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Archive
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2005 | 2006 | 2007
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2009
Our Millwrights,
Tom, Steve and Dave worked hard to complete the cap and it was finally
lifted onto the mill on 29th November, despite a few setbacks with poor
weather conditions the preceding week. The
new cap is a work of art. The inner structure comprises 28 oak spars clad
with horizontal pine boarding. These are then covered by vertical boards
of red cedar, all meticulously chamfered into graceful curves.
A“time capsule” was placed inside the ball finial on the very top of the mill. This capsule contains various objects of current day interest and will be next seen by a future generation of cap restorers (which we hope won’t be required for a long time!). This is a time honoured tradition in milling circles.
We have installed a fully functioning toilet inside the mill, using an innovative and very sympathetic design. Richie has also worked his carpentry genius and constructed 4 grain bins using his own original design, whereby the bins encircle the central vertical shaft. This design enables us to maximise space for visitors while still being functional.
A “new” set of millstones has been installed. All the stones furniture has also been built and installed by our millwrights. These are truly beautiful, made of ash and pine and show that we are well on our way to becoming a fully working mill.
The new railings have been erected around the edge of the roundabout and the inside of the mill also received a lot of attention, with all the floorboards being replaced and the inside walls getting a well needed coat of whitewash. All of the 240 shutters for the sails have also been delivered - in kit form! We will soon begin the job of making these shutters to save us a lot of money. And finally, to improve access, handrails have been installed on the stairs which have made it much easier for visitors to climb up (and down) the mill.
2008
Progress has
not been as fast as we had hoped this year. The lime render round the
base of the mill didn’t set properly in the bad weather so had to
be taken off and re-applied by the Council. We are still waiting for this
to “go off” before the tower can be painted black.
New floorboards have been laid on the Stones floor and a much needed new staircase from the ground floor has been put in. The millwrights have lifted the top stones on all four pairs so we could finally see the condition of the cutting surfaces. Unfortunately, it wasn’t pleasant viewing! Good news was on hand however, as our millwrights managed to find a “new” set of stones which we have used to replace our (soon to be) working pair.
There has also been excellent progress in restoring the ground floor machinery as the hurst frame, tentering gear and the kibbler have all been either restored or replaced. The cap is under construction and progress is steady. The fan stage and fantail are ready, as are the new shears. Wrought iron fence railings for the roundabout and handrails for the entrance steps have been ordered.
We have held six open weekends this year, attracting many locals and visitors to York alike. Many opted to join the society and we were thrilled with the huge number of compliments on our progress and on how impressive the mill looks.
In August this year, we celebrated
reaching 500 members! Jen Hay’s enthusiasm has once again paid off
through her very successful Open Gardens in July and Barn Dance in September.
At the September open weekend, we held an Art Show for people to showcase
items they’d made out of off-cuts of wood from the new floorboards.
We had 35 entries and they received much admiration.
A gentleman living in Malvern, who had been cleaning out his loft, came
across a bin bag full of old, historic documents, mainly about Acomb and
Holgate. He sent us these documents, which are dated between 1774 and
the late 1800’s. Many were conveyance documents, written in beautiful
old script, but to us, the most interesting find among these documents
was the original enclosure map of Acomb/Holgate in 1774, hand drawn with
all the land owners names against their parcels of land. We can clearly
see “George Waud” written on the small rectangle of land where
the windmill stands. This would be only four years after the mill had
been built. The documents have now been preserved in the York City Archives
and would be of interest to anyone researching local history, although
not to our mill itself, unfortunately.
2007
The scaffolding and fencing was removed following the external renovation
done by York Council. All the lime render has been applied to the outside
walls and brand new solid
oak doors and window frames have been fitted. Opening up the window apertures
has allowed much more light to enter the mill and has brightened up all
of the floors. Eric Daniels (Helens dad) has kindly made some shutters
to protect the ground floor windows.
HWPS has finally signed the lease with York council, so the trustees are
now officially in charge of Holgate Windmill! We have had a massive boost
to our finances with a fantastic donation of £20,000 from York Conservation
Trust.
