IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Brigsley Road, GRIMSBY, DN37 0JZ

Built in 1878-1880, Waltham Windmill is a fully restored and operational six-sailed windmill.

Six sailed, six storied tower windmill off the east side of Brigsley Road, Waltham, built in 1878-80 by John Saunderson of Louth. Used as a home guard lookout post in World War 2 and wind powered until 1962 when it was briefly converted to electricity for animal feed production. Restored and maintained by the Waltham Windmill Preservation Society since December 1966 http://www.walthamwindmill.co.uk/index.html and now occasionally used to produce flour.

Grade II* Listed windmill built by John Saunderson of Louth 1878-80. The mill has two pairs of French millstones for grinding flour and two pairs of Derbyshire Peak stones for grinding coarser materials such as animal feed. In WWI having lost a sail, the opposite one removed to balance it. In the 1920’s the sails were reduced to single-sided sails. In WWII it was used as a Home Guard lookout post. It worked by wind until 1962 and then for about 5 years by electric engine. In December 1966 Waltham Windmill Preservation Society was formed and began the task of restoring the mill. A 1979 picture shows it without sails in a poor state of repair. Work began on restoration in 1982 and by 1987 £55,000 had been spent on it. The cap and sails were removed and restored in 2001 with a £55,800 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to the £60k cost. By 2005 the maintenance costs were reportedly £30k per year and in 2008 the Society obtained further grants from the Heritage Lottery and North East Lincolnshire Council amounting to £70k. In July 2013 each of the 70 shades in the six sails had to be cleaned and repaired and the mill painted and tarred at a total cost of £30k. The first known miller was Thomas Broughton in 1793 and it was then run by William Little in the 1830s. In 1900 John Saunderson sold the mill to a Benjamin Crow, who sold it some years later to Thomas Rodgers, who worked the mill until his death in 1938 when his son George took over until 1950.

It was closed when we visited, not opening until Easter.

Built in 1880 by John Saunderson of Louth, of brick. A tower type, with cap, six sails and fantail. It has been fully restored