Author: Bob Paterson
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TEAMS Mills Open Weekend Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th September 2013
2013 marks the 6th anniversary of the formation of TEAMS (The East Anglian Mills Society). To celebrate, we are organising a weekend where many of our member mills will be open to the public.
TEAMS is a loose affiliation of mill owners across East Anglia. The core aims of TEAMS are to promote member mills, to provide a forum where members can share information and advice about how best to maintain their windmills and watermills and to create a network where working parties and events can be organised.
Since its formation, ongoing restoration work has happened at Impington smock mill, just north of Cambridge, and some vital maintenance work has taken place at both Willingham smock mill and Haddenham tower mill. Two TEAMs mills have had problems with planning applications – Morse’s Wind Engine Park in Repps on the Norfolk Broads and Stanton post mill in Suffolk. Other TEAMs members have been helping with both these issues.
This year has seen the addition of five more important mills to our membership – Downfield tower mill and Northfield smock mill in Soham, Great Chishill post mill and Great Gransden post mill (all in Cambridgeshire), and most recently Bardwell tower mill in Suffolk. Downfield Mill has secured a grant which will enable the owners to progress some essential work to the mill which is scheduled to start in late June. Great Chishill post mill, near Royston, is in the process of being passed onto a charitable group who will shortly set about the full restoration of this rare and unique open trestle post mill. It had been owned and maintained by Cambridgeshire County Council since 1965. Likewise with Great Gransden mill – another rare open trestle post mill – Cambridgeshire County Council are in the process of relinquishing their ownership and a local group will soon be set up to bring this mill back to life. TEAMs members have been advising the village groups on this and also on how to go about such work in a cost-effective manner. Also, two members are working at Northfield smock mill in Soham on rescue work.
Bardwell tower mill near Ixworth in Suffolk is the latest addition to TEAMS. The mill is grinding and producing flour by wind power again (with 4 sails) for the first time since the mill was wrecked during the 1987 hurricane. The mill is still owned by The Wheeler Family and they have also started to bake bread from their own on site bakery.
In addition, TEAMS has co-ordinated several open days across the region that have been very well attended and received a lot of media attention.
Windmills in particular are iconic buildings with their visual impact as well as social historical value tied in with rural communities. The grass roots development to look after their mills is what brought the mill owners of TEAMS together and we are delighted to see something positive happening to safeguard the future of these historic yet underrated buildings in our region.
Below is a list of mills open on Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th September 2013:
Bardwell tower mill, Suffolk – a working windmill (1030 hrs onwards – Tel: 01359 251331) – SAT NAV: IP31 1AD (Saturday and Sunday)
Cattell’s Mill, Willingham, Cambridgeshire (1300 – 1700 hrs – Tel: 01954 261168) – SAT NAV: CB24 5UU (Sunday only)
Fosters Mill, Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire – a working windmill (1400 – 1730 hrs – Tel: 01638 741009) – SAT NAV: CB25 0JZ www.fostersmill.co.uk (Sunday only)
Great Mill Haddenham, Cambridgeshire (1100 – 1700 hrs – Tel: 01353 749667) – SAT NAV: CB6 3PN (Saturday and Sunday)
Impington mill, Cambridgeshire (1000 – 1600 hrs – Tel: 07967 461933) – SAT NAV: CB24 9NU
(Saturday and Sunday)
Northfield Windmill, Soham, Cambridgeshire (1100 – 1700 hrs – e-mail: enquiries@northfieldwindmill.org.uk) – SAT NAV: CB7 5DE (Saturday and Sunday)
Thurne Dyke windpump, Thurne, Norfolk (1400 – 1600 hrs – Tel: 01692 670204) – SAT NAV: NR29 3BU (Sunday only)
Wicken smock mill, Cambridgeshire – a working windmill (1030 – 1700 hrs – Tel: 01664 822751) – SAT NAV: CB7 5XR (Saturday and Sunday) see www.wicken-windmill.com
Notes to Editors
For more information contact Bob Paterson, TEAMS press office:
Telephone (landline) 01359 230357 (mobile) 07946 038634
email: windmillbob@hotmail.com
TEAMS is The East Anglian Mills Society. The group was formed during 2008 following a series of meetings between like-minded mill owners and enthusiasts in East Anglia. The aims of TEAMS are simply to share information, expertise and experience in maintaining, preserving and restoring our traditional windmills and watermills and to help each other with the issues of owning these lovely buildings.
For more information about TEAMS go to http://www.millsofeastanglia.org.uk.
Images are available of the individual mills.