£1.6 Million Grant to Restore Thaxted Windmill, Essex
Working in partnership, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England have given grant funding of £1.6 million (£1.3 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £300,000 from Historic England) for the restoration of Thaxted Windmill in Essex.
The project will repair and restore the building and its millwrighting machinery, improve visitor access, and enable volunteer involvement and community engagement.
Restoring Thaxted’s much-loved windmill
Repairs to the brick tower will halt the decaying process and protect the building from water leaks. Windows, doors and wood panelling will be repaired.
The Windmill mechanism, including the sails, winding gear and internal milling machinery, will be restored, enabling the historic building to be brought to life in working order.
Developing heritage skills
Open days and the training of apprentices will raise awareness of increasingly rare traditional heritage building and millwrighting skills, as well as opportunities for developing careers in this field.
At the heart of the community
Sensory experiences will be created, and the Windmill landscape will be managed for biodiversity. Innovative interactives and educational materials will bring to life the stories of the mill owners, workers and families. A broad programme of activities will enable the community to get involved and learn more.
The last remaining Thaxted Windmill
The Grade II* listed red brick tower windmill was built in 1804 for Mr John Webb, a local businessman and farmer. In addition to owning both Borough and Park Farms and numerous other properties, Mr Webb owned the town’s brick and tile works. The windmill was built from local red brick.
The largest and most advanced of the Thaxted mills, it operated for 100 years and is the only remaining windmill in the area.
Saving over 200 years of history
John Webb's Windmill was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk register in 2019. The building is suffering from extensive internal damp caused by eroded brickwork and open joints, which is causing widespread mould on internal walls.
If you would like to know more about the project and discover opportunities to help during its restoration, please email [email protected] or visit the website.
This significant investment in Thaxted Mill is about more than preserving bricks and mortar – it's about keeping precious heritage skills alive and creating a vibrant community asset for generations to come. Once restored, this historic mill will once again stand at the heart of Thaxted, bringing 200 years of local stories to life. It's a perfect example of how protecting our heritage can create opportunities for skills development and community enrichment.
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