In November, we held a sponsored 'Storming the walls' event, with many society members and friends walking round the city walls. This was a very high profile event and we raised £4,000 for the society. Santa also visited the mill on the first two weekends in December and was kept extremely busy handing out presents to hundreds of children, and raising £700 in the process.
2007 was a
big year for raising funds. We secured nearly £98,000 from Grantscape,
an environmental grant-making charity. This extra money means that we
will be able to fully restore one set of stones and all the machinery
required to drive them by wind power. We
also secured a further £66,000 from The Esmee Fairburn Foundation
this year. This will pay for the remaining work already underway to restore
the cap and also allow us to put skeleton sail frames and fantail back
on the mill. The cap is due to be returned to the mill in May.
The Heritage Lottery fund also gave us £50,000 to restore the ground
floor. The Stones (1st) floor has been strengthened and this has allowed
us to remove the 32 props which were holding it up. The ground floor now
looks and feels much more spacious, giving more room to move around and
view the machinery. The
council have completed work on the structure of the mill and it will be
painted black when the weather improves.
2006
October 2006 - The
City of York Council is making a very thorough repair to the outside of
the Mill. The scaffolding is up and all the exterior black paint and concrete
render has been removed. All brickwork has been repointed and strengthened
and most of the new lime render has been applied. To complete the work
it is essential to remove the cap and this was lifted off on 12th October
using a large crane and transporter. It will be stored in a secure unit
for about six months while it is being restored by Thompsons millwrights,
so expect the mill to look barer than usual for a while.
Also as part of the restoration programme HWPS has ordered new windows
and doors, mains power has been connected so we now have full lighting
and power throughout the mill.
July 2006: Phase 1 of restoration works has
started. The scaffolding has just been erected so the exterior brickwork
and cap can be renovated and painted. The windows will also be re-instated,
so the outside of the mill will regain it's traditional look with its
distinctive black tar coating and white cap. Work has also recently commenced
on getting a full electricity supply into the mill.
Feb 2006: The
new fund raising campaign has already reaped rewards. Following our initial
advertisements through the York Evening Press, we have had a lot of interest
and have already had one very generous donation.
The society has purchased a corn dresser (a machine used by millers to
seperate the finer grains from the coarse ones, through a sieve like system).
It is a large machine, roughly 6ft long and 5ft high and is in really
good condition so will be fantastic to use inside the mill.
Jan 2006: After our disappointing response from the Heritage Lottery Fund late last year, the society has launched it's new campaign to raise fund for the restoration. The society plans to significantly raise its profile over the coming year, both to raise awareness and funds.
2005
July 2005:
After submitting our initial proposals to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF),
we have had a disappointing first response, highlighting our problems
with lack of facilities and space. The society is now looking at options
suggested by HLF.
June
2005: The open weekend in May saw the mills doors opening to
the public for over 75 years. Over 130 people turned up over the two days
and we recruited 39 new members.
The society has just received a grant from the City of York Council to
help us get mains power and lighting into the mill. Watch this space for
further details.
April
2005: Last October, a group of society members braved the elements
to plant 500 daffodil bulbs around the windmill to give it a splash of
colour come spring time. Anybody who has been past the windmill in the
last couple of weeks will have seen that the hard work has paid off with
a host of golden daffodils surrounding the mill.
With the recent departure of
Dr. David Hope to pastures new, we have been looking for a new patron.
Following our search, we are proud to announce that our new Patrons are
TV historian Adam Hart-Davis and local Look North presenter Harry Gration.
2004
September 2004: Planning
permission has been granted. The following press release has been issued
to announce this fantastic piece of news:
"PRESS RELEASE
A residents group, which plans
to restore and maintain York’s last remaining windmill, is celebrating
the news that the City of York Council has granted Planning Consent for
their venture.
Holgate Windmill Preservation Society was formed in 2001, to bring this
local landmark back into full working order. Chairman Bob Anderton of
Windmill Rise in Holgate said” Planning Consent will unlock the
next stage of the development, by enabling us to complete arrangements
for leasing the Mill for 15 years, from its owners, the City Council.
This will fulfil the Heritage Lottery Fund’s minimum ownership conditions,
and allow us to apply to them, for 90% of the estimated £400,000
restoration cost.”
