Wicken Windmill has timber Jill carriage returned after 70 years
The Wicken Windmill Partnership took ownership of the kit in late December after securing its return on 11 February.It was constructed by the millwrights Hunt Brothers of Soham and spent its working life moving unprocessed timber and heavier mill components.However, the equipment was lost from the site until 1988, when it was traced to the Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford, Surrey.
Mr Law was among those who commenced fundraising efforts to bring it back to Cambridgeshire."When I first contacted the museum I was only requesting a photograph and dimensions of the Jill," he said."I did not expect that we would be able to acquire her and bring her home to Cambridgeshire."Jill's fragile wheels were removed and carefully loaded onto a specialist timber crane for its return trip. Volunteers said they now planned to restore the kit and treat its timber.
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