rested afterwards he said ‘They were the best set of children I have seen this year!’

During the day over 500 visitors came to the mill and enjoyed the entertainments and refreshments available in the nearby marquee, and in the mill undercroft.

To pass the time waiting to see Santa, there were various games to play, raffles and food, including a very popular hot food van providing a range of food to suit all tastes.

They were also entertained by members of the Notts and Derby Rock Choir , suitably bedecked in Santa hats, who sang many seasonal songs.

Miller for the Day

Neil opens the shutters to start the mill turning

Neil Oates from nearby Ripley is our latest Miller for the Day, ‘an experience I really enjoyed’ says retired headmaster Neil.

For his Miller for the Day gift, Neil was guided by a team of three qualified millers who were stocking up on flour for mill.

Neil Oates with the first of the flour he helped produce

Neil first learnt how to start and stop the mill and to control the speed of the sails.  He then assisted in the stone milling of some 125 kg of flour, using wind power to drive the stones – a really environmentally friendly process.

At the end of the day, Neil went home with a bag of flour he had helped produce and a certificate recording the occasion. He says it was a day he will never forget.

For details on how to become a ‘Miller for the Day’ click here

 

Cobweb Time

The leaves are falling, the nights are drawing in and there are cobwebs visible almost every morning… it’s cobweb time again at Heage Windmill, signalling the time when we close for the rest of season and give our hard-working volunteers a chance to have a rest – until next Easter at least!

It has become traditional at Heage Windmill to make a large cobweb (out of elastic), the size of which is determined by the number of ‘spinners’ who come along and help produce ‘the web of the year’ – under the guidance of our master spinner Lynn Allen.

This year we start spinning at 12 noon on Sunday 28th October and invite anyone who would like to try their hand to come and join us make the biggest web ever!

The mill will then be closed from  4-00 pm for our normal weekend opening until next Easter.

However, as part of the Derwent Valley Discovery Days we have arranged a special opening on Wednesday, October 31st when we will be open for tours from 10-0 am until 3-00 pm.

 

Tractor Day – Great Success

Tractor Day at Heage on Sunday 23rd September started on a grey, cool and damp morning but the sun eventually came out as we welcomed a stream of tractors and their ephemera.

The Nicholls Family from Wingfield Park, one of many family groups enjoying the tractors. Parents Becky & David with son and daughter David & Fern. They are standing next to a Massey Harris 744D c.1949

The poor start to the day did not deter some 35 assorted makes to find their way to Heage Windmill and many people came along to admire and pore over them.

It was amazing to see how the owners had managed to get 70 year old machines, which had worked hard all their lives, back to such superb condition.

Great interest being shown round a Fordson Standard 1943 towing a Living Van

Of particular interest was a green Fordson Standard, dating back to 1943 which, unusually, towed a ‘living van’ in which the driver had spent his ‘spare’ time when the tractor was not actually working!

John Allsop, who coordinates the tractor group, came on his 1947 Fordson Major whilst his daughter Libby was alongside on her 1952 Fordson Major.

John Allsop (Tractor Day Organiser) and Libby, his daughter, on their Fordson Majors. John 1947 Fordson Major E27N, colour Atlantic Blue & Libby 1952 Fordson Major E1A, colour Empire Blue

John said ‘Tractors run in my family’s blood and we just love coming to this wonderful site at the windmill’.

The winner of the best tractor of the day was judged to be an International Farm All F12 dating back to 1936 and owned by David Land, who received a certificate and a small trophy.

Winner of ‘Best Tractor of the Day’ Trophy and Certificate David Lane: International Farm All F12 1936

The bric a brac, tombola and burger stalls did great trade and there were many who took a tour round the 220-year-old windmill which still stone grinds the popular grades of flour, simply powered by the wind.

All profits from the day will go to Mill funds so thank you to all who supported the event.