Tag: heage

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.

 

Classic Bikes a Big Hit

Last Sunday, September 9th, the visit from over 300 classic motor bikes made for another memorable Heage Windmill event.

About 500 visitors came especially to see these gleaming, machines and talk to their proud owners.

As there was sufficient wind, many of those visitors were able to see the sails turn and quite a few toured the windmill and once again obtain flour, stone milled by the wind at Heage.

The classic bikes were of all types, ranging from tourers to out-and-out racers, and there were many well-known makes on show, such as BSA, Honda, and Royal Enfield.  Very notable were some beautiful Vincents, Harley Davidsons and an MV Augusta.

The best bike, judged by Colin Clemens and Les Cross, was a Triumph Trident T160, 1976.  The proud owner Bill Myles was presented with a certificate and the recently launched ‘Dave Cleaver’ trophy, commemorating a man who just loved bikes. This was presented by Colin Clemens who organised the bikes on show.

There was the ever popular Bric-a-Brac on site plus 2 tombolas – one for adults and one for children. Also, refreshments were in high demand both from the Burger Van – many thanks to Alex for bringing it – and from the Visitor Centre.

All in all the day was a great success, with great feedback from everyone involved. All profits, of course, go into keeping the mill working and improving the available facilities and we thank everyone for their support.

Amber Valley Classic Car Club are dropping into the Mill on Saturday 16th September – this will not be a big event and will be weather dependent.

Then on Sunday September 23rd at Heage Windmill there will be the 2nd visit from the vintage tractors – normally a big event.

Italian Cars – un bellissimo evento!

Our first ever rally of Italian Cars – courtesy of Abarth East Midlands & T.I.M UK Motors – proved a great success.

They also brought one the best days we have known at Heage.  It felt positively Mediterranean, just like being in Italy…

Graham Wickham’s Fiat 124 Spider, judged to be the best car on show

There was a wide assortment of cars on show including Fiat, Maserati , Ferrari and  Lamborghini.  The best car on show was  judged to be a Fiat 124 Spider, owned by Graham Wickham

The event was jointly organised by the mill and Attila Csorba, representing   the car owners – and all profits will go to the windmill maintenance fund.

In addition to the cars, the windmill itself received many visitors who also enjoyed a display of pyrography (burnt wood sketching) and helped swell the windmill’s funds even more at the bric a brac stall.

 

 

 

Aimee has ‘amazing day’ as Miller

Aimee Bedward from Birmingham – a dedicated mill enthusiast – was given the ideal birthday gift by her friend Phil: a ‘Miller for the Day’ experience.

This enabled Aimee to enjoy a day’s  training and activity at Heage Windmill, including milling some grain.

Under the supervision and guidance of millers  Anthony Sharp and Tim Castledine, Aimee first started the sails turning, to the delight of watching  visitors.

The sails turned for about an hour requiring her to make frequent adjustments in a variable wind.  It was then decided to introduce Aimee to the process of milling.  She successfully milled 20 Kg of excellent quality Wholemeal Flour.

Later Aimee was in the cap (at the top) of the mill to close the Mill down or, as we say, ‘put the old lady to bed’.

Aimee said she had had ‘a simply amazing day’.

Fancy being a Miller for the Day or gifting someone that experience?  Click here to find out more…

Classic Bikes… and more!

It was more than just motorbikes when a Classic Bike Rally assembled at Heage windmill on Sunday, September 10th when, in spite of some inclement weather, some 50 machines were on display.

Along with the bikes, we had a couple of 1933 Morgan three wheel cars and even a custom made Mercian racing pedal cycle.

The Army Bike brought by Ralph and Jane Taylor of Nether Heage

A surprise display was a 1939 wartime dispatch rider’s motor bike, restored and presented by Ralph and Jane Taylor of Nether Heage.

However event organiser for the windmill, Lynn Allen, presented a new award for the event – a Certificate for the Best Bike on Show’, to Graham Walker, who had come on a beautiful 1950’s Norton 19R.

The instigators of the concept of the Windmill rally – Graham Walker and Colin Clemens – told Lynn Allen, event organiser for the windmill: ‘It was always great to come to such a super venue as Heage windmill; everyone is so friendly’.

Despite the weather, many did a tour of the windmill and bought goods from the bric-a brac stall, with all proceeds going to the upkeep of the windmill.

 

Cobweb Closes the Windmill

The now traditional spinning of a spiders web at Heage windmill took place in lovely sunny conditions at Heage on the windmill’s last day of opening.

Friends of the mill and visitors were all guided by head ‘spider’ Lynn Allen along with her assistant, Jack Evans, into the intricacies of making a web from very stretchy elastic and then carrying and laying it on the field adjacent to the 220-year-old windmill.

This year a good number of adults turned up as well as some children proving that this is an event for people of all ages.

The windmill closed for the winter at 4-00pm on the 29th October and re-opens on 31st March 2018.

In spite of her slumbers the Mill will wake up from time to time as Flour will be on sale at the mill, as available, on the second Saturday of each month, from November until March, from 10-00am until 1-00 pm.

The Mill will also be open for Santa Day on December 3rd when we welcome Santa to use it as his grotto. More details will follow on this event at a later date.

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Gifford

 

Trustee HWS

 

The windmill will be open during 2017 (11-00am to 4-00pm) every weekend from

 April 1st until the end of October.

Classic Bike Day – Great Success

At what is now a cherished annual event, well over 100 classic motor bikes made Heage Windmill their destination on Sunday 21st May.

On a bright if largely cloudy day, visitors poured in to see, touch, snap and discuss the bikes, which were of all types, ranging  from tourers to out and out racers.

There were some well known makes such as BSA , Honda, Royal Enfield but notable were a trio of beautiful Vincents, some Harley Davidsons, an MV Augusta and there was even a rare Russian machine on display.

At one point, David Hitchcock from Alvaston appeared on  an unusual bike: a genuine US Secret Service Motorcade Support Vehicle.  In his shades and dark leathers, he replicated the cyborg villain from Terminator 2!

There were a number of back up stalls, including a Tombola and a selection of lovely jewellery, whilst refreshments were in high demand.

All in all the day was a pronounced success, with great feedback from all involved. All profits will go into keeping the mill working and improving the facilities.

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.