Heage Windmill, in

Heage Heage is a village in Derbyshire, England, situated midway between Belper and Ripley in the Amber Valley district. The village is in the Heage and Ambergate ward, which in the 2011 census had a population of 5,013. Heage is known for its six- ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, is a restored

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

, built in the 1790s. After standing unused since 1919, it was restored to working order in 2002. The mill is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

;

History

It is a

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

, built in the 1790s and working by 1798. It had four

common sails Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

. It was purchased in 1850 by brothers Thomas and Isaac Shore, who modified the mill, replacing the sails with four

patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound rou ...

, and fitting a

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as " ...

. It was damaged in a storm in February 1894, when the cap and sails were blown off; the repaired windmill had six patent sails and an

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...

cap.The Story of Heage Windmill
''Heage Windmill''. Retrieved 8 December 2022. The mill was in use until 1919, when the miller was Thomas Isaac Shore, grandson of the earlier miller Thomas Shore. In that year the fantail was damaged in a gale, and the mill was closed down. It was sold by the Shores at an auction in 1934, and used by the new owner for storage, eventually becoming derelict. It was given listed status in 1965, as a Grade II* listed building. In 1968 it was purchased by Derbyshire County Council. There was restoration in the early 1970s: there were new floors, cap covering, fantail and sails, but the mill was not brought to working order. The first of several Open Days took place in 1989. These made the public more aware of the mill, and in 1996 Heage Windmill Society, a charitable trust, was formed. Full restoration began, funded by grants from various sources. The fully working mill was opened to the public on 1 June 2002. In August 2015

wet rot Wet rot is a generic term used to define a variety of fungal species, such as '' Coniophora puteana'' ( otherwise known as cellar fungus) and '' Choanephora cucurbitarum''. Some species obtain their food by breaking down the cell walls of woo ...

was found in the fantail mechanism and sails. Funds were raised to make repairs, which were completed in June 2016.

Present day

The mill is open at weekends and Bank Holiday Mondays from April to October; there are guided tours. Group visits can be booked."Group Visits"
''Heage Windmill''. Retrieved 11 December 2022.

References

{{Reflist Windmills in England Grade II* listed buildings in Derbyshire

History

Present day

See also

References