Looking after the windmill is a labour of love.
Unlike an average hotel / guest house which needs just a lick of paint every few years, this building needs constant love and attention.
…..and then there are the sails, fan-stage, balcony and walk-ways.
These structures are designed to catch the wind, so they are exposed to all that the North Sea and North Wind can throw at them.
In 2014, we hoped to obtain a National Heritage Lottery grant, but were sadly unsuccessful. However the sails and fanstage replacement could not be postponed, so at a cost of many tens of thousands of pounds, we bit the bullet and replaced the lot!
We were hugely fortunate to find local mill-wrights Bunting & Son from Fakenham. Daryl Bunting and his team made a seemingly impossible task look relatively effortless and simple. (See TV clip from Anglia TV filmed on the day our new sails were fitted). The new sails should last us at least another 25 years (I will be over 80 then, so it will become someone else’s joy!) . For now - we just need to ensure that we paint the sails and fan-stage regularly , and turn the sails once a month to stop water pooling in the same place all the time.
So….. we really value your visits and your continued support of this wonderful 'Old Lady by the Sea'. Here are some ways in which you may like to help us: