Woodbridge 19th Century windmill has fantail restored

The original fantail was lost in the 1940s Suffolk County Council said

A "much cherished" Grade II listed 19th Century windmill has had its fantail replaced after it was damaged by winds.

The £14,300 work carried out on Buttrum's Mill in Woodbridge, Suffolk, mirrors the long-lost original, Suffolk County Council said.

It was built in 1836, by John Whitmore, and stopped working in 1929.

The council, which is responsible for its upkeep, said it now looked as it did in its heyday.

It was built by John Whitmore, a millwright of Wickham Market, for the Trott family and was taken over by the Buttrum family in 1868

The six-bladed fantail automatically turns to ensure the sails face into the wind to stop serious damage, the council said.

The building, which is more than 60ft (18m) high, was "the tallest surviving mill in Suffolk" and was run by the Buttrum family until it closed, it added.

The original fantail was lost in the 1940s as the mill fell into disrepair.

In the 1950s a slightly smaller replacement fantail was made, and in the 1980s further renovations took place to enable the cap and sails to turn again.

In March 2021, gales damaged it beyond repairs and the council decided to build a new fantail to its original size.

The new fantail is 2ft (61cm) bigger in diameter than the one it replaces and the blades are painted dark green as they were in the 1930s

Bill Griffiths, of MillBill millwrights in Ipswich which carried out the work, said: "Buttrum's was one of the first mills to catch my attention aged about seven years old, so it has been immensely satisfying, some 55 years later, to be responsible for the latest phase of works required to maintain the mill in good safe order."

Conservative councillor Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro, the council's deputy cabinet member for protected landscapes and archaeology, said: "Buttrum's Mill is a well-known and much cherished part of the Suffolk landscape.

"The mill resembles how it looked in its heyday and can be enjoyed by future generations."

The building is on the grounds of Nancy Waters' home who said: "It's great to see the mill starting to come back to life. It's a magical building."

The next plan was to restore its sails, the council added.

A 100-year lease was taken out on the building in 1950 by a previous council, and it is now maintained by Suffolk Council Council