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| Hardley Mill in need of repair in 1950, Karl Wood Windmill Sketches—WOOD-M1378. |
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| Repairs began on Hardley Mill in 2008. Half of the brakewheel being lifted out of the workshop, Hardley Mill—PARG-DIG-02-191 |
| To let millwrighting skills disappear is to let mills fall into ruin. The power to save these icons is contained within our records: plans to help millwrights diagnose and make repairs, images to preserve regional designs and repair notes to build on generations of accumulated skill. |
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| Vincent Pargeter, one of the modern era’s foremost millwrights, drew these plans for the pit wheel and pump wheel castings at Hardley Mill—PARG-DRW-18-01 |
| We will ensure the information to preserve traditional crafts is in the hands of millwrights, millers and mill groups. We have catalogued and digitised thousands of millwrighting records over the years with thousands more to go. At the same time, we asked: how do we get new people to support the preservation of this heritage? Starting at the modern context, we worked backwards. Take our interest in renewable energy. At first, wind and water turbines seem as far removed from traditional mills as the sports car or jumbo jet. Yet, mills are the foundation of this turbine technology. Many are more familiar with a turbine than a mill (myself included a few years ago). |
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| Centuries of wind power technology. Right to left: Manufacturing a turbine blade, the Peter Musgrove Collection; a millwright working on Hardley Mill’s new sails, the Vincent Pargeter Collection—PARG-DIG-02-185. |
| Mills connect the past and the present, urban and rural. Understanding milling history reveals what binds us together. To preserve the icons that connect our communities, we must save the traditional crafts of milling and millwrighting.This is our goal for the next two years in the Archive and beyond. We require hundreds of hours of staff and volunteer time to catalogue thousands of milling records. |
We must reveal this information and expand on it for aspiring craftsmen, millers and volunteers at mills. A curated information resource will put information in its context: plans sorted by region, illustrated glossaries to explain terminology and sorted notes for specific mills.We cannot do this alone. We need the guidance of experts in this field. For this purpose, we must create a digital hub to bring together the advice and expertise of millwrights and millers.We need their help to locate millwrighting records outside the Archive. These include creating new records from current millwrighting projects and locating repositories where vital collections are kept. Even if they are outside the Archive, the location of knowledge and advise must be easily discoverable through our website.
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| As Vincent Pargeter helped to train the next generation of millwrights, we are providing them with the resources they need. Here, the SPAB millwright fellow, James, visited the Archive to view our mill drawings. |
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| Vincent Pargeter aided the restoration of Hardley until 2009. Left to right: Curb being lifted onto Hardley Mill—PARG-DIG-02-189 and the cap under construction—PARG-DIG-02-230. |
| We must make changes to our website as we reach out to different communities. Through publications, art, video, online content, we must cultivate public support for saving traditional crafts. Making connections can be labour-intensive, undoubtedly requiring the help of a new intern.To fund the coming year’s work, we must raise £50,000. Grants we will receive will make up a large portion of this but they are still restricted to specific outcomes. |
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| Hardley Mill with its new cap, the Vincent Pargeter Collection—PARG-DIG-02-234. |
| To save traditional crafts, we will need your support. Over the next year, our appeals will focus on preserving these skills and the heritage icons they underpin—the mills long protected by millwrights like Vincent Pargeter.In the next couple of weeks, we provide more information on how to get involved. If you would like to learn more, contact us at friends@millsarchive.org. |
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| Vincent Pargeter (1943-2015), the Vincent Pargeter Collection. |
