Restoration of 1700s windmill to be completed

The White Mill is one of Sandwich's most well-known landmarks

One of Kent's most well-known landmarks is soon to return to its full glory after several years of restoration.

The four sails, or sweeps as they are known locally, are to be reinstated to their original positions to the White Mill in Sandwich.

The White Mill Rural Heritage Centre said repairing the historic industrial machinery was a "major testament to the power of volunteering and the important role it plays in the community".

The windmill was built in 1760 and served the community as a working mill until the 20th Century, before it became disused in 1957.

The windmill is also surrounded by the original outbuildings and miller's cottage.

The heritage centre said the landmark was partly restored in the 1960s, but over the past five years it had undergone more extensive works.

It hoped the building would become "one of the oldest working windmills in England" following restoration.

"The mill is a major centre for engaging with our rural past, and all provided by a team of volunteers," a spokesperson for the heritage centre said.

Visitors can go inside the windmill and see displays of agricultural machinery and equipment, including the actual machinery of the mill.