Lacey Green Windmill

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Lacey Green windmill stands on the escarpment of the Chiltern Hills, near Princes Risborough and halfway between High Wycombe and Aylesbury. Since 1971 it has been restored back to working order by members of The Chiltern Society. The 1970 picture below shows the sad condition it had reached. It has been restored to preserve its unique wooden machinery, which probably dates from around 1650, making this the oldest smock windmill in the country.

All the restoration work has been done by volunteers, led by Christopher Wallis, who devised the methods by which the collapsing mill could be straightened, strengthened and made watertight to survive into the future.

2010 OPENING TIMES

In 2010, the windmill will be open to the public from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Sunday 2nd May to Sunday 26th September.

Admission Charges for 2010: Adult £1.50, Child (5 to 15) 75p.

Last Admission is at 5 pm.

For further details about visiting the mill, such as access, facilities, location, and travelling,

please look at the Information for Visitors page.

In June and July 2010 a new electricity supply has been run to the windmill. The windmill has been completely rewired and new lighting has been installed. Enclosed bulkhead fittings have been used which are all fitted with energy saving light bulbs. Energy Saving Floodlights have also been installed to light the interior of the cap, which is now easier to see, particularly on dull days. Despite their now being 36 light fittings within the windmill, the total power consumption is less than 450 watts.

Chiltern Way 10th Anniversary - Lacey Green walk on BH Monday 31st May 2010.

The Chiltern Way footpath passes within a few yards of the windmill. 2010 sees the 10th anniversary of the Chiltern Way, and the Chiltern Society have organised many walks to mark the anniversary. For futher details see the Chiltern Society's Diary of Events on www.chilternsociety.org.uk

At 10 am on Bank Holiday Monday 31st May there was a walk at Lacey Green, led by a local naturalist, John Tyler. It was followed by an optional special opening of the windmill for those who had been on the walk.

The walk was described as follows: A leisurely 3-mile nature walk from Lacey Green Village Hall at 10.00 am, down Highwood Bottom, through Monkton Wood and back along the Chiltern Way to finish at Lacey Green windmill. The walk involves a few moderate slopes and 8 stiles, and can be muddy. After the walk, there will be a special opening of the 17th century windmill for the walkers. John Tyler is a local naturalist who now leads walks and is a very popular lecturer. See his website at www.johntyler.co.uk

During this annual weekend, on 8th and 9th May in 2010, as many mills as possible were open and working.

Lacey Green Windmill was, as always, open on the Sunday (9th May) only. We had extended opening hours from 11.00 am to 5.30 pm. Despite a misty and damp start, the weather allowed us to have the sails turning, and a good wind kept them moving all day. However the wind was from the NE and it was a very cold day. In time a fuller report on the day will be put on this website.

The weather, before and after Christmas, has brought disruption across the country, with the inevitable "snow photos" appearing everywhere, so below is a photo of how the windmill looks after nearly a foot of snow fell on Wednesday 6th January.

Taken on a rather duller day, the photo below shows the view looking SW, from the fan stage, the platform at the back of the cap.

However, neither of the above photos show how extreme the weather has been. Snow has thawed very slowly in the occasional sunshine, but as soon as the melted snow drips into the shade it is re-frozen, which causes ice and icicles to form. They can soon build up in a spectacular way, such as the 8 foot examples in the photo below, on a property just 5 minutes walk from the windmill.

The windmill also suffered from a freezing problem, with ice forming around one of the fantail shaft bearings, stopping the fantail from turning. The ice was chipped away on Sunday 10th January at around 9 am.

Between Saturday 15th and Sunday 23rd August five of our volunteers painted the sails of the windmill. We were extremely lucky to find a virtually fine week during another wet summer. We were also very grateful to be loaned a cherry-picker for the week to enable us to access the sails.

During this annual weekend, which was on 9th and 10th May in 2009, as many mills as possible were open and working.

Lacey Green Windmill was open on the Sunday (10th May) only. We did not have enough wind to keep the sails turning, but it was a dry day and plenty of visitors came to see the mill and the other attractions that were there for the day. Although the windmill has been restored to working order, due to the age of the wooden machinery in the windmill, we are not able to use the machinery to grind flour.

An item of jewellery was found near the windmill on 10th May, if you have lost an item please send information about it using the contact details below.

For my personal view of our day, click on: NMW - 2009 The page includes access to a 5 minute video taken by a visitor on the day.

For further information on National Mills Weekend for previous years at Lacey Green Windmill, click on: Special Events

The weekend is coordinated by the Mills Section of SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings). For their information on National Mills Weekend click on: SPAB - Mills Section

I am pleased to report that our Brown Tourist Signposts have now been installed to direct visitors from the A4010, and once they arrive in Lacey Green, a sign directs them down Pink Road for parking, and another sign shows the location of the footpath to the windmill. As we are only open on around 25 afternoons each year, the signs are folded away at times the windmill is closed. We are very grateful to the Chilterns Conservation Board for their assistance, enabling us to have these signs fitted. For further information on the Chilterns Conservation Board, click on: Chilterns AONB

Christopher Wallis (born 1935, died 2006)

Christopher Wallis died on 10th May 2006 after a short illness. Lacey Green Windmill only stands today because of his passion for historic buildings, and mills in particular. Since 1971 he was the driving force behind the many volunteers that between them gave thousands of hours of their time to restore the windmill.

After starting the restoration at Lacey Green, Christopher left his work as a Civil Engineer. He then devoted his engineering and carpentry skills to restoring many other historic buildings across the country.

His everlasting enthusiasm has been instrumental in encouraging others to take up restoration work. The mere fact of hearing Christopher's strong opinions, or seeing the work that he has achieved, has led many more people to appreciate the vital importance of preserving historic buildings in our landscape.

This photograph shows Christopher Wallis at an event in October 2005 which marked the 40th Anniversary of the founding of The Chiltern Society at The Guildhall in High Wycombe. The area of the Chiltern Hills was always a special place to Christopher, where he and his wife Barbara chose to live and bring up their family.

Please click here to read an obituary to Christopher Wallis.

Christopher Wallis Memorial at the Chiltern Open Air Museum

The Christopher Wallis Collection of Timber Joints has been established in the Northolt Barn at the Chilten Open Air Museum. They have been made by Tim Hallewell, a carpenter and furniture maker. They have been designed to be demountable so they can be handled and assembled by visitors.

For more details of the Chiltern Open Air Museum, see their website:

www.coam.org.uk (This link is set to open in a new window)


1910	1970	1986