Hello everyone! I hope you all made the most of National Mills Weekend last week. If you have any fun stories or fancy telling us about anything interesting you visited then please let us know, we’d love to hear about it! The past few weeks have been extremely busy at the Archive not only because of National Mills Weekend but also because, as you know, the new website is up and running at full speed and the garden party is on its way! Now that the weather is getting warmer, I am optimistic that the garden party will be able to actually happen in the garden – fingers crossed!
I was just having another look at some of our Heritage Partners and I came across a relatively new restoration called Burwell Windmill which only reopened to the public in 2014. The mill itself is called Stevens’ Mill and it was built around 1820 for local miller Oliver Carter. The mill ground flour for around 100 years before, like most mills, flour production was stopped during WW1 when it was used to grind pulses for animal feed. In 1862 the mill suffered serious damage in a gale and in 1884 it was bought by George Mason. From 1920 to 1950 it was owned and operated by Alfred and Warren Stevens, hence adopting the name Stevens’ Mill. Warren retired in 1955 and milling ceased, however, it was rescued from dereliction in 1969 by the Burwell Windmill Trust and granted to the Burwell Museum Trust in 1998.
During this period, many people worked together to restore the mill by installing new sails, rebuilding the cap with an aluminum sheet skin instead of a wooden one, rebuilding the fantail, installing a concrete floor and repairing the internal woodwork. However, even after all this hard work, a serious mechanical failure meant the mill ceased working in the mid-2000s and in 2010 it was put on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register. However not all hope was lost as in 2013 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant to restore the mill and the machinery was repaired. In total, 192 sail shutters were made by Burwell Museum volunteers. Finally, in 2014 the mill was re-opened to the public. I found some amazing photo documentation on this website which follows all of the restoration so please check it out! http://burwellwindmillproject.blogspot.co.uk/
There are some really cool events coming up at the Burwell Museum and Windmill such as a ‘Practical Mill Maintenance Day’ on June 6th 10am – 4pm. You can get to meet the team of volunteers who have helped in the restoration project, receive a mill tour and a hands-on training experience in practical mill repairs, machinery maintenance and day-to-day mill operations. You can even produce a bag of four to take home!
Also, on May 28th the Museum is asking people to come forward and show your collections – not necessarily mill collections but ANYTHING you find interesting enough to collect. The event is from 2pm – 5pm and it is called ‘Curious Collections’ and gives you a chance to see behind the scenes of the Museum, handle hidden treasures and make a cabinet for your weird and wonderful collection whether it be coins, bugs or even socks!
Another exciting upcoming event is the ‘Rollin’ Classic Car Day’ on May 24th. This is from 11am – 5pm and invites you to view fabulous vintage cars including a 1907 Holsman and an Austin 7. It will be a real laugh because you can dress up as a rock ‘n’ roller (I’m not sure what one of those looks like but I’m thinking an Elvis?!) and dance to 50s tunes. Also, if you would like to bring your own classic car you can call 01638 605544 or email museum@burwellmuseum.org.uk
There are some really cool events coming up at the Burwell Museum and Windmill such as a ‘Practical Mill Maintenance Day’ on June 6th 10am – 4pm. You can get to meet the team of volunteers who have helped in the restoration project, receive a mill tour and a hands-on training experience in practical mill repairs, machinery maintenance and day-to-day mill operations. You can even produce a bag of four to take home!
Whatever the weather, Burwell Museum and Windmill will be a fun day out for al the family and as always, I cannot reiterate enough how much we enjoy working with them, and with all our Heritage Partners. Without their support, the Mills Archive would not be striving forward as strongly as we are right now and it is great to be able to just highlight some of the amazing things they are doing in order to keep the mill an exciting and innovative experience for the public. If you want to look at more events and details, here is the official website http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/
All images from the Burwell Museum Trust website www.burwellmuseum.org.uk
