Ellis Mill
Project
1977 to 1984

Lincolnshire, as a great agricultural County, had many mills and Lincoln was particularly fortunate to have a wind-swept escarpment and a line of mills formed a sky-line feature. In 1842, when J. S. Padley published his map of Lincoln, there were nine windmills along the Mill Road and beyond. Some of these were 17th century post mills, the finest of which was demolished in June 1920 when in the ownership of Walter Lot, Ward of Newport, Lincoln, who had acquired it on 5th March, 1891. It stood “on a piece of ground within 40 yards of the hedges that parted Long Leys from the High Road that led from Lincoln to Burton”, immediately west of 210 Burton Road. Two of the later tower mills survived into the 1940’s: the last working mill was Ellis’ Mill, Mill Road which had its full complement of sails until 1916 when two were removed owing to the top of the mill becoming weakened. It finally went out of action during World War II. As the last surviving mill of the line it was important as an industrial monument and was included in the Schedule of Historic Buildings (1969). It still had the weathered remains of its typical Lincolnshire ogee cap and was a splendid example of the once common Lincolnshire type. In 1973, the mill and the site (Nos. 25-31 Mill Road) were acquired for development, first for four two-storey houses and later in 1974 for 12 bungalows to surround the mill tower but these schemes did not meet with planning approval. In 1973 the mill was ravaged by fire, which destroyed the interior of the mill, the windows and doors and the remains of the cap, but the brick tower survived in good condition.

In 1974 permission to demolish the tower was refused by the City Council and a Public Inquiry was held on 1st July, 1975. On 23rd October the Inspector’s decision found in favour of the City Council’s decision. At this time of economic recession neither Lincoln City Council nor Lincolnshire County Council could under­ take restoration, so the Lincoln Civic Trust decided to take action. Negotiations began and in March 1977 the Trust acquired the site. £3,000 was made available to a specially appointed Windmill Restoration Sub­ committee to start work on the reconstruction of the mill as a working windmill. An enterprise that was agreed and announced in the Press to be the Trust’s Queen’s Jubilee Project.

The first reaction to the news of this venture was tremendous. The National Civic Trust has named the scheme as a Practical Pilot Project, chosen to be given special attention nationally. The residents of Mill Road voluntarily offered to clean up the site and on 12th May. 20 tons of rubbish were removed, using skips provided without charge. Lincoln City Council also came forward with a welcome offer to fence the site and this work was completed in July. The interest and personal help of the City Planning Officer has been invaluable throughout.

The Sub-Committee of Trust members with expert qualifications appropriate to the task, undertook a survey of the mill and measured drawings and photographs were prepared. Co-opted members with special knowledge were invited to serve and Jon Sass of Brigg, an expert on windmill reconstruction, prepared a splendid detailed work-schedule from which costs were estimated. As this Report goes to Press though y/e shall miss his help, we must congratulate Mr. Sass on his appointment to a post in the National Parks Department in Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A. Mr. Sass will have special responsibility for the restoration of windmills and other rural industrial machinery, so this forms yet another link between Lincolnshire and Virginia.

An application to the Manpower Services Commission under the Job Creation Scheme resulted in a grant of £4,500 for three months commencing 22nd August. A team of workers was appointed and the Trust was most fortunate to secure the services of Mr. C. Salisbury, himself a millwright, as its head. Mr. Derek James made available the cap, windshaft and frame of the derelict Subscription Mill at Sturton-by-Stow; in memory of her husband Mrs. Elsie Eno offered the use of the machinery of Toynton-All-Saints mill, that had lost its sails and was no longer viable as a mill and terms were arranged with these generous donors.

In July and August scaffolding had been erected and sand-blasting of the tower to remove the old tar covering was undertaken by Universal Cleaners. Weekly site meetings of the Windmill Sub-Committee were held and immediately needs were known, gifts of materials, sand, wall-crete, timber, plant, site huts, etc. were made by local firms, while others offered prefer­ ential terms as their financial contribution. The work was exciting and demanding. The Manpower Services Commission decided to extend their grant for a further three months, so £4,100 was available. Lincoln City Council announced a most welcome and appreciated grant of £2,500, which it is hoped the Department of the Environment will match. New windows and doors were constructed by the Building Department of Lincoln College of Technology and Lincoln College of Art provided a site display board. The cap, shears and windshaft were lifted from Subscription Mill at Sturton- by-Stow, which produced an excellent centre-page feature in a County weekly paper.

