CHAIRMAN’S NOTES
Welcome to the June issue of Windmill News. Looking at the varied contents of this edition it is heartening once again to note the imagination, skill, and effort being directed by Friends into promoting and developing the Upminster Windmill, in our view the Borough’s premiere landmark All being well, by the time you receive this Newsletter the Borough Council will have taken a firm decision to transfer the lease of the Mill to the Preservation Trust, and the Preservation Trust and Friends will then commence the process of raising the necessary funding required for the full restoration of the Mill.
In the meantime I am very pleased to report that Havering’s new Mayor, Councillor Louise Sinclair, has agreed to be our President. It is the second time Councillor Sinclair, who represents the Cranham Ward, has been appointed Mayor. She has served the Council continuously for 36 years and last year received the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of the high esteem in which the Council and community hold her. Councillor Sinclair has written to wish us luck in our bid for funding and wishes to be kept informed of all our events, when she will do her best to join us.
In previous issues we have written concerning the need to increase the number of visitors to the Mill. To this end the Friends’ Trust has appointed a Mill Open Day Working Group led by Trevor Watts and ably assisted by Paul Kemp. The Group’s remit is to continue to arrange the programme of open days at the mill, investigate how the Mill may be opened on a more frequent basis and to consider the implications this may have on the number of extra guides and helpers we require. A meeting for present and potential mill guides/helpers will be arranged at the Mill at the end of the current season when these issues will be discussed. In particular the Working Group will be considering health and safety issues relating to open days and other events/activities in the Mill. It is anticipated that a similar working group will be formed shortly to plan forthcoming programmes of social events and activities.
George Saddington (Chairman)
STOP PRESS - On Tuesday 22nd June the Council granted the the Trust a 35 year lease of the Mill
REPORT ON THE AGM – 4th May 2004
At our Annual General Meeting held at Saint Laurence Church Hall we heard that the Mill had been opened officially on 16 days and other visits had been made by a number of local groups. Thanks were expressed to those who act as guides and helpers at these occasions. We were sorry to lose Frank Morley as Secretary but he remains a committee member. John Winn has joined the committee and takes over the duties of Secretary. Frank Morley, Bob Sharp and Richard Moorey are also directors of the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust. We were sorry to lose Trevor Watts from the Committee but he will continue to help with the running of open days.
It was pointed out that five percent of the estimated cost of the restoration had to be found locally which could mean that £30,000 needs to be raised. The credit balance of the Friends stood at £5,413 much of which was from donations and subscriptions, and the Treasurer asked that all who could sign the Gift Aid form enabling the Friends to collect 28p for every £1 donated. There were now 245 members.
Bob Sharp, the Chairman of the Preservation Trust, reported that work was progressing on the application for a Project Planning Grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This will provide the money to pay architects, millwrights etc to carry out an up to date costing of the restoration project.
We also heard that the Mill was now virtually watertight and the temporary felt and guttering were keeping the water out of the brickwork, and the rails of the reefing gallery had been strengthened.
The following were elected to serve for the ensuing year: -
Chairman George Saddington
Vice Chairman Bob Sharp
Secretary John Winn - secretary@upminsterwindmill.co.uk - (01708) 509973 Treasurer Sally Russell Committee Brenda Coombs Paul Kemp Linda Hawthorn Frank Morley Trust Representative Richard Moorey
Examiner Audrey Green
The meeting closed with a preview of John Winn’s DVD of the Mill.
PROVISION OF MAINS WATER AT MILL & WORK AT MILL
We are negotiating with Essex & Suffolk Water for provision of mains water at the mill and a site survey was carried out on the 8th June. Contractors working on the restoration will need a supply and we hope to include this in the project-planning bid. Essex & Suffolk water have a ‘Just an Hour’ scheme whereby members of their staff can give one hour of their time to support charitable causes and we hope to get support from this. We have also contacted Thames Water regarding connection to a public sewer.
Most of the urgent maintenance tasks have now been carried out. There is no point in doing work now that would have to be re-done in the restoration. For instance, all the cladding will have to be replaced. We shall continue to improve the condition of the field and improve presentation inside the mill. Wooden clamps are being made for the stocks as reported previously and this work continues.
Bob Sharp
‘GROUNDED’ RAILWAY CARRIAGE AT PAKENHAM MILL
Members may remember from the report in the October Newsletter that during our tour of mills in Suffolk, interest was aroused by the 'grounded' railway carriage body resting behind Pakenham Windmill. Its almost indescribable state of dilapidation had to be seen to be believed, it being virtually held together by corrugated iron and cobwebs!
With its need for more that a bit of loving care, and having Rudyard Kipling’s “Six stalwart serving men” in mind, I became involved in correspondence which was to last for four months. I commenced with 'The Railway Magazine" who advised me to try The Vintage Carriage Trust Museum at Keighley, West Yorkshire. They in turn passed me on to The East Anglian Rail Museum(EARM) at Chappell Station, almost on our doorstep. It was here that things really started to happen, Mr. Mike Stanbury, Museum Chairman and Area Surveyor of The National Railway Heritage Carriage Trust Register was able to carry out a thorough inspection of the remains and have a talk with the owner. His view is that it is a Great Eastern Railway Third Class Brake Carriage cl 873, its probable number being 2SBT, EARM have an almost identical example which is next on the list in their restoration programme, No308BT to be precise.
Mr. Stanbury tells me that, regrettably, No.28 is beyond restoration although there are parts that can be recovered for work on other Great Eastern coaches at the-museum. The underframe, however, being raised off the ground, has been sufficiently ventilated to make it recoverable.
