Restoration of the Mill
July 2004
A landmark event in the history of Ashdon Windmill
We were delighted that The Heritage Lottery Fund considered the Village Community project to be worthy of their support and awarded a grant of £46,900. This was used to restore the tailpole, steps and sails of our windmill.
We were able to proudly proclaim that we were supported by The Heritage Lottery Fund. This amounted to 81% of the estimated cost, we were still in need of the continued loyal support of the "Friends of Ashdon Mill" to make up the 19% needed to complete the project, we didn't believe this to be a problem in view of the spontaneous response we had received from the "Friends of Ashdon Mill", including many fromer residents of Ashdon and visitors.
We were very grateful to The Heritage Lottery Fund and everyone for their combined support.
The Heritage Lottery Fund grant enabled the Mill to resume its original look and the long term plan was to resume its original function.
April 2005
In April 2005, Peter Jamieson and David How were checking the brickwork of the roundhouse and found, behind an ancient curtain of cobwebs, some coloured drawings which have a little mystery about them! There are, for example, a picture of a French lady Mme Fouget with a traditional French hairstyle and a French man sitting at a desk with a "daffodil" telephone with various papers spread out. There is also visible the remains of a "Tricolour", together with a Union Jack which is flying from a gold flagpole. The style seems to be between WW1 and WW2 but who are Mme Fouget and Monsieur?
In addition to all these amusing events, work on phase III of the restoration continued. We now had a design for the new sails, which have been
submitted to the Uttlesford Planning Department and Vincent Pargeter worked on the steps to the Mill.
Information was received that some of the missing Mill machinery may be nearer to Little Walden - if they still existed.
November 2005
The work on the tailpole and steps took rather longer than had been hoped. Work on the roundhouse was delayed by this.
For the first time plans were being made on the flood lighting of the Windmill at Christmas.
March 2006
The tail pole and steps had now been completed. Timber for the sails on Vincents instructions was purchased and the sails were now under construction. This was of course an exciting and major milestone in the restoration of the mill and preparations were under way to commemorate this wonderful event. When in place and finished the sails would be able to turn, provided we have a wind of Force 5 to 6 on the Beaufort scale and the Mill turned into wind. It will have been over a Hundred years since the Mill has been seen with sails revolving and will be a marvellous tribute to everyone who has contributed to the project thus far and to Vincents craftsmanship.
The sails arrived and were fixed to the mill on 5th July 2006. A thing of beauty. Vincent Pargeter the Millwright has made a wonderful job of their construction.
September 2006
After a somewhat worrying week of high winds and rain we enjoyed a lovely sunny day on 23rd September. It was a momentous occasion when the new sails, which had been recently hoisted on to the Mill, were officially inaugurated by Patricia Herrmann O.B.E., Vice Chairman of Essex Environment Trust.
The team of fourteen volunteers running the event had everything ready to greet over one hundred and fifty “Friends” and to show them how much had been achieved in the five years, almost to the day from the commencement of the work, by the combined efforts of the Trustees and the many “Friends of the Mill”, who had been supporting and assisting on the project over the last five years.
Most of the Heritage and Restoration organisations, who have made grants to the project, had sent a representative. Patricia Herrmann, during the “Opening”, made many kind and encouraging remarks regarding the efforts of the community and the remarkable spirit that prevails in Ashdon village.
Unfortunately due to the changes that had been made in the regulations which govern Essex Environment Trust, Ashdon was no longer in the area in which they provide funding for heritage projects. We had therefore lost a valuable supporter who through their Chief Executive, Keith Derry, gave us much support and inspiration since 2001.
However, the inauguration ceremony went well and at the close of Patricia Herrmann’s address – the sails really turned. It was a stirring sight and something that the Trustees and all our supporters had been waiting for. The sails had stopped in 1912 and had not, to our knowledge, turned since.
We now had to build on this major achievement and restore the roundhouse. We could then install the millstones together with the various pieces of machinery that drive the stones.
The Essex Mills Group used a picture of Ashdon Mill on the cover of their Autumn Newsletter, which included an article on the four Corn Exchanges that used to flourish in Essex. The Corn Exchange in Saffron Walden was built on the site of a magnificent Medieval Wool Hall that was demolished in 1844 to make way for the Corn Exchange, designed by Robert Tress and opened in 1850. It ceased trading in 1971 and has since been used as the library.
March 2008
At last we made a start on the Roundhouse, although this was in Vincent’s workshop rather than at the Windmill. He was tapering the aluminium sheets for the cone like roof and preparing some curving oak plates to replace existing ones that are damaged or did not exist!
April 1999
A meeting of the villagers in April 1999 agreed that the windmill should be restored and that included the sails being fitted. The Ashdon Windmill Trust Ltd was formed and registered as a charity. Planning permission and listed building permission were obtained.
In 2000, the mill was gifted to Ashdon village by the Thurlow Estate with the promise of a £25,000 donation once the Trust had raised £25,000 itself. The Essex Environment Trust gave a grant of £40,000 in 2001.
Vincent Pargeter was engaged to do the restoration.
Restoration work began in earnest in March 2002 "trussing her up", as the old millwrights would say! Horizontal timber needles were passed through the body, and fastened to the main timbers inside. Four raking props, 26 feet long and 8 inches square were footed on wooden pads dug into the ground and were bolted to the needles. This formed a strong, triangulated structure, further reinforced by cross bracing between the raking props. The shoring, in addition to existing vertical props under the body, will hold the mill firm while repairs are in progress.
