Apprentices help restore mill on Norfolk Broads

Apprentice Tom Allen used his carpentry skills to work at the "wonky" mill

Two apprentices have spent a year restoring a 200-year-old drainage mill, winning an award in the process.

Broads Authority apprentices Tom Allen and Brandon Jarvis helped repair Six Mile House in Norfolk.

The Grade II listed mill on Halvergate Marshes was originally used to drain land south of the River Bure.

The apprentices won the regional competition for the Constructing Excellence award and are through to the national final in January.

The pair replaced the four-storey mill's doors and windows and repaired and recoated the brickwork, as well as building a cap for the top.

Carpentry apprentice Mr Allen, 27, from East Ruston, said: "The mill was pretty much hollow before, the only thing left in it was the main shaft.

"We put a new roof on it and made stairs from scratch, which I hadn't done before.

"Because the mill was a bit wonky, as some of the building had sunk, it required a bit more playing around with things."

Six Mile House before its restoration

The fully restored Six Mile House

The mill also features new bat boxes, part of a wildlife enhancement scheme for bats and owls.

The Broads Authority restoration was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and is part of a project to repair several drainage mills on Halvergate Marshes.

Apprentice Brendon Jarvis plans to continue to work in heritage construction after his apprenticeship

Bricklaying apprentice Brandon Jarvis, 25, from Norwich, said: "It was pretty cool to see, knowing we'd done it all ourselves. I'd like to stay in this line of work, working on heritage buildings.

"I've always preferred historic buildings over modern ones."

The apprentices' training was supported by City College Norwich.

Andrew Farrell, Broads Authority, said of their achievement: "It is a testament to their outstanding work, what our small team was able to accomplish over the past year, in spite of the many hurdles to overcome during the pandemic."