WHEATLEY windmill is working again after years of neglect, and no-one is more delighted than Mavis Ramsden.

Her family has been connected with the mill for more than 150 years.

Her great grandfather, George Cripps, below, bought the mill in 1857 and it was worked by him and his sons, including Mrs Ramsden’s grandfather, Ezra Cripps, until milling stopped in 1914.

Mrs Ramsden writes: “As a child, I remember the mill was in a very poor state having suffered from neglect and also from being struck by lightning in 1939. The mill was then used to store garden tools.

Oxford Mail:

“In 1970, I moved into my grandparents’ cottage next to the mill. By then, the mill was in poor condition, the inside was unsafe and the walls were crumbling.”

The turning point came in 1976 when Wilfred Foreman, who was doing research for a book on windmills, asked if he could look over the mill.

He was impressed with the amount of machinery that was still inside and thought the building was worth restoring.

A group of local people formed the Wheatley Windmill Restoration Society and, within a year, had raised enough money to hire a crane to remove debris from the top of the tower and start the restoration programme.

The work has taken 36 years, but the dedication of those volunteers is now clear for all to see.

Mrs Ramsden recalls: “The first task was to replace the beams and put a temporary cover on the top.

“The stone tower was restored and work began on the machinery, replacing the floors, making a new brake wheel and wallower and repairing the millstones and hoppers.

“A new cap was built off site and on October 8, 2000, this was transported by road from Buckinghamshire to Wheatley and a crane lifted the cap on to the top of the mill. It was a perfect fit.

“This was a great day for the society, with much applause from all the locals who came to witness this event.

“The next task was to add the four sails. In 2007, a crane was hired and all four sails were attached.

“In 2010, Oxford Preservation Trust presented the society with an award for the restoration work at the mill which is now a landmark that can be seen from parts of Oxford.

“There was more work to be carried out on the machinery inside the mill and this was completed in 2012. This was when the first corn was ground and the first flour produced since 1914.”

Many local people have been involved in raising funds and helping with the restoration – and there is no let-up in the work as the mill has to be maintained.

Mrs Ramsden tells me: “When the public visit the mill, many tell me about their memories of running past it on school cross country runs and on Sunday walks with their parents.

“I have been fortunate to have been part of this project over the years and it has been a privilege to see the mill change from a sad ruin to a working mill, preserving our rural history for the future.”

For more information, go to www.wheatleymill.co.uk l The mill will be open to the public on Sunday, May 11, from 11am to 6pm during National Mills weekend. Visitors can go to the top of the mill and see the machinery. The mill will be open from 2pm on the second Sunday of the month from June until October.