AGM
The AGM will be on Tuesday 18th April (not the 11th as previously announced) and will be held in the New Windmill Hall. After the business of the meeting is concluded (very quickly we hope) Simon Hudson, Secretary of the Mills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), will give us a talk on the work of the Section. Please may we have a good turn-out to support Simon.
When the restoration of the mill starts, the Mills Section of SPAB will be asked to monitor the work on behalf of English Heritage. The Section takes a keen interest in all restoration and repair work on mills of all types.
Some of our members (including Trevor Watts and Bob Sharp) are members of the Mills Section. Trevor and Bob represent the Friends and the Preservation Trust at meetings of the Committee of Groups and Sections (COGS) which meets twice a year - once in London and once further north (the last COGS meeting was in Nottingham)
Our thanks go to Cllr Linda Hawthorne who has persuaded the Council to make no charge for the use of the hall for this meeting. She has also obtained the use of the room behind the stage of hall for our next committee meeting in January, again free of charge.
Publicity
Extract from minutes of committee meeting on 5th October 2005.
A number of people are contacting various organisations, papers etc. Kath Wright keeps libraries supplied with leaflets and I will check with her next Wednesday whether she 'tops up' or whether it is a once-only drop. Joyce Hall has agreed to keep BBC Essex, Tesco at Roneo Corner and Woolworth's in Hornchurch. Jo Collins has offered to contact the Upminster Residents Association Bulletin and 'Living in Havering'. Frank has already contacted Ken Hay re announcement in the Upminster Bulletin. Bob will deal with SPAB Mills Section, Wicken Windmill, Crossness Engines Trust and Kew Bridge Steam Museum.
Other areas are the Friends of Havering Museum newsletter editor and the GLIAS newsletter editor. John Winn had produced an excellent new leaflet and we need to distribute this, particularly to other mills, at the same time asking for return leaflets for our rack.
Martin Withers has agreed to co-ordinate publicity efforts to ensure that we are not 'doubling up' in our distribution of material and thereby wasting effort. He has established a data-base listing distributors and the areas covered. If you would be interested in sending material to other windmills and groups, please contact Martin (01708 229564) and he will send you a copy of the list. He would also like to know of any new contacts members can suggest.
Arethusa Ensemble Concert
The concert on 19th November, in St Laurence Church, was a very successful event with a wide variety of music. Arethusa provided a grand piano at their own expense and also printed the programmes, tickets and flyers. The proceeds of the concert were £275 after deduction of expenses for use of the church and the cost of wine etc for the interval refreshments. There was a generously supported retiring collection to help defray Arethusa's expenses of hiring the piano. We would like to thank Justin Coombs and his friends for providing this concert.
Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust
The Trust is still awaiting final agreement of the lease. The latest draft is with the Trust’s solicitor who is in contact with the Council’s legal department. As soon as the lease is signed, application can be made for the project planning grant which will provide the funds to employ surveyors, millwrights etc to provide accurate detail costings for the restoration and the building of the visitor centre.
Peter Cobley, lately the conservation officer for Kent County Council, who managed the restoration of seven windmills in Kent, has suggested various outline plans. It is hoped to hold preliminary consultations with Havering’s Conservation Planning department in the near future.
Essex Mills Group
The Essex Mills Group is affiliated to the SPAB Mills Section and has been involved in a number of projects regarding Essex mills. Numbers are falling at the moment and new members would be welcome. Visits to mills and walks to visit sites of defunct mills are arranged during the year. Representations are made to the relevant authorities when we become aware of applications for change of use, alterations to buildings etc. Sometimes, as in the case of Stebbing watermill, these are not successful. In other cases we have achieved good results. Members also assist at open days at Mountnessing and other mills.
Visit by Flemish mill enthusiasts
Last September I visited Flanders on a four day tour organised by the SPAB Mills Section and The International Molinological Society (TIMS). A very hectic tour visiting many wind, water and animal mills. I for one had never seen an oil mill in production.
This year a number of millers and enthusiasts from Flanders (about 50), many of whom are members of TIMS, are coming to England for a three day tour of mills in East Anglia, particularly Essex and Suffolk. The tour is being arranged by the SPAB Mills Section. The party will arrive on Friday 7th April. On leaving the Tunnel terminal they will travel by (their) coach to Meopham Green Windmill in Kent for lunch and come to visit Upminster about 3 p.m. They will then go on to Mountnessing and other mills, their day ending in Ipswich where they will be staying at the Novatel and visiting mills in the area. There may be time for them to have a cup of tea or coffee at Upminster, but detailed timing has still to be arranged by SPAB.
General interest
Suffolk Mills Group Newsletter, Nov 2005, reports that the old railway carriage which we saw at Pakenham windmill on our 2003 tour (see the Newsletter) has been dismantled and taken away for restoration by a collector.
Planning permission has been given for Suffolk's first wind farm near Framlingham. Six 100m high turbines will be erected on a disused airfield at Parham by Saxon Windpower who hope to have them operational by Spring 2007.
Plans have also been submitted for a 140 turbine wind farm on the Inner Gabbard and Galloper sand banks 25km off the coast at Orford. This will generate 500MW by the end of 2008.
In case anyone is interested, Kew Bridge Steam Museum have a new exhibition - ' Wondrously Wacky Gadgets'. On view will be 150 innovations from the past that were intended to save time and energy (but rarely ever did!). 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. www.kbsm.org or 0208 568 4757 for further details.
Christmas Sale
Brian Hayden reports that the sale on 3rd December raised £652-81, an increase of approximately £120 compared to last year. Our thanks for the hard work put in by Jo Collins and her team.
The total Sales and Donations taken at the Windmill on Open Days etc for this financial year amounts to £3483-75.