The owner has now decided to demolish this coach next spring to erect a modem storage facility in its stead. The good news is that he has promised to notify Mr Stanbury in time to enable any useable parts to be recovered
Russell Spencer
While on the subject of railways, readers may have seen the item on TV about the discontinuation of the Travelling Post Office trains (remember John Betjeman?). Latterly these departed from Stonebridge Park, a private station owned by the Post Office.
When 1 took some photos of the bicentenary to Bert Bonnett at "Fruit and Veg" 1 noticed an old bent and battered sack barrow which he was about to discard. As it had cast iron wheels I scrounged it with the intention of using the wheels to replace the definitely inauthentic rubber tyred wheels on a barrow we have in the mill (acquired recently from a closed milling business in Battle). Looking at it a day or so after the TV programme, I noticed "Stonebridge Park" painted on one of the cross-members. Perhaps this should now be a candidate for restoration not cannibalisation! Russell is going to contact the Ongar Railway Society to see if they are interested in restoring it. If so we will pass it on to them.
MILL SOUVENIR ITEMS FOR SALE
The Friends have managed to raise quite a lot of money over the past year or so on the sale of various items.
To lighten the load on Bob Sharp's shoulders, Brian Hayden is taking over the ‘purchasing’ of souvenir type items that we sell at the Mill on open days. An additional line he hopes to introduce is ' The Beauty of Essex' 2005 Calendar (costing £4.50). The month of January is portrayed by a watercolour view of the Upminster Windmill surrounded by snow. As the local artist James Merriott understandably will not supply the Calendar on a 'sale or return' basis, Brian needs to know whether any Friends of Upminster Windmill would like to place a firm order. There are also some nice matching Christmas cards. He is also open to any suggestions as to suitable sales items that would boost our funds. Brian can be contacted {01708) 228486.
On a similar theme we are hoping to be able to supply some very attractive Christmas cards from a different source - this time a photograph taken on the one day of snowfall last winter, by Brian Print. The cards, size A5, will be available in packs of 5 for hopefully under £5.00.
John Winn writes: “Over the past year or so I have been collecting and taking pictures and video sequences of the Windmill. These have now been made into a video, showing the history and workings of the Mill, which has been previewed during recent open days. The video is now on sale at open days in both VHS and DVD formats for £8.00 each, or by post from me using the enclosed order form.”
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
An evening buffet for the Friends of Upminster Windmill is being organised on Sunday 1st August at 6pm in the Windmill field. Admission will be free of charge but donations towards the cost will be welcomed. To assist with planning arrangements, please could you drop a note to Linda Hawthorn at 34 Cedar Gardens, Upminster, Essex RM14 3DL. Or phone or email Richard Saville (01708) 221903 or SavilleRG@aol.com.
Following the very enjoyable concert last year, there will be a repeat visit by the Thurrock Male Voice Choir, in Spring 2005.
POSSIBLE FORTHCOMING VISITS
There have been quite a few mentions of Sir Joseph Bazalgette on television recently. The Crossness sewage pumping station at the end of the Southern Outfall Sewer was one of the outstanding parts of his drainage work. The pumping was done by magnificent beam engines one of which, Prince Consort, has been restored. Visits can be made to the works in Belvedere Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 on the 27th June, 11th July and 20th July. Visits at £3; admission for adults must be pre-booked on a Tuesday or Sunday between 9.30 am and 4 pm. Additionally the Prince Consort engine will be in steam on 27th July, admission £4, no booking required.
We intend to visit other mills during the summer and are looking at the possibility of visiting Shirley Windmill at Croydon, which would also give the opportunity to ride on the Croydon Tramway. Shirley Windmill will be open for guided tours on 4th July and 1st August.
If you are interested, please contact Bob on 01708 226040 for further details of either event. If sufficient people are interested it may be possible to arrange a group visit.
2004 WINDMILL OPENINGS
The remaining public open days will be 17th/18th July, 21st/22nd August, 18th/19th September and, probably, 2nd/3rd October.
The 8th/9th May was part of National Mills Weekend. The Romford Vintage Tractors were at the mill on one day and the Havering Amateur Radio Club were there both days.
It will be London Open House Weekend on the 18th/19th September. Again, the tractors will be with us and possibly the Radio Hams. The Open House weekend is usually our busiest weekend of the season, helped by the Open House publicity.
If you would like to help in any way please contact George Saddington, 6 Tunstall Avenue, Ilford, Essex IG6 3EG 020 8501 3361, GHSaddington@aol.com or Bob Sharp, 4 Plough Rise, Cranham, RM14 1XS (01708) 226040, bobsharp@ukonline.co.uk.
MEMBERSHIP
We now have a total of 248 members (77 Family Memberships and 55 Individual Memberships). Approximately seventy five per cent of our members live locally in either Upminster, Cranham or Hornchurch and the remainder are much more widespread. We have two members in the United States of America and one member who lives in Norway.
We welcome all new members who have joined the Group in recent months. It is very encouraging to see our membership grow.
Family Membership costs £10.00 per year, while Individual Membership is £7.00 per year. If you have any enquiries about membership please contact:
Brenda Coombs, Membership Secretary
1 Highview Gardens, Upminster RM14 2YU
Tel: 01708 221298 E-mail: bd.coombs@virgin.net
POSTSCRIPT
I was standing on the first floor of the Mill recently and looked out through the doorway. There in the distance was one of the new wind turbines that Ford’s have erected rotating. It seemed to me to show that wind power is still a force to be reckoned with. - JW
