ABOUT SKIDBY WINDMILL

Skidby Windmill is a grade II* listed four-sailed windmill. Officially the last working windmill in East Riding of Yorkshire, the mill produces stone-ground wholemeal flour from locally grown wheat. It is set in over an acre of land, with a seasonal wild meadow and beautiful views over the magnificent Yorkshire Wolds. The present mill was built on this site in 1821 by Robert Garton of Beverley for William Watson. However, in 1870, the mill was further extended to stand six stories high. The mill was sold to the local council in 1969 for £1, and after being renovated was it was opened in 1974 as a working museum.

Skidby Windmill is unusual in still having all its original outbuildings around the courtyard. Some of these have been converted to form the Museum of East Riding Rural Life. The museum mainly collects objects relating to rural and agricultural heritage of the East Riding, and has two galleries; the Agriculture Gallery and Village Life Gallery. One of the outbuildings contains some of the larger objects in the agriculture collection.

WHAT’S HERE

The Skidby Mill volunteer team produce two exhibitions per year on local history topics relating to life in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Many of these displays can also be seen in the library corridor of the Treasure House in Beverley.

There are a range of simple, child-friendly interactive exhibits. At the mill reception, there are a range of trails and information sheets for children, which are available for free. ‘Explorasacks’ – small backpacks containing materials and equipment to use for exploring the garden and field – are also available from the reception in exchange for a £5 returnable deposit.

A sheltered garden picnic area can be found at the side of the mill, along with a wildlife garden. This includes a pond, which is maintained by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The adjacent field is being developed as a natural history area and open play space for children.

On the Flour Bagging floor, there this a display showing the major restoration work that was carried out on the mill between 2008 and 2010.