Waltham Windmill is a six-sailed

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 ...

located in the village of Waltham, five miles from

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire is a Unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...

, England. It is renowned in the area for having all six sails still in full working capacity, being one of the very few windmills like this in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Construction

The first mill on this site was built in 1666 and was a ''trestle

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...

''. The location was well set on the Brigsley Road with good transport into

and out towards the farms of the

Lincolnshire Wolds The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They ar ...

. This mill was blown down in 1744, but soon replaced with another post mill to continue the job of the old. Unfortunately for the residents of the area, this one suffered a similar fate, being blown down in 1873. Construction of the one that stands today began in 1878 and was completed by the accomplished water-colour painter John Saunderson from

Louth, Lincolnshire Louth () is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor ...

in 1880. (A painting of Louth Parish Church (south elevation, and titled "Louth Cathedral, south elevation") remains to this day in his descendants family.) The new windmill was constructed of local brick and coated with a layer of tar as a seal against the elements. The six-storied mill had a greater capacity than the previous post mills and featured 6 double-sided sails, driving four pairs of grinding stones for the production of flour (two so-called greystones (peak stones, cut from rock of the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

) and two French

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

stones).

Later years

In the 1920s, the sails were reconstructed to single-sided sails to increase its efficiency in light winds. It is said that during World War II whilst

RAF Grimsby Royal Air Force Grimsby or more simply RAF Grimsby is a former Royal Air Force station located near Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. The site was operational during the Second World War as part of RAF Bomber Command initially as a satellite stat ...

was being constructed the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

saw the Windmill as a possible waypoint for German Bombers. They went to see the Farmer who owned the mill and told him they would destroy it along with the Grimsby Dock Tower and

Binbrook Windmill Binbrook is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the B1203 road, and north-east from Market Rasen. Previously a larger market town,Cox, J. Charles (1916) ''Lincolnshire'' pp. 64 ...

. The farmer then went to get his shotgun and chased them off his land and they only returned to construct the W.A.A.F. canteen. Grimsby Dock Tower survived due to it holding a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

wireless transmitter, however Binbrook Windmill was demolished. By 1962, Waltham Windmill was one of the last windmills in England to be fully operational by wind, but from this point until 1967, it was powered by electricity.

The Windmill Today

Within the grounds of the windmill, there are a miniature railway, a museum dedicated to Rural Life, Grimsby Telephone museum, an old sweet shop selling favourites from the 1920s to the 1970s, an Indian restaurant, and a café housed in the body of an old Great Northern Railway 6-wheel carriage. The windmill itself is still standing, and is funded by th
Waltham Windmill Preservation Society
and th
Waltham Windmill Trust
and various events are held throughout the year, ranging from Car-Boot Sales on Sunday mornings, mainly during the summer, to Classic Car Rallies,

Airshows An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show ...

, and an annual firework display held on the first Saturday every November.

Trivia

In 2001 the windmill cap and sails were removed so that they could be restored and repainted. The Windmill is also used as the symbol for Waltham's Infant and Junior Schools logos. In 2013 the windmill was restored at a cost of £30,000.

References

Source: Great Grimsby Library Records Office

External links

Waltham Windmill TrustWaltham Windmill Preservation SocietyMcMillers Sweet EmporiumBrushstrokes Ceramics
{{coord, 53.5111, -0.1021, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Museums in Lincolnshire Windmills in Lincolnshire Tower mills in the United Kingdom Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Multi-sailed windmills Mill museums in England Windmills completed in 1880 1666 establishments in England