Nick Herbert visits award winning Oldland Mill

Nick Herbert visited Oldland windmill in Keymer, near Hassocks, on Thursday (16 April) to help promote the restored Mill ahead of National Mills Weekend next month.

The Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Arundel & South Downs was given a tour of the post Mill by Professor Fred Maillardet, a retired engineer and long-time volunteer at the mill, Stuart Meier, Chairman of Oldland Mill Trust, and other members of the restoration team.

They had previously met at the English Heritage Angel Awards.  The Oldland Mill team collected the highest honour, the Angel Award, voted for by English Heritage followers and The Telegraph. 

Their work to restore the 18th century post windmill has taken almost 40 years and over 100 volunteers to bring the mill back to life.  

A Defra grant of £60,000 and further fundraising and charitable donations has enabled the project to near completion, and the trustees are looking forward to seeing the mill producing its own flour on a regular basis.

The National Mills Weekend, held this year on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May, is an annual festival of England’s milling heritage and provides visitors with an opportunity to visit mills, many of which are not usually open to the public.

Oldland Mill will also be hosting a series of open days during the summer months, with the first one of this year being held on Sunday 3 May.  See  www.oldlandwindmill.co.uk for further details.

Nick Herbert said: “It was an absolute pleasure to visit Oldland Mill again and to see the magnificent restoration work done entirely by volunteers.  I learnt a huge amount about the history of the Mill, how it worked and served the local community.  It was a fascinating visit which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in our heritage."

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Notes

1.    Photograph attached – Left to Right – Professor Fred Maillardet, Nick Herbert, and Stuart Meier, Chairman of Oldland Mill Trust.

2.    For more information about Oldland Mill see www.oldlandwindmill.co.uk.

3.    For more information about the National Mills weekend see www.nationalmillsweekend.co.uk.

4.    To read Nick’s news ‘MP celebrates Oldland Mill award winners’ see http://www.nickherbert.com/news.php/568/mp-celebrates-oldland-mill-award-winners.