'Delivery from Canada' - Blackpool South MP's major update on Little Marton Windmill amid £70,000 restoration
“The windmill is so important.”
The new sails for Blackpool’s iconic Little Marton windmill are on order and should be in place soon, according to Blackpool South MP Chris Webb.
The update comes as restoration work continues on the Grade II-listed landmark, with the sails set to complete a project aimed at preserving one of the town’s most recognisable features. Mr Webb said the delay in fitting the sails was because authentic wood from Canada was required for the work. It had taken time to source, order and ship the timber.
The restoration is being supported by a £70,000 investment agreed by Blackpool Council leader Councillor Lynn Williams and Mr Webb. The council has been working with heritage experts and millwrights to develop restoration plans for the windmill, which is the last remaining original windmill in Blackpool.
The project is being funded through Blackpool’s Pride in Place Impact Fund. The town has received £1.5m through the Government’s Pride in Place programme for improvements in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Initial repair and restoration work has been carried out in recent years with support from the Friends of Little Marton Windmill. The previous wooden sails, installed in the 2010s, were removed in 2023 after deteriorating. Urgent repairs were subsequently carried out to the windmill’s cap, followed by work to repaint and protect the structure.
The new funding will pay for the replacement sails and an essential mechanism intended to extend their lifespan. The first windmill at Little Marton was a post mill recorded in 1786. The current structure is a rebuilt tower mill, constructed in 1838 and operated until the 1920s.
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Mr Webb previously said: “I’m delighted to have secured the £70,000 needed for Little Marton Windmill’s sails from the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
“When I visited the Friends group here last year, they had been fundraising for the sails themselves, but despite the generosity of the community, they needed more support and I was determined to help them.
“The windmill is so important – the last one in Blackpool, and the first thing visitors see. This is exactly what the Pride in Place Fund was designed to do – invest in the places that matter most to local people, protect our heritage and strengthen pride in our communities.”