At last the new stamp collection of windmills and watermills has been released by Royal Mail. Naturally I dashed out this morning to pick up a pack for the Archive while trying to keep cool in the mini heatwave… The collection shows 6 stunning mills from around the UK, and a coordinating set of postcards…
Author: Liz Bartram
Porridge for Parliament
Thank you so much to those who have become the first to adopt a collection! Read on to find out about one of our collections that has a well-timed political twist. The EM Gardner Collection was the first to be adopted, followed by the Jon Sass Collection. Since launching the Adopt a Collection initiative, we…
Where would we be without our volunteers?
Volunteers’ Week is upon us! An annual event, 1st-7th June is a time for the nation to celebrate the difference volunteers make to every community across the country. So please join us in thanking the Mills Archive volunteers, past and present, without whom the Archive would not exist. The majority of our volunteers work on…
Horsey Windpump gets a new cap!
These spectacular images of Horsey Windpump in Norfolk being restored were captured earlier this week. Horsey Windpump, owned by the National Trust, is being restored as part of a £305,000 project to return the windpump to working order. We are grateful to Adrian Buck for sending these photos over – you can also see a short timelapse…
Will you be one of the first to adopt a collection?
As of today there is a new way to look after the world’s milling heritage: Adopt a Collection. Will you be one of the first to adopt one of the Archive’s unique and precious collections? Adopt a Collection and express your passion for heritage. Take action and help us preserve and make available the valuable…
Grant success from the Pilgrim Trust!
We are delighted to announce that we have received a grant of £10,000 from the Pilgrim Trust. This grant goes towards a larger project, “Archives and Air Hangars”, which will see us take the important step in moving some of our material offsite so suitable archival storage. While we are happy to be based in…
Help get this beautiful Brill Windmill book published by securing your copy
If you love windmills, you may well have visited Brill’s 17th-century post mill up on Brill Common. Photographer Tim Andrew has visited it hundreds of times over the last 25 years and is publishing a coffee table book full of fabulous photos captured when the light is glorious or there’s a community event that involves…
Unusual Upminster Shots: Repairing and Landscaping
We’ve just received these intriguing snapshots of Upminster Windmill as it undergoes repair and restoration ahead of its reopening. Willem Dijkstra, the Dutch millwright has started work on the mill body at Upminster. The first job is to repair the rotten sheer beams that support the first floor (Meal Floor). These beams are massive 12”…
Happy St Patrick’s Day: can you help us find out more about mills in Ireland?
As St Patrick’s Day gets underway, I thought I should share with you this article written by a recent Mills Archive volunteer. It shows some interesting glimpses – and beautiful images – of early medieval Irish watermills We do have some books on mills in Ireland and a few images on our online catalogue, but we…
International Women’s Day: a campaigner for mills and women’s rights…
Since International Women’s Day is now upon us, it seems apt to pay homage to some of the heroines of the mill world. And – as it turns out – one of our collectors was once a suffragette. This revelation was discovered only recently by our Information Manager Elizabeth. Apparently the late E M Gardner,…