More heritage

In these viral times, we read the FT online and buy a newspaper just once a week, as part of BH's weekly expedition to Sainsbury's. Sometimes, despite her being there very early in the morning, there are no Guardians and we have to settle for a Times - which turns out to be not so as bad as I had remembered it, despite coming from the same stable as the Sun. So this morning, turning the pages of yesterday's Times over my bread and cheese, I noticed that the windmill at Bembridge (on the Isle of Wight) had been given new sails and spars, very much along the lines of the snap above.

Which made me wonder about whether something was missing. Was there enough there for the sails to turn? It is true that sailing ships would run before a storm with bare spars, but it is also true that Greek (or possibly Cretan) windmills have triangular white sails, very much like the sails of one of the local boats.

Bing points me at Britannica at reference 1, from which I learn that while English windmills might once have had cloth in their sails, by the time of their demise at the beginning of the 20th century, sails were usually wooden slats which could be opened and closed, rather in the way of Venetian blinds. Slats which appear to be missing from the snap above. Slats which might well be rather expensive.

Hopefully we will get to the Isle of Wight later this year and will be able to pay another visit to the windmill for clarification. Perhaps followed by a spot of lunch at the nearby Propeller Inn, on the edge of Bembridge Airport. In fact very much a reprise of the first visit, more than ten years ago now. See reference 2. Found more quickly than I deserve, having had the good luck to replicate the spelling error in 'propeller' in the post in my search for it.

Reference 1: https://www.britannica.com/.

Reference 2: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-holiday.html.