Broad Eye Windmill (Stafford) Registration No. 4268584
Mission Statement
Broad Eye Windmill (Stafford) has been established to restore the external appearance of the mill to that as seen in the 1920s and to record the development of significant industries of the town of Stafford from 1795 to the present day.Aim
This will be achieved by establishing a heritage and education centre at the Broad Eye Windmill to benefit and educate the general public.
Objectives1. To acquire and own or to take on a lease land and buildings at Broad Eye Windmill for the purpose of a heritage and education centre and museum.
2. To promote and develop educational facilities which might include libraries, archives and collections of display material.
3. To organise an education programme and to provide access to material relating to these industries.
4. To publish literature and maintain records on local industries.
5. To provide open access to the premises, facilities and activities for everyone.
6. To collaborate with other bodies who may have an interest in any of these subjects.To enable the above objectives to be achieved it is the company's intention to restore and refurbish the lower floors of the windmill and eventually extend facilities thus safeguarding the said building, its historic value and heritage.
The estimated cost in 1998 was between £97,000 and £150,000 assuming voluntary labour was applied wherever possible.
Methods of achieving these
1. An Executive Committee has been appointed with powers to co-opt additional specialist assistance for the purpose of establishing, promoting or enabling all or any of these objectives to be achieved.
2. To raise and maintain public awareness of the project through regular reports to the media and the production of a newsletter.
3. To draw up a building restoration programme, obtaining the necessary permissions and funding to carry out the work and establishing an on-going maintenance programme for the restored work. It is recognised that this programme will be carried out in stages. Note: The Borough Council remains responsible for those parts of the building and site not restored.
4. To have a fund raising committee to secure the necessary capital and revenue so that a museum and educational heritage centre can be established.
5. Collections Acceptance and Disposal policies will be drawn up and catalogues artifacts and display material maintained.
6. Documentary and oral history will be collected and stored in appropriate ways.History
A voluntary group, known as The Friends of Broad Eye Windmill, was formed in February 1996 with the objectives of restoring the external appearance of the building to that of the 1920s and of creating an Industrial Heritage Museum and Education Centre inside and in the yard area.
The owners of the windmill, the local authority, required that the Friends carry out a Feasibility Study, a full Archaeological Survey, obtain Planning and Listed Building Consents before work would be allowed to proceed. These submissions were completed by the end of December 1998. The Feasibility Study was accepted in August 1998 and Planning permission was granted on 29th May 1999.
Before work was allowed to commence the local authority placed two further requirements on the Friends; a formal lease had to be drawn up and the Friends had to form a legal body; a Trust or Company Limited by Guarantee would be acceptable to them. The Friends Group opted to become a Company Limited by Guarantee. The Borough Council were invited to have one representative with full voting rights on the Executive Committee. The legalities were completed in August 2001. The company was to be known as "Broad Eye Windmill (Stafford)". The Friends of Broad Eye Windmill Group was formally wound up and its assets were transferred to the Company.
Negotiating the lease took longer than had been expected. The Friends group requested a 10-year lease but, initially the Council only offered a lease for 7 years for legal reasons. Eventually a lO year lease, renewable with agreement, was agreed upon and the process completed in May 2002. It was agreed that a peppercorn rent should be paid.
In November 2001, Culturegen, the Arts and Crreative Industries Support Service for Stafford and one of Stafford Borough Council's Single Regeneration Budget projects, expressed an interest in working in partnership with Broad Eye Windmill to support us in achieving our aims. Over the last 4 years the partnership working has resulted in our renovation of the ground floor shop space and successful launch event, our participation in several Heritage Open Day programmes, and various other community projects, including exhibitions and film screenings.
Definitions
The Industrial period covered by the museum and heritage centre will be from the date of the original lease 1795 to the present day. The present day can be interpreted as that moment in time, at some time in the future.
The Industries and commercial enterprises covered will include, for example, those inThe leather trade and associated industries, Electrical, mechanical and civil engineering, Electronics,
Major manufacturers - railways, locomotive construction, GEC tanks and Perkins engines,
Salt,
Brick making,
Milling for flour and brewing, and the brewery trade, Evode, Venables,
Glass making,
Pottery and cutlery.The location of such industries will be within the geographical boundaries of Stafford Borough Council, during the period 1795 to the present day.