Video of Ellen MacArthur opening Heage Windmill on Saturday 23rd April 2011

Here is my latest short film, filmed in HD last Saturday.
Heage Windmill in Derbyshire opens up each year at Easter and closes at the end of October.
This year Heage Windmill was officially opened by the world famous Yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur on Saturday 23rd April.
This particular opening was even more special as its the 10th Anniversary season since its restoration was completed in 2002.

I was invited as a guest because I created their virtual reality tour in the interpretation centre located in the bottom of the mill. The weather on the day was glorious and sunny but unfortunately there was no wind at all so the sails were not moving.
There was a great turn out for this opening, a marquee had been erected near the windmill for the buffet which had a slideshow running in the corner telling you all about the windmill.



I have hopefully captured the feel of this event in my short film. Ellen MacArthur was born within a stones throw of Heage Windmill at Whatstandwell, famous for her world record of the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2005.

Ellen MacArthur arrived at the mill on a 1954 BSA Bantam motorbike (which she refers to in her speech).

I met Dame Ellen after she had been on the tour around the mill with her parents, she is a lovely down to earth lady. She said she was really impressed with my VR Tour system and had used it when she had been on two previous visits.

If you would like to visit Heage Windmill this weekend and want more information then please visit their website:  Heage Windmill website.Why not visit this weekend after Fridays Royal Wedding celebrations.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust Aims to support, empower and enliven children suffering from cancer or leukaemia by introducing them to the joys of sailing on the sea
www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org

If you are not sure of the driving route to the mill then view my Driving to Heage Windmill video.
To plan your driving route to the mill use my map here : Heage Windmill Map Location.
You can buy their flour at the windmill or at the local farmers markets such as Belper Farmers Market.



Hope you like my film of this historic Derbyshire event. I hope Heage Windmill have a great year due to this publicity, the more visitors they get the more donations they will get to keep this mill running for future generations to appreciate.

If you have not seen my local videos before and enjoyed this one then subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow my blog to get notified about any new videos I make.

Thanks
Andy

Video : Heage to Ripley via Upper Hartshay, Derbyshire by car.

Here is my latest video in my Derbyshire villages by car series.
This one is a drive from Heage to Ripley via Upper Hartshay.

Driving Route Map:

View Heage to Ripley driving route (YT video) in a larger map

Video, Driving from Belper to Heage Windmill.

I created this video so you can see how to get to Heage Windmill from the town of Belper, Derbyshire. Why not go and see this windmill in action this weekend!

Use my Heage Route Planning Map if you want to plan YOUR journey to this windmill, Just click on the blue car in the midle of the map then click "Get directions".

Heage Windmill in Derbyshire, U.K. is the only working 6 sailed stone tower mill in Britain, The windmill became operational in 1797.
Heage Windmill was originally called Nether Heage Old Tower Mill, the gritstone tower was built by Edmund Lee in 1745 and originally had 4 sails,
During a severe gale in 1894 , its cap was blown off and the sails destroyed. The four sails were replaced with six sails.
A preservation order was placed on the mill in 1966 and the mill was restored by Derbyshire County Council
In 1997 after years of neglect the Heage windmill society was formed, with an aim to bring the mill back to working order.
Heage windmill was opened to the public on the 1st June 2002.

For more information on this mill such as opening times please visit their website:
Heage Windmill website:
www.heagewindmill.org.uk

If you want to see more details then please click on the "HD" button so it turns red, then click the fullscreen icon. (you will need a fast pc and fast broadband connection to cope with it!).

The name Heage comes from the Old English and means "high edge or ridge".
Heage village is 2 miles west of Ripley, 2 1/2 miles North East of Belper set on rising ground above the river Derwent east of Ambergate.

I would like to thank Brian Naylor and Alan Gifford for arranging for the windmill to be open for my driving video.

Follow the driving route using my interactive map


*** This video is not real-time, it is time-lapse ***
The real driving time covered 9 minutes

Points of Interest on route:
0:00 View of Heage Windmill from Church Street.
0:31 Start of drive at Derby Road (A6) Belper.
0:33 Belper Orangery (Mc Donalds) ahead, Left is Morrisons and Focus.
0:39 Right at island and up New Road (A609)
1:00 Over traffic lights and up Cheapside.
1:08 Belper Market Place on the right, Top of King Street on the left.
1:11 Left into Chesterfield Road (B6013), carry on going on this road.
2:58 Left into Church Street.
2:59 The White Hart public house.
3:14 Left into the entrance road for Heage Windmill
3:38 Visitor parking is here on the right side.
3:57 Four shots of the Windmill in action, two from my VR tour.
--------------

Music Credits :
Dragon Fly by Lustful
Licensed under Creative Commons

If you visit Heage Windmill then you will be able to have a go on my Virtual Reality Tour at the visitor centre.

Please rate and comment if you enjoyed this driving video through beautiful Derbyshire. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up to date with my latest local videos.

Cheers
Andy

Heage Windmill, My Virtual Tour wins a Judges Special Award at Renaissance Heritage Awards 2009

Since 2007 I have been working with the volunteers at Heage Windmill to help promote the great work they do by using my panoramic photography skills. Back then it consisted of just two 360 degree panoramic photographs taken inside the cap of the windmill where people can not go due to safety reasons. This mill exhibit was popular with visitors and in 2008 I offered to take some new 360 degree photographs for them. What started off as a simple idea soon became a major project consisting of 26 full 360 x 180 degree (spherical VR) photographs all linked together by hotspots.
This allows disabled people or anyone that is not able to climb the mill stairs the opportunity to take a really good look around the windmill. I designed the virtual tour for them so that when you hover the mouse over areas of interest then it tells you what the various parts of the workings are used for.
Because my VR tour encompasses the entire windmill site it is also useful if you visit on a rainy day.

In July, Heage Windmill won the Judges Special Award in the Renaissance East Midlands Derbyshire Heritage Awards 2009 (see photograph of the plaque) ...
"For an innovative solution to providing access to the mill, delivered by volunteers, to a very high standard."

As well as creating the high resolution full virtual reality tour at the windmill I also created a reduced mini vr tour for their website which you can take a look at here :
Heage Windmill mini Virtual Reality Tour.

Heage Windmill is open every weekend from April to October, why not go along and see this great windmill in action. There is nothing quite like seeing the only working 6 sailed STONE tower mill in Britain turning around in the wind.

For more information please visit their website :
Heage Windmill website.

You can even buy Heage Windmill Flour from Belper Farmers Market. The market runs from 9am to 2pm on the second saturday of every month and takes place on Belper Market Place.

To see a list of the other winners see the website:
Renaissance East Midlands Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

My interactive map for Heage Windmill:

View Heage Windmill in a larger map

I have also created a driving video of how to get to Heage Windmill from Belper :
Belper to Heage Windmill video.


Thanks
Andy