1838
Pumping plant proposed for Haigh Brewery
John Sumner asked William Peace to design a plant to pump water from nearby ponds to the brewery reservoir.
Site overview
Haigh Windmill is a small mid-nineteenth-century wind-pump near Haigh, Wigan, built to lift water from ponds to the reservoir serving John Sumner and Company's Haigh Brewery. The documented proposal began in 1838, when William Peace, chief mining agent to the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, calculated the pumping requirements for supplying the brewery reservoir. The installation used wind power to raise water through a height difference of about 36 feet.
Later accounts describe the structure as a wind-pump rather than a corn mill. It became disused for more than a century but survived as a local landmark. The building was preserved after ownership passed from Lord Crawford to Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, and restoration work was supported by Heritage Lottery funding, including brickwork repairs and lime-mortar repointing.
Map
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.
No site photograph is currently available. Images will be added as field visits are carried out.
History
In 1838 John Sumner, proprietor of Haigh Brewery, asked William Peace, chief mining agent to the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, to install a pumping plant to supply water from two ponds in nearby fields to the brewery reservoir. The reservoir held about 56,000 gallons, described as roughly a month's consumption. Peace calculated that a pump with a four-inch ram and two-foot stroke would be suitable, and that, working at ten strokes per minute, it could fill the reservoir in four windy days.
The lift required was about 36 feet from the ponds to the brewery tank. A windmill was recommended as the power source, and a model of such a windmill existed at Haigh Hall. Later local accounts identify the structure as a wind-pump, not a corn-grinding mill.
It supplied water to John Sumner and Company's Haigh Brewery, which stood behind the Balcarres Arms. The wind-pump later fell out of use and was described as unused for more than one hundred years. The structure survived as a standing landmark at Haigh and was regarded as the only standing windmill in Greater Manchester.
Ownership was transferred by Lord Crawford to Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council for preservation. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant supported refurbishment, interpretation, brickwork repair, replacement of damaged or missing elements, and repointing in traditional lime mortar.
Timeline
1840–1849
Wind-pump constructed at Haigh
Later sources describe the Haigh wind-pump as a mid-nineteenth-century structure built to serve Haigh Brewery.
2011
Restoration supported by lottery funding
Heritage Lottery funding supported refurbishment, brickwork repair, lime-mortar repointing and interpretation of the preserved wind-pump.
Sources and records
Wigan Local History article: History and Renovation of Haigh Windmill
Wigan Buildings entry: Haigh Windmill
Geograph photograph record: Haigh Windmill
Wigan Buildings entry: Haigh Windmill
Geograph photograph record: Haigh Windmill