Friends
of
Upminster Windmill
http://www.upminsterwindmill.co.uk
Registered Charity Number 1097976
Chairman: George H. Saddington, 6 Tunstall
Avenue, Ilford, Essex IG6 3EG
Tel: 020 8501 3361 Email: GHSaddington@aol.com
Secretary: F A J Morley, 42 Gaynes Park Road,
Upminster, RM14 2HP
Tel: 01708 703740
Windmill News – January 2004
Editors –
Richard Saville and Bob Sharp
Chairman's New Year Message
May I open this Newsletter by wishing, on behalf of the Committee
and myself, a very happy and prosperous New Year to all of our
membership and to everyone associated with the maintenance and
development of the Upminster Windmill. 2004 will be an
important year for us all. The negotiations for the transfer
of the lease of the mill from the Council to the newly formed Upminster
Windmill Preservation Trust are in their final stages, and we may
confidently expect the Trust to commence their bid for restoration
funding as soon as it is able.
It might therefore be an appropriate time to remind ourselves of the
Friends role in the process, and as you might guess fundraising will
continue to be a very important activity. Five per cent of
the total expenditure on the restoration of the mill will have to be
found locally from non-grant sources and at the moment our best estimate
is that £30,000 will be required. In the committee's view
this is achievable but to be successful we will need to expand the
membership base of the Friends, seek out further local donations and
sponsorship, and raise the frequency of our fundraising events and
activities. This is a major priority for your Committee in
the coming year and of course to this end the Committee will welcome any
ideas you may have or any assistance you may be able to provide.
However, it is not only cash that is required. National
funding bodies will expect, as part of the funding process, to see
evidence of improving access to the mill - extended opening hours to the
public, improved educational facilities, and an increasing number of
visitors. Friends can be particularly helpful here by
training to be mill guides or undertaking other tasks around the mill on
open days. If you are interested in helping please contact
Bob Sharp for further information.
Finally if a bid is to be successful we will need to convince funding
bodies that there is major and widespread local support for the
restoration of the mill. Of course a well-established and
thriving body of Friends is a good start, but there will also be a need
for an extensive public relations exercise to promote the restoration of
the mill to local organisations, industry, business and commerce,
schools, and the general public, and to ensure that the support we
believe is out there is well documented. The Committee will
be considering this exercise shortly and there will be numerous
opportunities for the involvement of members.
There will be a great deal to do in 2004 and the more Friends who can
contribute their time to the cause the quicker we can achieve our
objectives. Please consider how you can help and may I say
again that the Committee will welcome any ideas you may have or any
assistance you are able to provide.
George H. Saddington,
Chairman
COMMITTEE CHANGES
Brenda has asked to be
relieved of her Newsletter editorship due to increased responsibilities
at work. She will carry on with the printing and distribution and
will, of course, continue as a Committee member. Brenda has done a
superb job with the Newsletter. Most of the content of all those
published so far has been her work. When she started she was
almost new to computers, emails etc but has acquired all the necessary
skills very quickly. We thank her for all her work.
Richard and Bob have worked on this
issue, but an additional editorial assistant would be very welcome, so
hands up some of you budding journalists - you
might need a computer and access to e-mail but that's about it!
SECRETARY'S APPEAL
As members will know, I
was elected Secretary of the ‘Friends’ Committee at the inaugural
meeting three years ago. Since then I have been appointed
Secretary of the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust Ltd.
We are now progressing
well towards the time when the Council will lease the Mill to the Trust
and preparation of the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund will proceed,
with the assistance of Council officers. I visualise a lot of work
ahead and I would prefer to concentrate on the Trust. If there is
a member prepared to take over as Secretary of the Friends at the next
AGM I would be very relieved and would do all possible to assist him or
her in the task. If you would like to help in the task of bringing
this important monument back to life please give me a ring on 01708
703740. Many thanks
Frank Morley
I am extremely grateful to Frank
for his support and work as Secretary over the last three years.
He has kept the minutes of our committee meetings superbly and has also
kept the meetings on course when we have digressed. His is a
tremendous example to follow.
