Skidby Windmill is a

Grade II* listed 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 ...

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

Skidby Skidby is a small village and civil parish in Yorkshire Wolds of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated about north-west of Hull city centre, west of Cottingham and south of Beverley. The civil parish contains mainly agricul ...

near

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

, in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Originally built in 1821, the mill was further extended to its current 5 stories in 1870. It is powered by 4 sails, 11 metres in length, and was in commercial use until 1966. Between 1954 and 1966 the mill was used for grinding animal feedstuff using newly installed electric rollers but also continued producing

stoneground flour Stoneground flour is whole grain flour produced by the traditional process of grinding grain between two millstones. This is in contrast to mass-produced flours which are generally produced using rollers. The process leaves the wheatgerm more intact ...

, too. The mill was sold to the local council in 1969 for £1 and after being renovated was opened in 1974 as a working museum. It is the last working English windmill north of the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

, producing stoneground

wholemeal A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. As part of a general healthy diet, consumption of whole grains is associated wit ...

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

from locally grown

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. The mill is open to visitors all week, milling takes place from Wednesday to Sunday weather permitting. Adjacent warehouses contain the Museum of East Riding Rural Life, including a famous 'Wolds Wagon' built by P. H. Sissons & Sons, which was originally lent to the Beverley Army Museum of transport. P. H. Sissons & Sons were based at Beswick and built wagons from 1854 onwards. In 2008, work began on the mill to replace some structural members in the cap and

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 "f ...

. The work involved the 15 ton cap being removed by a crane; the only time that the cap has been removed since the 1870s. Further refurbishment started in late-2019, with the removal of the sails and fantail which were transported to

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

for restoration. In July 2020, roof and window repairs were to be undertaken followed by painting of the tower which would take three months to complete. The sails and fantail were to be returned to the mill in early 2021.

References

External links

Skidby Windmill360 degree panoramic photos of the mill
* {{Windmills in England Windmills in the East Riding of Yorkshire Grade II* listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Windmills completed in 1821 Mill museums in England Agricultural museums in England Museums in the East Riding of Yorkshire

See also

References

External links