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Sails to return to windmill after storm damage

Anthony Volante/Geograph The windmill before it was damaged in the stormAnthony Volante/Geograph
Dobson's Mill, Burgh le Marsh, pictured in the early 2000s

A Lincolnshire windmill is to have a new cap and sails fitted after being damaged in a storm in 2020.

Dobson's Mill in Burgh le Marsh, near Skegness, was damaged when it was "tailwinded" during Storm Ciara in February 2020.

Tailwinding happens when the direction of the wind catches a windmill from behind, which it isn't designed to withstand.

Documents on Lincolnshire County Council's website show plans for "renewal of the cap, sails, fan stage and fan with associated parts to match the broken elements".

BBC/Harry Parkhill Richard Dobson with wreckage from the millBBC/Harry Parkhill
Richard Dobson, grandson of the final miller to use Burgh le Marsh mill for its original purpose, said it was an emotional experience seeing the ruin of the mill in 2020

The windmill, which was built in 1844, is owned by Lincolnshire County Council and operated by a local heritage group.

It is considered unusual because its five sails turn clockwise - the opposite direction to most other mills.

Malcolm Ringsell, from the Burgh le Marsh Heritage Group, said they were "desperate" for the repairs to progress, but warned it could take a minimum of two years from when work begins for it to be finished.

He said the group was "devastated" by the damage in 2020 but hoped the repairs would bring visitors back to the windmill.

"The best advert we've got is the sails going round. If the sails were going round, we could get people in to visit our wonderful mill," Mr Ringsell said.

James Sharples, from Lincolnshire County Council’s culture service, said: “Burgh le Marsh windmill is an important and valuable asset for the local community, and for the county’s heritage.

"These planned works would bring the windmill back to its former glory, before it was damaged by high storm winds back in 2020.”

Windmill facts

  • Windmills automatically turn to face the wind because of a fan tail (a smaller set of sails at the rear of the mill)
  • Windmills commonly have four sails but Lincolnshire is home to mills with five (Alford, Boston and Burgh le Marsh), six (Sibsey) and eight (Heckington) sails
  • Windmills were often built in places where watermills were impractical because of flat land or a lack of fast-flowing rivers

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