Bob Sharp
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Quiz Night
Following the success of
last year's quiz we are fortunate that Stephen and Gill have offered to
run another one on Saturday 13th March in St. Laurence Church Hall.
Last year's event was enjoyed by all and raised £760. Let's see if
we can top that this year. Please phone Gill or Stephen on 01708
250708 to book a place or a table (10 per table). Gifts for the
raffle would be appreciated.
Tickets
£4 per person at the door, please bring your own food and drink.
Time
7.15 for a prompt start at 7.30 p.m..
Visits
We intend to visit other
mills during the summer and are looking at the possibility of visiting
Shirley Windmill, which would also give the opportunity to ride on the
Croydon Tramway. Further information will be given either in the next
Newsletter or with the information for the AGM.
If you are interested,
please contact Bob on 01708 226040.
2004 WINDMILL OPENINGS
The public open days
will be 3rd/4th April, 24th/25th April, 8th/9th May, 19th/20th June,
17th/18th July,
21st/22nd August, 18th/19th September and, probably, 2nd/3rd October.
The 8th/9th May will be
National Mills Weekend. The Romford Vintage Tractors will be at
the mill on one day and the Havering Amateur Radio Club will be 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.
We have a new volunteer,
Jo, to help with sales, but some more volunteers would enable us to
spread the load better and maybe give some a weekend off. As well
as sales staff and guides, assistants are also required to supervise the
groups of visitors and to keep a check on the numbers.
If you would like to
help in any way please contact George Saddington (contact details in our
letter heading) or Bob Sharp (address above).
WORK AT THE MILL
It is amazing how
quickly the evenings seem to lengthen. In our last newsletter we
said activities at the mill were curtailed as it was often dark by 4
p.m. but we are already finding it possible to work later.
Since the last
newsletter we have continued with the sealing of cracks in the
weather-boarding and have now fitted an experimental drainage system
using "square" section uPVC guttering fitted to the smock tower
three boards up from the level of the reefing stage. This prevents
most of the rainwater which runs down the mill going down onto the
ground floor brickwork. Some more roofing felt will be laid on the
reefing stage areas where rain drips directly down from the sails, the
edge of the cap and the fan stage.
Little work has been
done on the wooden clamps for the stocks as we have been concentrating
on the weatherproofing. Work continues on Tuesday afternoons and
anyone is welcome to visit us. We can usually show casual
passers-by over the mill provided no major task is in hand at the time.
Arrangements were made
between the Council and Capel Manor, the arboricultural college, to take
down the sycamore tree nearest the mill and reduce the crown of the one
nearer our container by 30%. This was to reduce disruption of wind
flow to the sails and the risk of root damage to the mill's foundations
from the nearest tree. Capel Manor were prepared to do the work
free of charge as they could include the work in a current training
course. The sycamore nearest the mill has now been taken down,
together with a hawthorn which was in a poor state. The other
sycamore will be crown reduced shortly. A number of pyracantha
shrubs have been planted near the container in the hope that they will
grow fairly fast and screen it. The soil in this area is of poor
quality and there is a lot of rubble just below the surface. This
area is where the pig courts were when the mill was working.
UPMINSTER WINDMILL PRESERVATION TRUST LTD
The Trust now has
charitable status. A meeting has been held with Council officers
to agree the Draft Heads of Terms of the lease and the Management
Agreement. This will now go forward to the Council's Cabinet.
BOROUGH HERITAGE OFFICER
The new Heritage
Officer, Nigel Oxley, took up his
appointment on the 19th January and spent the afternoon of the 20th at
the Windmill. He will work for Guy Selfe who has been concerned
with the mill for some time now. Nigel's experience with English
Heritage and other local authorities, together with his obvious
keenness, combine to give us great confidence in the future of our
project.
RECENT EVENTS
Visit to Marsh Windmill
In early October I
volunteered my services to represent the Friends at the SPAB Committee
of Groups and Sections (COGS) meeting. This is a forum where many
groups such as the Essex, Suffolk, Hampshire and many other Mills Groups
meet to interchange ideas and information, usually twice a year.
