GRADE II* FULWELL WINDMILL

Restoration of Grade II* Listed Fulwell Windmill into a working museum posed many interesting challenges. The building had not been used for fifty years and had effectively become an incubator for dry rot. Softwood beams, introduced in the 1970s, were particularly badly affected so new members were specified as oak to match the original. Structural design even extended down to the detailing of the shutters for the sails after the original design failed in a storm.

Lime based renders were used internally and externally on the walls to reduce the levels of damp. This has proved very successful despite the exposure of the site and the sloping nature of the walls that have no gutters.

An unusual aspect of the design was that the machinery was integral with the timber structure. It was necessary to check and strengthen floors so that tour parties in the museum would not make the floors deflect, causing the driveshafts to disengage from the gearing.