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.
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.
Would you like to find out what it’s like to be a miller?
We can offer you the unique, exciting experience of being ‘Miller for a Day’ and working directly with a skilled miller.
If you are interested – whether male or female – you need to be reasonably fit and able to climb the steep mill stairs many times during the day. You will need to be at the mill from about 10.15 am to 5.00 pm so you can learn how to set up, operate, and close down the mill. In so doing, you will become familiar with parts of the mill not normally open to visitors. If the wind is blowing, we may even be milling flour!
If you are interested, you can contact Lynn Allen on 01773 715 177 (mob 07973 548 551), email her lynnallen13@hotmail.com. Or, you can fill out a registration form. Click here to download the form – HWP 026D- M4 Miller for Day Registration
We make a moderate charge of £50 for the experience, the proceeds going into the mill maintenance fund.
Would you like to be a Trustee or Friend of the windmill?
Since Heage Windmill was restored and opened to the public in 2000, it has become a major tourist attraction, attracting around 6000 visitors per year.
The mill is operated as a Charitable Trust and, to keep her operating, we require two groups of volunteers: The Trustees and The Friends. The Trustees cover the overall necessary legal management whilst The Friends, a group of volunteers coming from assorted disciplines, actually maintain and operate the mill. This stalwart band has been essential to the machinery restoration, serve as tour guides, serve at the shop and visitor centre, and help run education and social activities.
With the passage of time, due to age, illness and moving away of some our initial key persons, we are in seeking some new recruits in both areas. So, we are appealing to talented persons, friends, volunteers and maybe past visitors, to come forward to offer your hidden, or not so hidden, talents to participate in our activities.
The Trustees have a key role of ensuring conformity to the Charity Commission’s requirements (including financial matters), planning and managing the development of the site, and ensuring that Health & Safety criteria are maintained for both staff and visitors. Candidates must be over 18 years of age. Some understanding of business skills, such as tourism, IT, finance or publicity is helpful but not essential. What IS essential is your enthusiasm, to ensure our wonderful mill thrives.
The Friends, who actually operate the mill, need some more friendly folk, who will be trained to be guides or shop workers or who might bring their own already developed maintenance skills and adapt them to the needs of the mill and the surrounds. From these posts it is then possible to move on to became an approved miller.
If you are interested, please email us here or telephone Alan Gifford on 01283 702299
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 |
 |
8°C broken clouds |
|
Wind
24 mph, W
Humidity
77%
Pressure
1 bar
|
||
| Day | Cond. | Temp. | Wind | Humidity | PressurePres. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sat dec 21 |  |
-/7°C | 0 mph | - | 0 bar |
| sun dec 22 |  |
4/3°C | 14 mph, WNW | 96% | 1 bar |
| mon dec 23 |  |
5/2°C | 10 mph, WNW | 83% | 1.02 bar |
| tue dec 24 |  |
10/5°C | 5 mph, W | 99% | 1.02 bar |
| wed dec 25 | |
10/7°C | 5 mph, SW | 95% | 1.03 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