Determination and hard work achieved the objective to make the tower wind and water-tight before the end of the year. Originally declared “an almost impossible achievement” and despite gales and unfavourable weather the work was completed on time I The Civic Trust’s thanks are due and are here recorded to the firms and people, too numerous to mention, who responded to the Trust’s call to participate, for the impact in the City has been considerable. Lincoln Civic Trust has been seen to be actively at work giving a stimulating lead in the restoration of yet another historic building, this time in the field of industrial archaeology.

A Civic Trust Appeal for finance to complete the project will soon be launched, as a further £25,000 will be needed to provide sails and to complete a working mill. Such a mill, adjacent to the fine Museum of Lincoln­ shire Life in Burton Road, will be a major tourist attraction in the City. Readers of this Report are invited to give their support in cash or kind and by publicising the project as widely as possible, especially to former Lincolnians or ‘Yellow Bellies’.

F. T. Baker,
Chairman.

Windmill Restoration Sub-Committee
Chairman: F. T. Baker
R. Payne
R. M. Lucas
P. B. Roe
C. A. Parker
G. D. Parker
Jon Sass

Co-opted Members:
C. Page, J. S. Anderson, S. Robinson, R. Pilling.
Millwright in attendance: C. Salisbury.
Representing Simons of Lincoln: D. Skeates.

The enormous interest created by the Civic Trust’s Jubilee Year Project (1977) was recounted in last year’s Annual Report. That amazing fund of goodwill and enthusiasm has been maintained throughout another year. Further important strides have been made towards the final achievement of the Trust’s objective – a working windmill on the Lincoln escarpment.

Last winter saw the recovery of all the working parts from Mrs. Elsie Eno’s mill at Toynton-all-Saints and all this machinery was cleaned and treated for use in Ellis’ Mill. In return the floors of that mill were restored and it was left in sound condition for use as a store. The fibre-glass cap, to replace the cap and frame removed from Subscription Mill at Sturton-by-Stow, was completed by Messrs. Lintek, Limited of Lincoln, and placed in position on the tower on 21st August, 1978. The 1/6th template for this cap was made by our own millwright, Mr. C. Salisbury. Excellent TV and press coverage was given for this notable event, the first time a fibre-glass cap had been fitted to a tower mill. Mr. Derek James expressed his approval and donated a pair of mill stones for use in Ellis’ Mill. Stones also came from Mr. W.G. Hoff of Grebby Mill, near Spilsby, and in this connection the Trust is grateful for the co-operation of Mr. David Law of Horncastle Mill.

Financial support from the Manpower Services Commission has continued. A further six months grant April-September 1978 amounting to £8,202 was made available for wages. At the conclusion of this Job Creation Project the accounts were audited and in September a fresh application was made for a final six month’s allocation under the Special Temporary Employment Programme (STEP). Again, the Manpower Services Commission approved the programme of work and a grant of £5,846 was made for wages and £450 for operating costs. The new scheme commenced on 2nd October, 1978; in the interval the Civic Trust funded the work. The Lincoln City Council made a further grant of £2,500 and Lincolnshire County Council gave £2,500, practical support that is much appreciated.

The visit of Mr. Rex Wailes, O.B.E., F.S.A., former Ministry Consultant on windmills and author of The English Windmill, was a significant occasion. On 23rd June, 1978 he visited the site, together with Mr. R.L. Connelly, Architect of the Historic Buildings Council. Both met the Sub-Committee and expressed warm approval of the work. As a result, the Trust was encouraged to make an application for a grant from the Historic Buildings Council and this was done through Mr. J.S. Anderson, Director of Planning and Architecture for the City.

Work throughout the summer was concentrated on the construction of the new frame, cap and shears for the mill. It was a long and tedious process, but thanks to some splendid help from Lincoln College of Technology, the cap was completed and lifted on to the tower on 17th November, 1978. This was a memorable day and with a good crowd assembled in Mill Road, the operation was skilfully undertaken by a massive crane hired from SOL of Lincoln. T.V. and press coverage again provided welcome publicity.

Messrs. Thompson and Son (Mr. J.C. Davies) of Alford have been entrusted with the making of the sails and fantail and it is confidently hoped that the project will be completed by June 1979.

