Back to the daily grind for Brixton Windmill

BY LAURICE LAIRD

The Friends of Windmill Gardens (FoWG) have launched a crowd funding initiative to once again mill flour at the 197-year-old Brixton windmill.

The group is a registered charity supported by local residents’ established in 2003 for the maintenance and preservation of the Grade II* listed  windmill.

Jean Kerrigan, FoWG chair, said: “We launched a public appeal for the Flour Fund around Christmas time, and we’ve raised over £1,500 at the moment.”

The first £5,000 raised will go towards a feasibility study to see if it is possible to grind flour at the windmill with an electric motor,  without damaging the structure of the building. Although the mill’s sails have been lovingly restored, the group has been told that using wind power to grind the flour is practically impossible today.

Although the mill was driven by wind when it started life in 1816, by 1862 the surrounding area was too built up for it to function efficiently. When it restarted milling in 1902, it was driven by a steam engine, and later by gas power.

The group hope sto raise a total of £20,000, £5,000 at a time. Thanks to the charity’s previous campaigning, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a five-year grant programme of about £400,000 which expires in 2015, leaving the Friends faced with securing the Windmills’ future.

She added: “The first part is a feasibility study into the renovation to assess if the building could withstand the production of a modular mill going around and there’s the commercial factor of whether the flour sold could help maintain the windmill.

“We know people are interested. It’s a very attractive prospect to local bakers, particularly artisan bakers. We are keen to reduce food miles. We don’t want to be grinding grain from halfway across the world; we want to stick with the general ethos.”

The windmill is open for a tour on 13 July 2013. It is free entry although booking is required.