As part of the Bradwell Windmill Project, Milton Keynes Arts Centre will be bringing to the site, Crop Circle. A collaborative growing project to create a living, time-based artwork that celebrates the heritage and history of the Bradwell Windmill in Bradville, Milton Keynes, that aims to build deeper connections between the local community of Bradville and New Bradwell with the heritage of the area, the natural environment and food heritage.

Crop Circle in its most literal sense will be a growing wheat circle installation on the grounds outside Bradwell Windmill.

Bradwell Windmill was built in 1805, milling barley and wheat up until 1876 when it ceased operating due to industralisation. However, the mill continued to be an important landmark for Milton Keynes and in 2014 it was restored to full working order and is now open to the public on certain weekends over the summer for demonstrations and is managed by Milton Keynes Museum.

Before the building of Milton Keynes, the whole of North Buckinghamshire was primarily an agricultural area, made up of villages and farming land. Straw plaiting for the hat industry was a major craft within the county during the 19th century, and an important source of financial independence for the largely female workers.

We will work together with local volunteers, and artist and project manager Roisín Callaghan, to plant and tend to the hand-growing and cultivation of the wheat - drilling, growing, harvesting and eventually processing the crop.  

As one of the first crops to be cultivated on a large-scale, wheat has a cultural significance across cultures, where our collective ancestors would have been led by the farming year. From sowing seeds in the late Autumn to allow for a dormant, fallow stage, and nurturing the new growth through spring and summer, to harvesting the crop in the Autumn before beginning the process all over again.

It is ingrained within our histories, our stories and folklore. Festivals such as Lammas Day or Lughnasadh celebrate the start of the harvest season, with harvest festivals continuing to be celebrated in churches and village fetes today. However outside of the rural setting we rarely celebrate these events which were as much about coming together as a community as they were about the yield itself.

Acting as a site for enquiry for artist workshops and events, we will offer the opportunity for the local community to engage in a number of activities, including learning about the unique and endangered, red-listed heritage crafts; straw working, corn dolly making and straw plaiting. The Crop Circle will be activated throughout the year by artist led workshops exploring the themes of heritage, ritual and storytelling

The project looks to explore how we can reconnect ourselves to the process of field to table and our relationship to food, effectively restoring our relationship to the land, and encouraging stewardship and care.


Crop Circle aims to people together socially and explore our relationship to land, food and heritage, as well as how historically we once worked together in wheat production as an entire community. It looks a relearning skills, which were once commonplace, adapting them to make them relevant for today and exploring how heritage and knowledge of heritage practice has evolved, ensuring the preservations of important cultural identity and community pride.

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Over the summer we welcomed close to 100 families to Bradwell Windmill for The Story of the Little Red Hen- an interactive retelling of the classic folk tale.

A huge thank you to artists Alice Boland-Rhodes and Sarah Hunt for delivering such a magical event at Bradwell Windmill this summer.🌾💛 We began by listening to Clio the Cat tell the story of the Little Red Hen🐔, then everyone got creative, making masks and becoming part of the story themselves! 🎭 The event was run by Milton Keynes Arts Centre who are thrilled to be part of the Bradwell Windmill Project, bringing you more events, workshops, and talks to celebrate the windmill’s rich history and heritage. 🎉

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Milton Keynes City Council has approved proposals to restore the historic Bradwell Windmill and bring it back into use as a key heritage and community attraction.

Supported with a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Grade II listed Windmill will undergo essential repairs to fix infrastructure and preserve its historic features. The project will also improve how the site’s unique history is shared, making it easier for residents and visitors to learn about its past.

The City Council will be working alongside residents to develop heritage, learning, training and volunteering activities at the Windmill that will involve expert partners including Milton Keynes Museum, the Living Archive MK and Milton Keynes Arts Centre.

The project will also extend to the nearby ‘Railway Walk’, better connecting the Windmill to other local heritage sites to make it easier to explore the area’s rich industrial and natural history.

A total £470,000 investment, supported by tariff and Section 106 funding from developers alongside external grants will secure the long-term future of the Windmill as a community asset and visitor attraction. Tariff funding is collected from developers to invest into local infrastructure as the city grows.

Once the work is complete, the site will pass to Milton Keynes Museum on a full repairing lease to ensure it remains protected and well cared for as part of the City Museum delivery.

The project started this month and should be complete by late 2026 in time for Milton Keynes’ 60th birthday year in 2027. See the programme of upcoming events here.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran said: “Protecting and renewing our heritage is vital, not just to remember our past but to build a stronger future for local communities. Restoring Bradwell Windmill will bring a much-loved local landmark back to life, creating opportunities for learning, volunteering and tourism while preserving a unique piece of Milton Keynes’ story.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support Milton Keynes City Council with this important project to restore Bradwell Windmill. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, it not only means that this important heritage is saved for future generations, but that more people will be able to get involved with, protect, and learn about the exciting heritage right on their doorstep.”