Wearside windmill tragedy remembered

Mr Wren was flung over a house roof and killed

A ceremony has been held in Sunderland on Tuesday to mark the death of a windmill worker 169 years ago.

William Wren, 24, was killed as he adjusted a weather-board at the mill on Newcastle Road in Fulwell during a gale.

The accident happened as winds battered Wearside on 7 January, 1834, and several major buildings were damaged and tall chimneys brought down.

Alastair Yule, the curator of Fulwell Windmill, on Newcastle Road, laid a floral tribute on the reefing stage of the mill.

Three turns

While Mr Wren carried out work on the windmill, a strong gust of wind caught the sails, causing the break rope to snap.

Witnesses said the sails then carried him three full turns as he hung on for his life.

They then threw him 30 yards over the roof of a house - breaking his neck and back.

Fulwell Windmill was originally built in 1821 for Matthew Swan, a shipowner who lived nearby and owned a large area of the surrounding land