The meeting was held at
Marsh windmill in Lancashire. Its location is at Thornton Cleveley
about 5 miles east of Blackpool. I decided to drive there, so on a
fairly warm but dark morning I set off from Romford at around 4.30.
As not one to venture north of Watford very often I was in
intrepid mood and decided to do the A1 scenic trot and then across the
Pennines on the M62. After a monstrous breakfast at a Little Chef,
I reached Thornton at around 9.30. Marsh Windmill is surrounded by
a modern community village with a pub and speciality shops.
With its fully shuttered
red sails, 70ft brick tower and a skeleton fan, it stands like the old
sentinel looking over its modern neighbours. Built in 1794 it was one
of twelve in the area and one of three from its builder, Ralph Slater.
It is typical of the design of this area.
As I got out of the car,
I met with the full onslaught of the bracing Arctic winds (also typical
of this area!), something I was not prepared for. Entering the
mill via a fairly new reception I was greeted by a very pleasant lady.
After exchanging welcomes, and after I complained about how cold it was
up there after leaving balmy London and in reply being labelled a
‘southern softy’, I was allowed to venture up the mill.
The ground floor houses
many exhibits and models and memorabilia of the mill's bygone days.
It finished its working days in the 1920s and has been extensively
restored over the years with most of its original machinery still in
situ on the upper levels. The sails do not turn by wind these days
although they appear capable of doing so. The first floor housed
more exhibits but to venture further one had to don a hard hat, a
compulsory measure that was strictly imposed.
The stone floor above
was most interesting. Four sets of peaks 6ft diameter driven
over-drift by 6 inch cast iron squared damsels which rattled huge wooden
shoes. Boy them damsels sure are big up north! The spur
wheel has an auxiliary drive from the floor above. This is the
drive from a motor (horror!) which enables the spur and sails to turn
via an upright central shaft through the dust floor. The bin floor
housed the electric motor for the sails and the upright central shaft,
which is encased in a plastic shroud for safety. As the stairs to
the cap were boarded up access wasn’t possible but looking up through
the stair opening, the wallower was visible but noticeably lower than
Upminster and space appeared incredibly tight. All the floors were
impeccably clean without a hint of dust or cobwebs and very spacious
except for the cap of course. For one who is not familiar with the
North West mills, I was most impressed and glad to have taken this
opportunity to discover one. On the down side to me was its siting
in a modern complex, it looses its character somewhat, the floors too
clean for my liking and that damn motor! However the pluses
certainly out weighed the down sides.
After the formalities of
the meeting were over, finishing later than expected, one had to
commence the journey back. I was accompanied by William Hill from
House Mill, Bromley-by-Bow. He would not have been able to return
to London by train until Monday so he welcomed the lift back.
Driving back in torrential rain and total darkness on the motorways, I
dropped a very pale and shaken William off at Harold Wood four hours
later, grateful I’m sure. All in all a very interesting day.
So if anybody is in the Blackpool area, pop in to Marsh Mill, I know you
won’t be disappointed.
Trevor Watts
SUFFOLK TOUR 2003
While we were at
Pakenham Mill, some members of the party were very interested in an
ancient railway carriage. Russell Spencer has done research on it
and we shall publish his article in the next Newsletter.
MEMBERSHIP
The winter months are
‘quieter’ months from the membership point of view as there are no Open
Weekends at the Mill. Many of our visitors express their surprise
at the equipment and exhibits inside the Mill and some visitors join the
Friends Group after their tour.
Since the last
newsletter was printed we have had one new member. We welcome Mr P
Roberts.
Many of our members live
outside Havering and we greatly appreciate their support. Some
have moved away from Upminster and have fond memories of Upminster Mill.
Others are associated with windmills elsewhere in the country and
realise the importance of preserving our heritage.
We would like to
increase our membership and appeal for your help. If you can
introduce another member or another family please pass on the enclosed
membership form. It is so easy to join! Anyone who joins the
Friends Group between now and the end of March 2004 will also be granted
membership for our next financial year that begins in April 2004.
Thank you for your
support.
