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Classic Bikes this Sunday, September 10

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.

Aleena Naylor opens Heage Windmill 2017 Season

Heage Windmill Opening 2017 - Aleena Naylor 002BBC 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.

The Derbyshire flag flies at half-mast in memory of 2014 opener Andy Potter
The Derbyshire flag flies at half-mast in memory of 2014 opener Andy Potter

Heage Windmill Opening 2017 - Aleena Naylor 010Angela 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.

 

Tractor Day Great Success

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.

Windmill receives Best Volunteer Project award

Angela, Lynn and Alan with the windmill's award
Angela, Lynn and Alan with the windmill’s award

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.

Santa Day – Great Success

santa-2016_-2It was probably the brightest, sunniest, but maybe coolest, time that Santa has visited the windmill on Sunday.

santa-z01A small crowd of admirers were waiting when he arrived on the Belper Rotary club motorised sledge.

They queued patiently to meet him inside the mill, which had been converted into a sparkling grotto.

Just over 100 children of all ages saw him and told him their needs – the youngest was only 2 weeks old- a record for the mill!

santa-line-up-2016-1Whilst waiting their turn, the guardians and children had a variety of activities to enjoy, including ‘hug a husky’ , a huge bric a brac stall and lots of good things to eat and drink.

Angela Ward (Chair of Friends of the windmill) said: ‘It’s been a great day and everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves’ . She went on to particularly thank the many mill volunteers who had turned out to operate the various events and to look after Santa.

santa-z05
The family from Nether Heage with Santa are Rose (Rudolf hat only) and Daisy Mulchinock with mum, dad and grandma

Rob Johnson – Metal Detectorist

rob-johnson-01Rob Johnson, a local metal detectorist, has donated some fascinating artefacts to Heage Windmill, many dating from the working life of the windmill.  Some pre-date the mill and others are more recent.

A few of the artefacts items have a direct link with the mill, such as an old trowel which dates from around the time the mill was repaired following the 1894 storm when the cap blew off.

The whole collection reflects the agricultural history of the area, with evidence of trade and travel through the area.  There are also interesting personal items that point to the sort of lives people lived, such as the love token (was it discarded or lost by the recipient?).

To read more about Roy’s pursuit of metal detecting and his interesting finds, click here

National Mills Weekend – May 13/14

The weekend of May 13/14 is National Mills weekend, organised by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), when our windmill will be one of the hundreds of wind and water mills throughout the country which will open its doors to visitors, many of which are not normally accessible to the public.

The theme this year is  ‘Engineers and  Engineering’ and so, apart from the marvellous old machinery to behold in our 220 year old windmill, we will be welcoming dozens of vintage cars  – old power in plenty indeed!

The cars, which are taking part in a rally, will be of assorted makes and models displaying  the early motoring technology which led to the well engineered and reliable vehicles most people drive today.

There will be a steady stream of them arriving throughout the day, starting from 9-00am and continuing until 4-00 pm, although a core of them will be on site all day.

It will be something like a lucky dip as to what will be there at any particular time, depending how long one stays on site.

Throughout the weekend radio clubs from all over the UK will be based at windmills and water mills, seeking to make contact with other mills in this country and across the world. Over the entire weekend we will once  again  be hosting the Nunsfield Amateur radio Club, based in Derby, who will set up a temporary transmission station and will  try  to carry  the name ‘Heage Windmill’ to the far corners of the world.

The windmill, of course, will be open for tours on both days , from 11-00 until 4-00 pm, with the last tour starting at 3-30 pm.

 

Cobweb Day

cobweb-2016-003In what has now become a tradition, Heage Windmill was once again put to rest  for the winter by the spinning of a spider’s web.

Volunteers turned up to assist in the spinning of the web, working under the instructions of our ‘Queen Spider’ (Lynn Allen).

It’s always amazing to see the strands of cobweb-2016-002knicker elastic grow rapidly and eventually emerge as a complex web, large enough to ensure the mill will be well  protected through the cold winter months.

 

 

 

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Tractor Day – A Great Success

heage-windmill-tractor-day-sept-2016-004Tractor day at Heage Windmill on Sunday September 4th was a roaring success, and even the sun came out later in the day.

heage-windmill-trip-advisor-flagSome two dozen carefully restored tractors – of a variety of well known makes – were lined up in the paddock area and visitors were able to examine, discuss and in some cases sit on them!

 

We were also pleased to be able to fly, for the first time, the 2016 Flag of Excellence , provided by Trip Advisor, marking our second year in that category as a tourism site.

 

The Nunsfield House radio club were in attendance and were making contact with other amateur radio stations round the world.

heage-windmill-tractor-day-nunsfield                            heage-windmill-tractor-day-raffle-winner

They had some special news to impart: one of their members who was on site, Stephan Latimer, was the winner of a prize draw made at the mill, at noon. His prize, a week in a holiday cottage in Belper, had been donated by local man, Barry Lewis, and all proceeds have gone into the mill repair fund TAMA (Trouble at the Mill).

heage-windmill-tractor-day-matchstick-modelAlso on the day, we were presented with a scale model of the windmill, made by Mr Michael Nunns, which took 8 months to make and used approximately 5,500 match sticks.

This excellent model will be on regular display at the mill.

The ever popular bric a brac stall was particularly busy and, again, proceeds went to the mill repair funds. Keeping a 220 year old Grade 2* listed machine in working order needs a lot of money!