Waltham Windmill is a six-sailed

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

located in the village of Waltham, five miles from

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...

''. 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 which also includes the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which runs roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary just west of the t ...

. 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 parishes in England, 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 east ...

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 Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

) and two French

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that 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 tecton ...

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 satellite station located near Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. The site was operational during the Second World War as part of RAF Bomber Command initially as a satel ...

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 and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

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 Grimsby Dock Tower is a hydraulic accumulator tower and a maritime landmark at the entrance to the Royal Dock, Grimsby, in North East Lincolnshire, England. It was completed on 27 March 1852, based on William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, Wil ...

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.

survived due to it holding a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

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 the RAF and Rural Life there is cafe, ice cream parlour and an Indian restaurant.The windmill itself is still standing, and is funded by the Waltham Windmill Preservation Society and the Waltham Windmill Trust and various events are held throughout the year, ranging from picnics and family events mainly during the summer, to Classic Car and bike Rallies,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 Mill museums in England Windmills completed in 1880 1666 establishments in England