Constructed from locally produced red brick, it was once the largest and most advanced of the town’s windmills and remained in operation for around a century. Today, it is the last surviving windmill in Thaxted and an important part of the town’s heritage.

The windmill is currently undergoing an extensive programme of conservation and repair, supported by £1.6 million in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England. The work will address deteriorating brickwork, damp and water ingress, while restoring the windows, doors, timberwork, sails and internal milling machinery. Once complete, the project will return the windmill to working order, improve public access and create new opportunities for education, volunteering and traditional heritage-skills training.

Pyramid Scaffold Design was brought in to develop the specialist scaffold solution required for the restoration. The windmill’s tall, tapering circular structure and exposed position demanded a carefully engineered approach, providing safe and practical access around the building while respecting its unusual geometry and historically significant fabric.

Working alongside Abbott Scaffolding, Pyramid developed a bespoke design that would allow the conservation team to undertake detailed repairs across the exterior of the tower. The completed scaffold surrounds the windmill while accommodating its changing diameter and distinctive form, creating a secure working platform from which the complex restoration can progress. The structure has even been described by the Windmill Trust as “a piece of art in its own right.”

The project demonstrates the importance of combining practical scaffolding knowledge with detailed engineering and close collaboration. Pyramid’s design has helped provide the safe access needed to protect more than 200 years of local history and support the next chapter in the life of one of Thaxted’s most recognisable landmarks.