Re-installing the sails at Rayleigh Windmill

The Rayleigh Windmill is a 200 year old Grade II listed building situated high on a hill in Rayleigh. This mill is the tallest mill in Essex at 60 feet (18.29m). At the base of the Windmill the brickwork is 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m). 

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In October 2017 the sails on the windmill were removed for essential maintenance. In April 2018 the sails were re-installed. We spent the day at the Windmill when the sails were re-erected  watching the process. We happened to have our cameras with us and captured the images below. The images follow the sequence from the arrival of the lorry through to completion. These images show:

• The windmill with no sails, just the bare arms, which are called “stocks”
• The sails being lifted
• Bolts being hammered into the stocks
• The amazing aerial work of the team, swinging from ropes as they worked
• One of the team using the door in the windmill cap, a door which the chief custodian of the mill did not know was there until we showed him the pictures!
• The windmill with two sails attached
• The team at the end of an exhausting day

We have also prepared a comprehensive record of the day in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. This can be viewed at Rayleigh Windmill when it is open