Keep Horsey Windpump’s Sails Turning

For the first time in 75 years, Horsey Windpump is once again standing proud in the Norfolk Broads. With your help we can keep this icon preserved for generations to come and keep her sails turning

A couple looking out across the view from the top of Horsey Windpump

Windpumps require constant maintenance and care

  • There was once around 250 working windpumps in the Broads
  • Now just 4 working windumps survive
  • It was back in 1943 that Horsey's sails last turned
Horsey Windpump with cows in the foreground
Horsey Windpump   Norfolk

An icon of the Norfolk Broads

Horsey Windpump was once part of a network of 250 windpumps that drained the land we now know as the Norfolk Broads. This iconic landscape is an internationally important habitat and home to some of the UK’s rarest wildlife. Horsey Windpump is the youngest drainage mill on the Broads and one of three that still have working sails.

Close up of the cap and sails at Horsey
Horsey Windpump   Norfolk

Help put the wind back in her sails

Horsey Windpump has undergone the most ambitious and extensive restoration of her 106 year history. To keep her in working order and running smoothly she requires weekly, sometimes daily maintenance. Without this she will quickly fall into disrepair, but it is expensive and this is where we need your help.

Donate to Keep Horsey Windpump’s Sails Turning

Please select an amount

£6 Will help supply a month’s worth of grease, to keep things in working order
£45 Will buy a replacement wooden tooth to keep the cogs turning
£190 Will buy a new replacement sail shutter
Or enter your own amount

Sailing into the future

Restoration work taking place on the brickwork at Horsey Windpump

A true survivor

Horsey Windpump has had a dramatic history. It has survived floods, a lightning strike, a collapse, storms and gale force winds. Despite this it has remained an iconic feature of the Broads landscape for more than a century.

Cap being craned back onto Horsey Windpump

Restoring an iconic landmark

In March 2016 we kicked off an ambitious and exciting three phase restoration project at Horsey to replace the sails and bring the windpump back to life, a stepping-stone towards getting her fully operational and working in the Norfolk landscape once more.

red brown teeth of the curb of Horsey Windpump

A millwright's tale

Windpumps require constant maintenance and care otherwise they quickly fall into disrepair. However, millwrighting is a dying skill and buildings like this are becoming increasingly more expensive to upkeep.

" Windmills draw you into a different time and a different perspective of construction, before you know it you’re completely hooked."
- Tim Whiting, Millwright

Why give to the National Trust

As a charity, we rely on the generosity of supporters to look after the historic buildings in our care. Not only do our supporters help to conserve beautiful homes and stunning gardens. They also ensure that future generations have places where they can be inspired by stories of the past, enjoy peace and time to reflect, and make memories to treasure. Your donation will go towards this project and other vital conservation work on our buildings at this special place. With your support, we can continue to protect the irreplaceable. For everyone, for ever.

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Donate now to keep Horsey's sails turning