Windmill and Watermill Organisations

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings - Mills Section

The SPAB Mills Section is the national windmill and watermill organization in the UK, and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2006. Its website includes all you need to know about its aims and objectives, together with the all important membership form. The Mills Section is just one part of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings - commonly abbreviated to SPAB.

Although the Mills Section does not specifically own any mills, the main Society (SPAB itself) is involved in the ownership of Kibworth Harcourt post mill, in Leicestershire.

Each year, the Mills Section organises National Mills Weekend during the second weekend in May.

The Society also has a campaigning role - see its memoranda to the Select Committee on Environment...

For many years the organisation was styled as the Wind and Watermill Section.

Mills Open

The Mills Section's premier publication is Mills Open, which is available from SPAB Mills Section, 37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY. More details (or prices including overseas shipping) available from millsinfo@spab.org.uk.

Mills Open 5th Edition 5th Edition - Cover photo Shipley Windmill, West Sussex, by Jim Woodward-Nutt. Mills Open 6th Edition 6th Edition - Cover photo Outwood Windmill, Surrey, by Peter Wright Mills Open 7th Edition 7th Edition - Cover photo Great Bircham, Norfolk, by Mildred Cookson

Amongst its other publications, the Section produces a regular newsletter for members, now titled Mill News. Check out UK Windmills on the World Wide Web - an article which appeared in the April 1998 issue.

UK Regional and specialist Mills Groups

The SPAB Mills Section works closely with a number of regional Mills Groups around the UK:

The Traditional Cornmillers Guild

The Traditional Cornmillers Guild.

Essex Mills Group

Hampshire Mills Group

The Hampshire Mills group is closely linked with Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society (formerly the Southampton University Industrial Archaeology Group (S.U.I.A.G.)).

Kent Mills Group

Lincolnshire Mills Group

The Lincolnshire Mills Group actually covers the area including Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.

Midland Wind and Water Mills Group

Norfolk Windmills Trust

The Norfolk Windmills Trust maintains 20 corn and pumping windmills in Norfolk.

Norfolk Mills Group

The Norfolk Mills Group are dedicated to the wellbeing of all Norfolk mills.

North East Mills Group

North West Mills Group

The North West Mills Group includes a number of wind and water mills in (primarily) Cumbria, Lancashire, and Cheshire.

Suffolk Mills Group

The Suffolk Mills Group is a voluntary association for those helping to care for Suffolk's Heritage of old wind and water mills.

(See also a local page I used to maintain for the Group).

Sussex Mills Group

The Sussex Mills Group is part of the Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society, and operates a "Dusty Miller" passport scheme to a number of mills in the region.

Welsh Mills Society

The Welsh Mills Society aims are to study, record, interpret and publicise the wind and water mills of Wales; to encourage general interest; to advise on their preservation and use, and to encourage working millers.

The Mills Research Group

The Mills Research Group researches traditional forms of milling (wind, water and muscle power). Amongst their publications is the comprehensive Windmill Gazetteer for England.

Individual mills

Many individual mills have their own associations of friends, including the following:

Friends of North Leverton Windmill Trust - Nottinghamshire
Friends of Greens Mill - Nottingham
Friends of Heckington Mill - Lincolnshire
Friends of Shirley Windmill - Croydon
Friends of Woodchurch Windmill - Kent
Upminster Windmill Friends - London
Friends of Broad Eye Windmill - Staffordshire

The International Molinological Society - TIMS

The TIMS site is regularly updated, and includes an extensive selection of worldwide links.

French Associations

There is a national organisation in France called the Federation Francais des Amis des Moulins which includes many Regional and local associations.

The Society for the Preservation of Old Mills

Also known as SPOOM, this is an American based organization.

There are also separate pages maintained for its North East Chapter, and for the Canadian Chapter of Spoom.

Dutch Mills associations

De Hollandsche Molen - The Netherlands.
Association of friends of the windmills of Groningen - The Netherlands

Other related organisations

The National Trust
The Newcomen Society - for the history of all engineering and technological disciplines from antiquity to the present day.
The Society for Industrial Archeology
Pond Lily Mill Restorations is a commercial American firm offering many milling services.
English Heritage
Images of England - a Millennium project to capture an image of every listed building in England.
The National Monuments Record
The Surrey Archaeological Society
The Ancient Monuments Society

Last updated 07/06/2009