Visit Hertfordshire’s sole surviving windmill

Cromer Windmill, Hertfordshire’s sole surviving windmill, which is now a visitor attraction, has just reopened for the season. The windmill dates back to 1681 and is now owned by Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust and is opened to the public every year between May and September, thanks to a group of volunteers.

The grade 2* listed building was blown over around 1860 but was rebuilt and continued to be used for another 60 years until the 1920s when milling by wind became uneconomic and the mill fell into disrepair. Apart from some repairs made in 1938 and its sails being removed for safety reasons, nothing further was done with the mill until 1964 when concerned locals got together to try to save the building. The then newly-formed Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust took on the mill as its first restoration project. The works needed were carried out at roughly 10-year intervals, each waiting

McMullen’s to host its 5th annual Beer and Music Festival

Hertford brewer McMullens holds its fifth annual Mac’s Beer and Music Festival at the Hertford Brewery in Old Cross on Saturday 17th June from 5-10pm.

It features beer, food and live music from Line-Up, The Cubanauts, Radio Video, Suck it and See and Conor Walker. Tickets (for adults aged 18 and over only) are £10 and must be booked at eventbrite.co.uk. The beer will be direct from the source with the company’s Rivertown Brewing craft beers alongside Mac’s heritage ales. This is a fundraising event for local charity Mudlarks which supports adults and young people with learning disabilities and mental health issues. Visit mcmullens.co.uk to find out more about the event or mudlarksgarden.org.uk for more about the charity.

Ware Priory Lido to reopen this month

until the money required was available. In 1998 the final phase saw shutters and striking gear fitted to the sails and the internal machinery rebuilt, restoring the mill to virtually full working order. A second cycle of restoration was completed in 2015. Although grinding is impossible due to the proximity of the road, when the wind is right the sails will turn and the windmill comes to life. It lies on the B1037 Walkern to Cottered road near Ardeley, at SG2 7QE. Admission is £3 for adults, £1 for children, which includes a guided tour. Both cash and cards are accepted. Parking is free, in the field opposite the mill. It is open on selected weekends and bank holidays until September. For full details visit cromerwindmill.co.uk.

Jazz and beer festival at Gibberd Garden

The Gibberd Garden in Old Harlow hosts a jazz evening featuring the Lotus Jazz Quintet on Friday 16th June from 7-10pm. There will be a licensed bar and you are encouraged to bring a picnic. Advance tickets are £17 with a limited number of tickets available on the day at £19. The garden hosts its ever-popular beer festival on the following two days, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June, from 12noon to 7.30pm. There will be a wide variety of craft beers and food available, with Harlow’s Redchurch Brewery, High Wych’s The Rising Sun and West Essex and East Herts branch of CAMRA all taking part. Tickets are £7.50 for adults or £12 for a family ticket (2+2). Booking in advance encouraged. Book at thegibberdgarden.co.uk. The garden is in Marsh Lane, Harlow CM17 0NA.

Ware Priory Lido is on track to reopen this month after refurbishment works kept it closed throughout the 2022 season. As Axis went to press contractors were putting the finishing touches to the main and teaching pools with an anticipated opening date during the week commencing Monday 12th June. The season will run to the end of September. Visit warepriorylido.co.uk.

Stortford splash pool open

Meanwhile, the splash pool in Bishop’s Stortford’s Castle Gardens was set to open on Friday 26th May.

The free popular children’s facility will be open daily between 9am and 8pm until September.

Enjoy food and art at Gravelly Barn

Gravelly Barn in Braughing will fuse visual art and culinary creations in a three-day food and art exhibition next month that will feature work by accomplished local artists. Catchily titled Fart, the event will include demonstrations showing how food presentation can be viewed as an art form in its own right. There will also be live music and a performance by the Razed Roof inclusive performance art group during the weekend, which runs from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th June between 10am and 5pm (4.30pm on the Sunday) at EJD Studio, Gravelly Barn in Gravelly Lane, Braughing SG11 2RD. All money raised will go to Haemotology Cancer Care at University College Hospital London, a charity supporting patients and research.

Pre-booked