Kibworth Harcourt mill restoration project nears finish

The sails were lifted into position after the rest of the mill had been restored

A rare type of windmill, which last worked in the 1930s, has passed a milestone in its £350,000 restoration.

Parts of Grade II* listed Kibworth Harcourt mill, in Leicestershire, date from at least 1711.

It is the only surviving example of a post mill - an earlier design than the more familiar brick tower mill - in the East Midlands.

Sails have now been lifted into place and the building is due to go through final tests within days.

Originally it was one of hundreds of mills in the region but they all fell out of use and Kibworth Harcourt was derelict by 1934

A post mill is built around a single vertical beam, which allows the main structure to be swung into the wind.

While the mill has been owned by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) since 1936, it has only recently had funding to undertake major repairs.

An initial survey found dozens of marks and carvings designed to ward off evil.

The property will not be a fully operational mill, as it is too fragile, but it will do "light work"

John Wallis, from Dorothea Restorations, said: "All the timberwork is repaired now, the trestle below the mill is repaired.

"We have just finished hanging the sails but we have some more work to do on that and the outside boards.

"Then the idea in a couple of weeks is to try and rotate the mill."

Naomi Hatton, project engineer, said: "We are dealing with a very old structure which isn't just a building, it is a machine.

"It moves a lot when it is in operation and we have to be really mindful of that when undertaking the repairs.

"They have to be sturdy enough to do the job but not so invasive that you lose all the history and character."

SPAB said the property will not be a fully operational mill with a milling business attached, as it is too fragile but it will be capable of "light work" in moderate winds.