Building record MLI82961 - Heckington Mill

Summary

Originally built as a five-sail mill in 1830, Heckington Mill was later bought by John Pocklington in 1891, who repaired the structure with the current 8-sails and cap. The mill is still in use today, and is often known as Pocklington's Mill.

Type and Period (2)

  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1830 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1830 AD to 2050 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

Known throughout the country as the only remaining eight sail mill, Heckington Mill is dated 'MH1830' and was built for Michael Hare by the millwright Edward Ingledew. When first built it had five of Sutton's patent sails which drove three pairs of stones. The mill worked in this form until 1890 when it fell victim to a tail wind. The sails ran backwards and after a short while were completely blown off, taking the entire cap with them. The mill is also said to have caught fire in the incident but this is believed to be an error. At any rate, the windmill was a wreck and was abandoned by the miller. Luckily, the next year John Pocklington bought the mill as he had recently bought some gear at auction. This machinery included the entire gear, cap and sails from a demolished eight-sail mill originally built in 1813 at Skirbeck, Boston. The mill at Heckington was up and running again by 1892 and became a great success for John Pocklington, and is often still known as Pocklington's Mill. Pocklington combined milling, baking, building and farming and also built a large saw-mill on one side which was driven by wind. Pocklington also worked the mill at Wyberton (see MLI85667), and it is thought that four sails from that mill were re-used here at Heckington, after work finished at Wyberton in the 1910s. The mill ceased work a few years after the death of John Pocklington in 1941. It was saved from being dismantled by Kesteven County Council who bought it in 1953 and restored it as a landmark, replacing four sails (two from Old Bolingbroke (see MLI42104), and two from Wainfleet St Mary (see MLI41764). In 1985 major repairs were again put in hand by Lincolnshire County Council, including the construction of 192 new shades and four new sails, with the aim of getting the mill working again. {1}{2}3} Tower mill built in 1830, and repaired in 1891. The tapering mill tower is of five storeys, and built of red brick painted with bitumen. There is a dogtooth eaves course before the ogee wooden cap with ball finial. To the ground floor are planked double doors covered by a corrugated iron roof and approached up 6 shallow steps. Above the door is a datestone inscribed 'MH', for Michael Hare, the builder, with the date 1830. Above are single, two-light sliding plain sashes to each floor, all with segmental brick heads. Between the first and second floors is a planked platform supported on cast iron brackets and with a handrail. The mill retains the 8 sails brought and fitted by Mr. Pocklington, the new owner of the mill following damage caused by a storm in March 1890. The interior retains the brakewheel, wallower and the rest of the driving gear. The third and fourth floors are both bin floors and on the second floor are the original 3 pairs of stones, with further single pairs on the first and ground floors. The substantial power generated by the 8 sails enabled the mill to drive 5 pairs of stones as well as ancillary machines such as a corn dressed, sack hoist and feed mixer as well as an adjacent woodworking shop. This is the only 8 sailed windmill extant in England. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate entry in the National Heritage List for England. {4}{5}{6}{7}{8}{9}{10} The mill was the subject of historic building recording, conducted in February 2014 to inform proposed renovation and renewal works at the site. The mill is built of bitumen-painted red brick, standing 5 storeys with a typical Lincolnshire ogee cap on top. Windows are to the four main cardinal 'sides' of the tower, and an external wooden reefing stage is at the second floor level. Descending from the cap, the floors function as: A dust floor where the mechanism that operates the sack hoist is housed. Upper and lower bin floors where grain is respectively held and cleaned. A stone floor where power is transferred from the sail to three sets of millstones, used to grind the grain. A meal floor, where grain is mixed to create animal feed. The ground floor, now mainly used as a museum and shop. {11}{12} A second phase of historic building recording was conducted in October 2016, during the demolition of the former cart shed attached to the immediate south-east of the mill (see MLI116032). The removal of that structure exposed parts of the mill tower foundations, including stepped bricks leading to a blocked doorway to the ground floor of the mill. {13}{14}

Sources/Archives (14)

  •  Index: Institution of Civil Engineers. c. 1975->. Historical Engineering Works (HEW) Reports. HEW 691 - Heckington Windmill.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Neil R. Wright. 1983. A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Lincolnshire Including South Humberside. no.39, pp.18-9.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Peter Dolman. 1986. Lincolnshire Windmills: A Contemporary Survey. no.56, pp.17-8, 46.
  •  Index: Department of the Environment. 1988. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 11/57.
  •  Website: Historic England (formerly English Heritage). 2011->. The National Heritage List for England. http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. 1168815.
  •  Unpublished Document: Historic England. Document Held by The Historic England Archive. BF002913.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). p.378.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: A.A. Bryan. 1998. Windmill Gazetteer for England. p.13.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Neil R. Wright. 2004. Lincolnshire's Industrial Heritage - A Guide. NK36, pp.53-4.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: David Jager. 2007. Windmills of Lincolnshire Surviving into the 21st Century. A5, pp.30-1.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2015. Heckington Windmill, Hale Road, Heckington. APS site code: HEWM12.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2015. Heckington Windmill, Hale Road, Heckington. LCNCC 2012.116.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2017. Heckington Windmill, Hale Road, Heckington. APS site code: HEWM16.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2017. Heckington Windmill, Hale Road, Heckington. LCNCC 2012.116.

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Grid reference Centred TF 14563 43549 (8m by 7m) Surveyed
Civil Parish HECKINGTON, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Oct 22 2024 8:22AM

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