Mapledurham Watermill: Black Sabbath album location vandalised

Mapledurham Watermill has been targeted by vandals

A picturesque watermill, which featured on the cover of a Black Sabbath album, has been vandalised.

The picture adorning the band's 1970 debut album, depicting a woman in a black cloak, is one of the most famous images in heavy metal.

Police said the windows of the mill, in Mapledurham, Oxfordshire, were smashed, with significant damage to the wooden frames.

Officers have linked five boys and one girl to the incident.

They are believed to be aged between 15 and 16 and are from the Purley area.

Black Sabbath are credited with helping invent heavy metal

The mill, which lies on the Mapledurham Estate, was damaged on Sunday at about 17:25 BST.

It dates back to 1690 and remains the only one on the River Thames still producing stone-ground flour.

The mill also appeared in the Michael Caine film The Eagle Has Landed, and TV shows such as Taboo, Miss Marple and Midsomer Murders.

But arguably its most iconic role was on the atmospheric cover of Black Sabbath's eponymous album, which has been described as the first heavy metal album.

The album cover (pictured left at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery) is one of the most iconic in heavy metal

The model was Louisa Livingstone, who later told Rolling Stone magazine it was "freezing cold" when photographer Keith Macmillan took the picture.

She said: "I had to get up at about 4 o'clock in the morning. Keith was rushing around with dry ice, throwing it into the water.

"It didn't seem to be working very well, so he ended up using a smoke machine... I'm sure he said it was for Black Sabbath, but I don't know if that meant anything much to me at the time."

The Birmingham band were formed in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.

The singer and lead guitarist made a surprise appearance together at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

Thames Valley Police is appealing to anyone with information about the vandalism of the site to come forward.