Who are we?

The aim of the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society is to restore, maintain and preserve Holgate Windmill (an 18th century windmill in York and the oldest 5-sailed windmill in the country). We aim to produce flour using wind power and to increase knowledge of our national heritage and the traditional skills of milling. We aim to help our community by involving local residents in all our activities.

The society was formed in November 2001 after some local residents became worried about the condition of the mill. At that stage no work had been done on the mill for a number of years and this resulted in noticeable deterioration to the fabric of this Grade II listed building.

Since then, the society has raised more than £500,000 to complete the restoration of the mill to working order. We now regularly produce our traditional stone-ground wholemeal flour both for sale in the mill, and for a number of artisan bakeries locally. The project would not have been possible without the support of our local community, the people of York, City of York Council and of course our very generous sponsors (see below).

The society currently has over 500 members and raises funds through a variety of means such as open days, sales of merchandise at fairs and functions, and numerous social events organised throughout the year. The society also gives regular talks on the history of the mill to local groups and societies (contact Richard Green for more details at chair@holgatewindmill.org).

Contact details for our committee members can be found below. HWPS is a registered charity and a limited company (Reg. Charity No. 1106115).