The future of the mill now seems assured. Lincoln City Council has accepted the principle of taking over the structure and Lincolnshire County Council, subject to money being available, has expressed willingness to accept the responsibility for its upkeep and management along with the other County mills, through the Countryside Sub-Committee. Trust members can thus look forward to the successful completion of their bold and imaginative two-year project by the target date of mid-summer 1979.

One final amusing and interesting incident connected with the work may now be revealed. Working on the brickwork inside the mill, one of the young men was astonished to come upon a tin, buried in the brickwork and concreted in, with its lid securely soldered on. On examination it was found to contain a hoard of silver coins. Dr. Humphrey Butcher, the Lincoln Coroner, held an inquest on this hoard on 1st March, 1978. It was established that the coins, contained within an Ostermilk tin for No. 1 Baby’s food, had been hidden by Mr. Frank Ellis, the former owner of the mill. Furthermore, he had placed a note in the tin which read “Sept. 3/51 £38”! With the exception of a worn shilling of Victoria, all the coins were of the reigns of George V and George VI. Mr. Antony Gunstone, F.S.A., Director of Museums for Lincolnshire, published the hoard in Spink’s Numismatic Circular, July- August 1978. A rare occurrence of a coin hoard whose owner and date of deposit are known!

In conclusion thanks are due to local firms and individuals too numerous to list within this report. A list will, however, be published in a brochure at the appropriate time. The Lincoln Civic Trust places on record its debt of gratitude to all who have in any way shared in this project. Special thanks are due to Mr. Chris Salisbury, our own millwright, without whose determination and practical skill this work could not have been carried through in so short a time: his team has varied, but all who have worked on the project have played their part.

As Chairman of the Windmill Restoration Sub­ Committee my warmest thanks are especially due to its loyal and enthusiastic members, who have assembled on site no fewer than 80 times in every type of weather, to deliberate on the issues and problems raised by this project. Surely this is a record of achievement worthy of the Guinness Book of Records!

F. T. Baker
Chairman

Windmill Restoration Sub-Committee:
Chairman: F. T. Baker
R. Payne
R. M.Lucas
P. B. Roe
C. A. Parker
G. D. Parker
Co-opted members:
C. Page
S. Robinson
J. S. Anderson
R. Pilling
Millwright in attendance:
C. Salisbury
Representing Simons of Lincoln:
D. Skeates

The high hopes of the Windmill Restoration Sub­committee that this ambitious Jubilee Project would be completed in two years just failed. Plans to fit the sails by mid-summer 1979 were unfortunately not realised. This was due to a complex set of circumstances which certainly did not include any slackening in effort on the part of the Sub-Committee.

Meetings continued to be held on site every week until mid-July 1979; ninety-six meetings were held commencing on 5 April 1977. The STEP Scheme of the Manpower Services Commission finished on 30 June 1979. By that time most of the interior work had been completed but there were still some difficult and unresolved problems relating to the fan-frame and fan-gears. There also remains to be fixed the sack hoist, hoppers and shutes from the grain floor and the slabs to be laid on the ground floor. On 13 July 1979, Mr C. Salisbury, leader of the Manpower Services Commission team from August 1977, left the mill and he was presented with a framed, hand-lettered testimonial signed by the Chairman of the Trust (Mrs Joan Varley) and the Chairman of the Windmill Sub-Committee, in appreciation of his loyal service to the Civic Trust’s Jubilee Project. By that time, however, Messrs Thompson and Son (Mr J. C. Davies) of Alford were ready to take over. The fan-boards had already been made and stored in the mill; the sails were nearing completion in Thompson’s yard at Alford. The Executive Committee agreed that the remainder of the work should be undertaken by the firm on the basis of a satisfactory quotation. The work has proceeded slowly, as their work schedule permitted. In the event a completely new fan-frame and fan-gearing assembly had to be prepared. By the end of the year this problem had been resolved; the cap had been given two coats of lead paint; the grain hoppers and shutes had been completed and other adjustments to the working
machinery carried out. The sails are now finished and it is confidently expected that by the Spring of 1980 the mill will be working.

