Annual General Meeting & Summer Social at Thelnetham Windmill
For this year’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday 11th August from noon, we will be back at Thelnetham Windmill, with the kind permission of Historic Suffolk (the new name for the Suffolk Building Preservation Trust). As well as the complete 1819 tower windmill, the…
Essex Mediaeval Post Mill Update
A quick update on progress with the Mediaeval Post Mill featured in the last newsletter: the tailpole and steps are now in place and the pitched roof is on and watertight. Currently, we are boarding the gable ends and hope to start work on the wind shaft and brake…
Visit Rattlesden Tower Windmill on Sunday 1st September
We are delighted to be invited to visit Visit Rattlesden Tower Windmill on Sunday 1st September from 2 pm, We last visited this little tower mill in 1991 and are delighted to be invited by the new owners, Mr & Mrs Osborne, who have joined SMG. The mill dates from…
Invitation to visit The Food Museum at Stowmarket on Sun 1 Oct
We are delighted to be invited to visit the Food Museum (formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life) at Stowmarket on Sunday 1st October from 2 pm, following extensive work to Alton Watermill to return it to full working order. All being well some of the mill volunteers…
AGM & Visit to Saxtead Green Post Mill, Sunday 13th August
This year’s AGM will be held on Sunday 13th August at 11:00 am at the Suffolk Millwright workshop at Dennington, by kind permission of Tim Whiting. Several of you joined our visit there last September, so this will be another chance to look around this fascinating…
National Mills Weekend 2023
The following Suffolk Mills are open on National Mills Weekend, 13 – 14 May 2023. Bardwell Tower Mill Sunday 14th May only10.30am – 4.30pmTel: 07929 648369.SAT NAV: IP31 1ADIf windy the sails will be turning and they will be milling their own homegrown wheat. Kersey…
Welcome to the new Suffolk Mills Group website
Welcome to the new website, which has had its first major upgrade in over 10 years, a long time in this day in age. Most of the improvements are in the technical infrastructure but one notable front-end improvement is that the site is now considerably easier to…
Thelnetham Mill open days 2023
Thelnetham Mill open days 2023 Easter Monday 10th April Sunday 14th May (National Mills Weekend) Spring Bank Holiday Monday 29th May Sunday 25th June Sunday 23rd July Summer Bank Holiday Monday 28th August Sunday 10th September (Heritage Open Weekend) Sunday 8th…
Public Events
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions with social distancing, all windmills and watermills will be closed this summer and there will be no planned Suffolk Mills Group events.
Index And Introduction To A Directory Of Suffolk Millers 1086-1986 By Eileen Blythe
I have collected a list of Suffolk Millers from many different sources including Apprentice Bonds, Census, Deeds, Directories, Leases, Members of SFHS own research, Newspapers, Parish Records, Rental books, Settlement Orders, Suffolk Record Office and Wills. Then I…
National Mills Weekend 2018
Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May 2018 These Suffolk mills will be open. BARDWELL tower mill Sunday 13th May only10am – 4pmTel: 01359 251331. SAT NAV: IP31 1ADThey will have teas and refreshments as well as have a few craft stalls in the garden. Freshly baked bread…
Late Summer News Round-Up
The Suffolk Mills Group will be formally thanked for 40 years of work protecting windmills and watermills in the county by the High Sherrif of Suffolk Geoffrey Probert at an event at Kersey mill on the morning of Sunday 22nd October 2017, circa 11 am. Members are…
New Engine Shed At Thelnetham
The recently completed engine shed at Thelnetham Mill. Photograph by Mark Barnard.
News Round-Up
Sail shutters and striking gear were removed from the sails of the Pakenham windmill September 3-4 2016 for safety as the cap is no longer turning to wind. Martin Whitworth, owner of Buttrum’s Mill at Woodbridge since the late 1960’s sadly died on September 5 2016…
Shutters Installed At Thorpness Mill
The new sails at Thorpeness mill were being fitted with a pair of shutters on Wednesday 11th June 2014. Seen in the photo are Tim Whiting and Vincent Pargeter.
Bardwell Mill Gets A Fresh Coat Of Paint
Mark Barnard was at Bardwell on 17th October 2013 when Jonathan Wheeler was painting the cap with white lead from a cherry picker. The dirt on the cap has been cleaned off during the summer and with the paint it now looks smart again. The new fantail blades are under…
Cladding Up At Framsden Mill
Good progress is being made applying the sheet aluminium cladding to the roof at Framsden mill. The main work should be completed by this coming weekend although the scaffold platforms will be left in place over the winter for finishing off next year. This photo was…
New sails for Thorpness Mill
The new sails were craned on at Thorpeness mill on Wednesday, September 25th. Everything went smoothly under the guidance of Vincent Pargeter assisted by Tim Whiting. The fantail blades and some sail shutters will now be added and the sails should be turning by early…
A New Roof For Framsden Post Mill
Work is currently under way to the roof of Framsden post mill. The bituminous felt applied in the 1960’s was starting to fail badly and the roof is now being re-clad by Suffolk Mills Group volunteers. The old felt and hardboard base has been removed, and 2 layers of…