 If you were a visitor to the Windmill many moons ago you may remember Mr and Mrs Duke, who ran the pub 1964-1974. Pasties and salads Mrs Duke was pretty famous for pasties and salad, which were a great favourite with the customers. Daughter Lynn remembers lunchtime was always a frantic busy time, with her father in the bar and her mother making lunches. Planting willows and cleaning the river The photos show a well kept garden and river, and if you look carefully you can see young willow trees, planted by Mr Duke, that now gracefully line the river. When the Dukes moved in the river was a bit neglected (it happens). The following summer Lynn arrived with 15 student friends from a teacher training college. The students dredged and dug out the river. Exhausted, they slept in the lounge bar on the floor that night. Mr Duke was concerned for his stock, but nothing was amiss in the morning!! Mind the frogs The river was clean and loved by geese and visitors alike – everyone enjoyed the love and care the Dukes gave to not just the pub, but the outside space too. Lynn remembers Mr Duke venturing out with a bucket, and his young granddaughter, to collect frogs off the road as they made their way to the pond, to stop them being run over. In the news In 1966 the Dukes did a bit of publicising with an article about the Windmill in the Hertfordshire Countryside. Although the pub is just a mile from Hitchin, according to Mrs Duke, ‘a good many people do not even know about it’. This could be because Charlton was not signposted back then, but folks must have been in the know as Lynn remembers the car park was always full. Cocktails, crisps and lemonade The pub was a warm, friendly place, and Lynn has many happy memories - eating cocktail cherries from behind the bar, crisps from granny whenever she asked, and drinking golden lemonade (a Charles Wells special). A 60’s drawing Lynn also sent us a wonderful drawing of the pub back then (see below). It’s great to see the drawing compared to Keith Hornblower’s recent artist’s impression, has it changed much? Goodbye in 74 Mr and Mrs Duke retired in 1974. The photos show them outside the Windmill and in the garden, with Lynn and Mrs Duke’s mother, in the back garden. You can see Henry Bessemer's house in the background. Bring back the Windmill With thanks to Lynn, daughter of Mr and Mrs Duke, for her fascinating memories and photos. Lynn was very sad to see the much loved pub now so neglected. If you’d like to help return the pub and gardens, to their former glory, please get in touch, or register your interest to buy shares. If you remember Mr and Mrs Duke, or Mrs Duke’s delicious pasties, we’d love to hear from you.   
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Community-owned pubs create vibrant local communities, supporting employment, local businesses and economic prosperity. New research shows there are at least 6,325 community-owned assets in England, including community-owned pubs, shops and centres. These pubs and other assets contribute at least £220m a year to the economy, including about £150m of spending in local communities. The research was commissioned by the government and Power to Change, an independent charity that supports and develops community businesses in England. Vidhya Alakeson, chief executive of Power to Change, said: "When communities directly own land and buildings, they can start to meet the real needs of people in their areas". As a community owned asset and free house we believe the Windmill pub can also meet the real needs of people in Hitchin and surrounding area. Read more about how community owned assets contribute to the economy. Find out more about how you could own part of the Windmill community pub.   We were over the moon at the turnout at last night's meeting. At least 120 people on the last count - so thank you to everyone who came.
We hope you found the talks from Phil Jarvis, who has led the campaign, and Bernard Lee, our pub industry expert, interesting - and that they showed The Windmill really can be a viable pub once more. A viable pub run by the community for the community. If it's inspired you to support our goal of purchasing and reopening The Windmill, please register your interest in our share offer. For those of you who weren't able to make it you can watch a video of the event. Thanks again to everyone for your support. And please do register your interest in purchasing shares if you are able to - your pledges are key to us being able to move the campaign into the next critical phase!  Thank you to everyone who took an interest in the Save the Windmill campaign in Hitchin market square on Saturday. We had lots of interest and we're really excited about the public meeting this evening.
