The 9th-10th May 2020 is the annual National Mills Weekend, run by the Mills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). To celebrate the weekend a film focusing on the mills and current day millwrights has been made – click here. 

At a time when the public would ordinarily be able to visit mills up and down the country the film provides a great insight from which to make plans for future visits. The film is of particular interest to us at the moment as Claire is currently working on a heritage statement for a Grade II* listed windmill.

With archives currently closed to the public Claire has been particularly grateful for the prompt assistance in her research from the Mills Archive, based in the Grade II* Watlington House in Reading, Berkshire. Although the library and archive is but a stone’s throw away from the office it may as well be at the other end of the country with the lockdown in place! The Mills Archive has been hugely helpful to support our research.

Watlington House usually participates in the annual Heritage Open Days – whose theme this year is ‘Hidden Nature’. Scheduled this year for September 11th-20th click here to find out more.

The image above is of Heckington Mill, Lincolnshire, close to where Claire grew up. It is a working mill with eight sails.