200-year-old historic windmill under repair after £115,000 in grants received

Repairs to a 200-year-old windmill are under way thanks to a grant which will also allow the historic building to be reopened to the public.

Old Buckenham Mill has been closed since 2018, when its 200-year-anniversary celebrations had to be cancelled after new cracks and movement were noticed in a pre-existing bulge at the base of its brickwork.

Repairs to the Grade II-listed building started last week after a combined total of £115,000 in grants was secured, with more than £95,000 of the total coming from Historic England.

The Association for Industrial Archaeology gave £20,000, while the remaining £4,000 was raised by the Friends of Old Buckenham Mill and the Norfolk Windmills’ Trust.

Martin Wilby, chairman of the Norfolk Windmills’ Trust, which maintains the building, said: “I am very pleased to see this much-needed work start on Old Buckenham Mill, which will enable it to be opened up to the public next spring. I wish to thank the friends and volunteers who have been fundraising and campaigning to restore the mill.”

The mill’s ground floor will be replaced during the work, and repairs will be made to floor beams, the cap and internal walls.

Once the first phase of work is complete, the mill can be reopened to the public by a volunteer group.

Tony Calladine, regional director for Historic England in the east of England, said: “We’re delighted to support the urgently needed repair of Old Buckenham Mill with this grant. As the largest diameter mill in the country, it is a rare survivor of our agricultural heritage and an important local landmark.”