Mr. Anderton continued “We
hope to raise the balance from our own fundraising, with contributions
from the business community and grant-making trusts. Restoration work
could take up to 18 months. The Mill will then be opened to small, pre-booked
parties.”
May 2004: Annual General Meeting held - Bob
Anderton elected as new Chairman. Richard Green was re-elected as Vice
Chair and Christine Bramwell was re-elected as Treasurer. Brian Lambert
was also re-elected as secretary.
March 2004: The official planning application has been submitted
to the Council and a notice has been posted on the mill offering the public
the 21 days to to register any opinions or objections.
February 2004:
We have received a first draft of the document from the solicitors regarding
the incorporation of the society. Incorporation is necessary to ensure
that the society will be responsible for the windmill, and not the individual
members of the committee.
January 2004: Siginificant progress has been made on the architectural
drawings of the mill so we now have a good idea of what it will look like
when the work is finished. Once these drawings are completed, we will
be in a position to submit a planning application to the City Council.
But, before we attempt this, we intend to invite local residents to discuss
the proposals with us, as we are very keen to get as much local support
as possible. This project is intended to benefit the whole community and
it is very important to us that people see this restoration as a positive
improvement to the City.
2003
September 2003: The booklet on Holgate Windmill, as featured
in the "York Evening Press" and the "York Star", has
been printed and being sold to raise money. Educational workbooks have
been commissioned which are based around the National Curriculum levels
to teach children all about windmills. This will help to raise awareness
of our cause within local schools and will hopefully be fun for the children
to complete.
The millwrights estimate is a cost of approx. £400,000 to fully
renovate the windmill so we will be looking for Lottery funding to help
pay for this work.
August 2003: The Council finished its structural
work and the scaffolding has now been removed. Members of the committee
have now been allowed access inside the mill for the first time. Funds
are still coming in, with a successful day at the West Bank Park summer
fayre. Several members of the committee recently visited four restored
windmills:- Skidby Mill (the only other surviving Yorkshire windmill)
and three others in Lincolnshire (Wrawby Post Mill, Ellis Mill and Waltham
Mill) to get a perspective on the realities of running a windmill in the
present day. Click here for more details of our day
out.
A two page article on Holgate Windmill appeared in the September issue
of the "Dalesman" magazine.
June 2003:
The Council commenced its initial structural repair works. Scaffolding
was erected around the mill. The Council have agreed that once this safety
work is completed, the lease of the windmill will be transferred to the
Society. The Society has invited quotations from four Millwright and Conservation
firms with specific expertise in the restoration and repair of windmills,
to initially carry out the full feasibility study of the works required
to return Holgate Mill to operational use. This study will allow the society
to more accurately evaluate the scope of the restoration works and the
costs involved. It is anticipated that the successful Millwright will
then be incorporated within the Society's professional team of Architects,
Structural engineers and Quantity surveyors to produce detailed restoration
proposals. These will, in due course, form the basis of Planning, Listed
Building and Heritage Lottery Grant proposals.
March 2003: We have applied to the Gannett Foundation (the charitable
arm of Gannett Co. Inc, owners of the Yorkshire Evening Press) for funds
for the feasibility study and should know in December whether we have
been successful. Holgate Ward Committee have also contributed towards
this feasibility study. Progress on the initial feasibility study has
been hampered by the condition of the existing structure and condition
of the mill. The City of York council have refused any access to the building
until a full health and safety audit has been carried out. Structural
engineers Scott Wilson were appointed by the Council to identify the condition
of the mill and unfortunately, elements of both the internal and external
structures were in worse condition than anticipated. These remedial works
were needed as a first priority. The Council have a statutory obligation
to carry out these works, as legal owners of the mill. Once these works
have been carried out, representatives of the society and funding bodies
will be able to access the building. The Charity Commission has accepted
our application for charitable status and we are now Registered Charity
No. 1096303.
2002: We have been successful in achieving a local Heritage
Initiative award of £21,875 to cover the millwrights survey, to
display promotional items, to set up an archive and to purchase a computer
and software.