We'll have lots of information and inspiring stories about other community pubs. We'll also aim to answer all your questions, with the help of Bernard Lee from the British Institute of Inn Keeping. Bernard's had lots of experience helping communities run their own pubs, and believes the Windmill has the potential to be a great success. We'll also have share offer forms if you're feeling tempted to register an interest in owning part of a community pub. We're not asking for money at this stage, and first and foremost this is a chance to find out more. We look forward to seeing you there:
If you can't make it to the meeting please contact us and we'll keep you updated by email. You can also join us on Facebook. The Save the Windmill campaign has formed a Community Benefit Society (CBS), to save the Windmill pub and car park for the community of Charlton, Hitchin and beyond. You will soon be able to register an interest in buying shares in the Windmill Community Pub. Registering an interest is an expression of commitment - you will not be required to part with any money unless sufficient funds are raised and a purchase is agreed. To find out more, please join us at a public meeting:
If you can't make it to the meeting please contact us and we'll keep you updated by email. You can also join us on Facebook. Together, we can keep the Windmill turning.  Find out how you can help save the Windmill at a public meeting. Hear about plans to save the pub and car park in Charlton, and how you could own a share in a community pub:
Hear about:
Please join us, and find out more about saving this valuable car park and much missed pub.  Of the drawing and painting variety of course!
As part of the build up to launching our Business Plan and Share Prospectus at our Grand Public Meeting in June, we have commissioned architect floor plans of The Windmill Pub which will show how the premises can be restored to meet the business plan requirements, and maximise the riverside location. We would also like to commission an 'artists impression' which will visualise the location and setting and give our supporters a view of the potential that can be achieved from this unique riverside pub. This needs to be completed by the end of May. If you would be willing to undertake or be involved in this project, we would be really interested in hearing from you! We have a small bursary grant that can pay for costs, but as a Community Benefit Society, we are hoping to keep these to a minimum!! If you think you can help, or you'd like to know more, please contact us. Please spread the word and help keep The Windmill Turning! The campaign to save the Windmill Public House in Charlton, Hitchin has been given a boost with business support and a bursary to develop its plans.
The ‘Save The Windmill ‘group has been accepted on to the Plunkett Foundation ‘More than a Pub Business Support Programme’, with a bursary of £2,500, to help save the much loved pub. The programme supports community ownership of pubs in England, with specialist advice and finance. “We’re delighted to be awarded support from the Plunkett Foundation” said Phil Jarvis from the group. “It is an important step towards bringing this much-missed riverside pub back to the community. The Plunkett Foundation were impressed by the campaign’s vision and enthusiasm.” The group has recently registered to form a Community Benefit Society (CBS) called Save the Windmill Community Pub Limited. The CBS structure and bursary grant will enable the group to raise funds and access grants and loans to purchase the pub. It plans to present a community share prospectus and business plan at a public meeting in 2019. Nicole Hamilton, project manager for More Than A Pub, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to support Save the Windmill Community Pub Limited who are working hard to make sure their community can benefit from everything that having a thriving local pub brings. Pubs that are owned and run by the community are so much more than a place to buy a drink; they provide important social spaces and services for local people and are central to their community’s sense of place and identity. Under the ‘More than a Pub’ programme, scores of pubs across the country have been brought back as successful thriving businesses, meeting local needs under shared community management and ownership.” The Windmill pub was forced to close 3 years ago, but the pub and car park remain a gateway to the local countryside and a popular place to meet. Phil Jarvis said: “It is not just the pub that is under threat of redevelopment, but the car park as well. We need the support of people in Hitchin and surrounding areas to save the pub and car park for the community. If you'd like to get campaign updates by email, or send us your suggestions and comments, please get in touch. We're really pleased to announce that we've been granted support from the Plunkett Foundation's More than a Pub Programme!
The Foundation helps communities to overcome challenges via co-operation and they've successfully supported many community co-operatives - from shops, pubs, bakeries; to farms, farmers’ markets and woodlands projects. They'll be supporting us with developing our action plan, which will help us to take the campaign to the next level with clear direction. It's early days, but we'll be sure to keep you updated, with the aim to publish the plan in due course. Despite the unseasonably cold weather, The Windmill Pub in Charlton was well and truly 'powered up' on Sunday, with walkers and cyclists breathing life to the much loved riverside pub. People often say how they miss using The Windmill as a stopping point on their countryside walks and cycle rides. So we thought, lets invite a local caterer to provide refreshments at the frontage (which remains public land) and them to stop off. The response was tremendous! Two guided local walks took place, and several cycling clubs called in en route, including the Hitchin Nomads (pictured!). The success of the 'Power Up' event really demonstrates the ongoing support within our community in reinstating this special pub - a pub which has now stood dormant for over two years. We will definitely be running the event again later in the year! Thanks again for your support, and see you all soon!  |
