February 2010
Holgate Mill, the last surviving mill in York and built in 1770, is a brick tower mill in the Lincolnshire Style and was unusual in having five sails, a design pioneered by John Smeaton from Leeds. He was the first person to call himself a civil engineer and is perhaps best known for the Eddystone Lighthouse. He experimented with the efficiency of windmills and introduced the five-sailed mill and the ogee shaped cap together with many other features found on Holgate Mill.
In 2001 the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society was formed to restore this Grade 2 mill into full operational use. Architects PPIY Limited have advised on the restoration works throughout, with Director Steve Potts, a member and Trustee of the Society, overseeing the project.
The Society was fortunate to acquire the services of Tom Davies and his team at R. Thompson & Son based in Alford, Lincolnshire, one of the foremost millwrights in the country. A major milestone in the restoration occurred in late November 2009 when the new cap was lifted onto the mill. The cap is topped with a cast ball and this contains a time capsule outlining the history of the mill and the restoration works.
The Society is now working hard to make 200 shutters for the sails which will hopefully be fitted this year. The mill will be painted, internal equipment completed and the mill made operational once the final elements of funding are secured. Further details can be found on the Holgate Mill website at www.holgatewindmill.org.