Work starting in earnest at mill

The roofs on the brewery and bakehouse have been repaired and work on the interior of the bakehouse is now under way.

It will transform the bakery with kitchen and demonstration area for artisan baking, courses and visitor demonstrations, using the mill’s own flour. Work should be completed by May.

This month, ready for Easter the café will be relaunched with a fresh emphasis on home-made traditional fare linked to the rhythm of the seasons through locally grown produce and the work of the windmill. Look out for soda bread with oats, plum bread and vegetable soup and even hook up to Wi-Fi.

July will see the appointment of the main contractor with a view to beginning work on the granary and cart shed. This will be a combined conservation and transformation of these buildings, creating museum and exhibition space and opening up the ground floor of the mill tower to further enhance the working-windmill experience. This part of the project is targeted for completion by Easter 2017 to mark the 125th anniversary of the original 8-sail installation.

The Mill Cottage will in future combine a café and shop with further exhibition space. Heckington Windmill Trust chairman, Charles Pinchbeck describes the end result as, “infinitely more exciting” than the original proposal, “enabling all our visitors to fully absorb the experience of milling, baking and enjoying the end product”.