Mills News, April 2025 (No 182)

SPAB’s Mills Section produces its own twice-yearly publication Mills News, the latest issue of which is April 2025 (No 182). This substantial, very well produced and illustrated 42-page contribution to the specialist professional literature should stimulate interest beyond molinologists. Irrespective of whether readers engage with surviving wind or water mills of heritage value, this publication is informative for articulating both a philosophy of approach to repair and the embodiment of appropriate practical repair techniques.

This is reflected in the current issue by Andy Beardsley in Part One of a report on the recording of milling sites (particularly but not exclusively ruins) by the geospatial surveys and detailed digital recording, using terrestrial laser scanning, 360-degree imagery and drone photography. A second instalment will look at three uniquely documented mills. Beardsley makes the point that the surveys are intended to go beyond documentation: to actively shape conservation decisions for structures that are more than mere picturesque landmarks.

In a similar vein, the April 2025 issue has a helpful explanation of the content and coverage of the SPAB’s Mills Archive Trust. It draws attention to a specialist library of over 5,000 books and journals and an archive of 3,000,000 records of architectural plans, photographs and reports. It is an invaluable resource to bear in mind when considering future mill projects.

While the issue discusses a number of mill-specific repair projects, there is also a useful explanation of RENEWAT, which aims collaboratively to revitalise Europe’s watermills for the generation of sustainable energy. It has project partners from France, Italy, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania, but not yet the UK. It is noted that in Slovenia, for example, nearly 5,000 mills existed historically, but their potential remains largely untapped due to administrative and ecological challenges. The partnership is demonstrating that watermills are not merely heritage assets but modern, sustainable energy solutions capable of delivering local renewable power as part of a balanced and equitable management within river basins.