Further generous financial contributions have been received. The Lincoln City Council (£5000), Lincolnshire County Council (£5000), the Whitton Trust (£1000) and Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts (£500). The Soroptimist Club of Lincoln raised £37 from a Coffee Morning and the Department of the Environment released £1500 of its promised grant of £2000, the balance to be paid on completion of the project. Many smaller but much appreciated covenants and donations were received.

The outstanding problem remaining is the future management and maintenance of the mill. It had been hoped that the Lincoln City Council would accept responsibility for the mill as a building and that the Lincolnshire County Council would administer the mill as part of the County Museum Service associated with the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. However, present financial restraints have made this impossible. As soon as the mill is working, it is proposed to hold discussions between representatives of the Trust and the two Councils to further look into this matter. In the meantime, applications to visit the mill are being handled by the Chairman of the Sub Committee. Education parties have visited the mill and small donations received. This arrangement will continue until more permanent decisions for the future can be taken.

F. T. Baker
Chairman

Windmill Restoration Sub-Committee
Chairman: F. T. Baker
R. Payne
R. M.Lucas
P. B. Roe
C. A. Parker
G. D. Parker
Co-opted members:
C. Page
S. Robinson
J. S. Anderson
R. Pilling
Millwright in attendance:
C. Salisbury
Representing Simons of Lincoln:
D. Skeates

The project was completed in July 1980. This is not to say that all is satisfactorily concluded. The work of Messrs Thompson and Son (Mr J. C. Davies) of Alford, which included work on the fan-gear, the making and fixing of the sails and other details (including the construction of the sack-hoist inside the mill), was finished by the summer and negotiations were then in progress with the Lincolnshire County Council regarding the future management of the mill. A meeting with Councillor J. H. Spence and County and City Council officials was held on 21st July 1980 and their final report is still awaited.

The mill has attracted a lot of interest. Parties have been shown round the mill, and its potential as a tourist attraction has been amply demon­ strated. The mill was opened to co-incide with two “Crafternoons” at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, when in total it was visited by 800 people. It is included in the East Midlands Tourist Board literature but it can only be visited by prior appointment. Drawings of the mill have been made by John Bangay and are on sale in the City. The scheme received the Lincoln Civic Award in July and it was a pleasure to show our sponsors for the Award, the Lincoln and District Standing Conference of Women’s Organisations, around the mill in September. Another splendid financial gift, reflecting the educational value of the project, came from the Council of Yarborough High School who voted £100 from their Charity Fund towards the project. The cheque was presented along with others at a ceremony in the school in December. We are grateful to the Headmaster and his pupils for their support and practical interest. There is a steady demand for illustrated talks on the restora­ tion of the mill, all of which produce donations to the Appeal Fund.

This is an outstanding achievement by the Trust and it is hoped that in due course this fine mill will be administered and worked along with the other four mills at present in the care of the Lincolnshire County Council.

F. T. Baker
Chairman
Windmill Restoration Sub-Committee

Opposite: Showing the improvement to the environment
Photograph. C. V Middleton & Son

Windmill Restoration Sub-Committee

The outstanding change at Ellis’ Mill has been the installation of floodlighting. This was grant-aided by Lincoln City Council and supervised by the City Engineer’s Department. It has been a great success and the mill now forms an attractive feature on the ridge sky­ line at night. Thanks are due particularly to Mr. M. Nichols of the City Engineer’s staff for his personal interest in getting the lighting positioned to give the best effect. The Trust bears the cost of the electricity.

Interest in the mill has been maintained at about the same level as last year.

£1,000 has been received in admission fees and but for the limitations of volun­ tary help this could be greatly increased. If any member or friend of the Trust can offer regular help, I shall be delighted to discuss possibilities. However, meanwhile, the Trust is deeply indebted to Mr. Barry Brooke, Miss. Sarah Osborne and Mrs. Ann Holland for their tireless efforts to keep the sails turning.

The year has been an expensive one from the point of view of maintenance. Damage to the machinery in the cap occurred when a high wind turned the sails against the fantail. Repairs were carried out by Messrs. Thompsons of Alford, who also repainted the sails. The City Council will consider a grant towards this sum in preparing their estimates for 1985/6.

The grounds were tidied up by volunteers from Action Line. Mr. V.H. Knight has touched up the brickwork and Sandtex on the tower and we are deeply grateful for his practical interest and help.

F. T. Baker
Chairman