Moulton Mill celebrates 200 years

Project manager Janet Bellamy, who has been involved with the mill for 25 years, said: “I still have to pinch myself as I don’t think anyone here ever thought that we would achieve it. I don’t think anyone ever thought that we would raise the funds to be able to restore the building and that we would still be here in 2022.

“It has not been an easy path as if anything could go wrong, it did do.

“There is always a new challenge but when I look at the mill on the skyline, I think ‘wow’.”

The mill was built in 1822 by gentleman farmer Robert King who wanted to create something big.

And he did as the mill stands at 100ft high from the base to the cap.

Janet said: “The mill at Holbeach was much shorter and as a sign of his wealth and status, Mr King wanted to catch the wind at a higher level.

“When you go into the mill, there are a lot of features that you wouldn’t see in a standard functioning windmill.”

One thing Mr King would have been proud of is that today his construction has the same status as other important national landmark – The Tower of London.

Both Moulton Mill and the 900-year-old castle and fortress are both Grade 1 listed buildings.

The mill – which lost its sails in the gales of 1894 and then used a steam to power the grinding – remained within the King family until the 1920s.

The male line of the family was affected by illness and First World War which left the mill in the hands of the women.

Initially the mill was rented to Tindall’s, who went onto buy the business, and later another well-known family, the Biggadike’s, rented the mill before buying it in 1956.

Moulton Mill would have been used to mill flour in its early days as there are a set of French buhrstones. But for most of its life, it would have been used to make mill feed for animals as most households had chickens or pig.

John Biggadike ran the mill until the 1970s and it was used for storage before standing empty.

In 1998 a meeting was held in Moulton Village Hall which would bring the community together to help restore the building to its former glory.

Janet said: “We started the committee in 1998. We wanted to make it sustainable so the mill would be here in another 100 years.”

Volunteers than began the difficult job of getting the funding together to help make the restoration dream a reality.

Janet said: “When we first costed the project up for initial stages of restoration, the total cost was £270,000. What we have spent is £1.7million.

“One reason is the price of materials. I have become an expert in old English lime paint and lime wash. There are 300 different shades of white.”

Work started in 2003, which was followed by comedian Griff Rhys Jones in the BBC programme Restoration, and the mill opened its doors to the public on April 29, 2005.

But despite all of that work, the building was not fully complete. A reefing gallery was added in 2008 and then three years later sails were returned to Moulton Mill thanks to a £50,000 grant.

Janet said: “In 2011 there was not a dry eye in the house as it was 117 years since someone had seen sails on that building. It was a very emotional day.

“The whole point of the mill is that it is a machine. A living, working machine. When you start milling, the building comes alive. The stones turning is like the heart beat and you can feel the vibrations as the building is working. It is an amazing experience.”

And as Moulton Mill moves into its next 100 years, it is playing an important role in food production once more.

While tourism remains an important source of income, there are hopes to start milling a range of white flours and rolled oats thanks to new machinery.

And the mill is also working with food producers.

Janet said: “The future is going to be a mixture of probably 30% milling and 70% tourism where it used to 90% tourism. I can see the milling side getting a lot bigger.

“And you are not going to get more sustainable than a windmill in terms of carbon footprint.”