Christopher & Barbara Wallis

click The Windmill for its history

Hallmark October 1986. Congratulations. To Christopher Wallis and his team for working at The Windmill and being awarded the Malcomb Dean Design Award for 1986.

The Windmill was chosen from eight projects. On the face of, an unuseual choice, but the judging panel were impressed with the high standard of the work; at low cost and by voluntary labour.. Making it a major contribution to the environment.

A Tribute to Christopher Wallis. By Michael G Hardy

Many of you will have met Christopher Wallis, who lived at Little Marlow. He died on the 10th of May 2006 at the age of 71. You may not regard him as a local person, but he spent a lot of his life here over the last 35 years.

Without Christopher Wallis, Lacey Green windmill would never have been restored, and would have collapsed and probably disappeared by now. He was born in 1935, the youngest son of Sir Barnes Wallis.

Christopher had a life-long interest in timber and gained qualifications in the subjects of Wood Science and Carpentry. He also became a civil engineer, working for different companies including British Railways.

In 1969 he read that the Chiltern Society was interested in Lacey Green Windmill, but mill experts had declared it impossible to restore, as it was starting to collapse. Such a statement became a challenge to Christopher. He visited the windmill, and using his engineering skills, he devised a method of straightening the windmill, and then encasing it in plywood to hold it fast as a solid structure. He wrote a report, drew diagrams, and built a model showing how he thought the windmill could be pulled upright and saved. His natural enthusiasm helped him persuade others that his solutions were possible, and agreement was made to start the work.

He had then committed himself to working on the windmill every Sunday for the next 15 years. The work was started in 1971, and Christopher was responsible for finding volunteers to assist with the work all year round. Some would have the required skills, others would be taught by each other and by Christopher, who ran the whole project as Chief Engineer. Many recycled materials were used, and machinery was borrowed when required. Christopher was able to develop his restoration theories of replacing as little material as possible, and always finding the most appropriate substitutes for parts that did need replacing.

After a few years, Christopher realised that he should not devote just his weekends to preserving historic buildings, but also his working life as well. He started a new career in which he restored windmills, watermills, barns, cottages and all manner of smaller historic structures. He has promoted and worked on all forms of alternative technology (long before the subject became fashionable). He also had a great interest in sustainable transport, and gave his time to helping various projects across the country to keep railway lines open, and to help Sustrans open cycle tracks on disused railways.

He was a very determined character, like his father. Whoever met him, would probably always remember him, and the appreciation of the work he did, his skills, and his friendships were self-evident at a memorial service on 21st July, when around 300 people crowded into Little Marlow church to hear people's recollections from all Christopher's life.

He was devoted to his wife, Barbara, their son and daughter, and their four grandchildren.

I have written a much more complete obituary to Christopher Wallis, which is on the Windmill web site. It includes details about his family life, and some of the restoration projects which he tackled. Please see www.laceygreenwindmill.org.uk