November, 2007
Although we were hoping to start on our project to restore the Roundhouse in October or November, the weather played ducks and drakes with Vincent's work schedule and we decided to postpone the work to an early date in the New Year.
We did, however, have a number of planning meetings on the subject with Vincent and Peter Jamieson, our Architect "Friend", to check the footings and the availability of bricks to match those used to build the Roundhouse wall about 1820. Alan Hardy, our project leader and Peter Jamieson have been scouring Solopark, armed with a specimen brick, to see how many they could find.
We were promised some support from Ridgeons in respect of the materials for the Roundhouse and we also have a skilled volunteer from the Village to work on the brickwork, which was a great help in funding the project.
December 2008
Picture 1 shows Melvyn at work
Here is a picture of the "Roundhouse" being restored. Melvin Davey had been up bright and early on Saturday mornings working on the brickwork and Alan and David had to be up early too, to make sure the water tank was full and petrol was available for the generator.
Melvin made a wonderful job of removing the damaged brickwork and stitching in the replacements. Our thanks go to Melvin for persevering with the task in what can only be described as "Arctic conditions"!
Vincent Pargeter the Millwright then needed to replace the old roof covering.
The photos below show the work completed from 2000 to 2009.
2000
2009
Summer 2009
For the first time in nearly 100 years the sails turned, a sight no one in the village had seen before. With temporary cloth sails they turned very easily, this continued on a monthly basis as part of the new maintenance programme.
The restoration now moved to the internal machinery and the millstones. Partly due to the downturn in the economy, fund raising proved very difficult but the Trustees did manage to raise sufficient to commission the building of a millstone case together with the ancillary equipment.
Spring 2010
The millstone box was completed by Vincent, essential to enclose the millstones and gather the flour. Emphasis was now on locating and designing the drive mechanism from the sails.
Autumn 2010
Progress on the millstones was a slow process, the condition of the stome we had was not good and Vincent hoped to swap it for another one.
Spring 2011
Unfortuately we had the first of our break in's to the mill and the floodlights were stolen, so the opportunity of floodlighting the mill over Christmas was sadly missed.
Vincent was progressing with the millstones and had fixed the retaining steel bands around them. The enabled him to start having them dressed (cutting the grinding grooves in the upper stone).
Autumn 2012
A sad time for the Project team, with the passing of Andrew Eyles one of the founding Trustees of the Ashdon Windmill Trust whose time and effort was a major part in getting the mill to where it was.
The millstones were still not ready to be installed requiring alot more repairs than origianlly thought.
Spring 2013
Vincent had to give up with the first pair of stones, another pair had to be obtained and banded again.
Summer 2013
On the 17th August with the help of s lorry fitted with a HAIB crane, the four stones were each lifted through the door of the mill and stowed on the first floor. Getting closer now to the sails turning the stones.
Spring 2014
With the millstones now properly installed in the Windmill, we
consulted with Vincent Pargeter on how we get the stones, or the top ones – (the runner stones) turning!
Vincent visited the Windmill at the beginning of November to take all the measurements to make the “pattern“ which will eventually be used to make the casts of the cogs etc. connecting the sails to the millstones and grind the corn, or wheat, to make some flour.
In addition there are a number of ancillary things to complete the grinding system and connecting up the governors to control the speed of the stones and the quality of the flour.
All of this is quite an expensive business but we had most of the funding in place.
Summer 2014
Here we have our master Millwright at work and the photograph which shows him installing the quant – the vertical shaft which is the drive from the brake linked to the top millstone. When the sails turn the millstones will turn almost seven times for one complete turn of the sails. Inevitably there is some fine tuning to be carried out but we were now nearing the stage when it will all work!
With the aid of a grant from Essex Heritage we also expect to have our safety fence installed shortly so that the sails can safely turn.
Autumn 2014
Repainting of the mill started and will not be completed until Spring 2015.
We have been fortunate in obtaining a grant from Essex Heritage Trust to have a safety fence made for when the sails turn. Andy Basham is manufacturing this in his “Rustic Workshop” at the rear of Goldstones Farm.
We are virtually ready to turn the “millstones” but need to make some cloth sails to give us the necessary power - the previous cloth sails went missing during one of the various “break ins” The sails really need shutters, but that would be mega expensive and will have to wait until 2015.
Ernest Arnold, with the help of Michael Swan, has now erected John Gray’s new “Windmill” notice board, so the old Windmill is now looking very smart.
Winter 2014
The painting of the Windmill by our intrepid abseiling Painter/Millwright, Bill
Griffiths, has continued over the last three months, when weather conditions
allowed, but has now paused as autumn and winter weather are not conducive for the paint properly drying.
Bill selected a linseed oil based paint favoured for historic buildings because of the good diffusion and it does not flake, chip or tear, stays elastic and only weathers superficially; the disadvantage being that it needs warm, dry conditions. So the top coating must wait for a nice warm spring.
Also in September the ash hurdle safety fence was completed in Andy Basham’s “Rustic Workshop” in time for our last public Open Day this year. We are very pleased with the effect - apart from the essential “safety factor”. We are very grateful to Essex Heritage Trust for funding this. We now hope to have the sails turning more frequently and perhaps floodlit over Christmas.
