Old mill made safe

The mill, situated off Gunter's Lane, was seriously damaged in a storm in 1965.

It was first erected in 1735 and continued working until 1928. The gale in 1965 damaged one of the sweeps, which in turn caused large structural damage to the mill.

The mill is owned and cared for by The Old Windmill Management Company (Gunters Lane) ltd, whose members comprise the 13 residents of Old Mill Park.

John Goodchild, secretary for the company, said: "After coming down it was left exposed to the elements and insect infestation.

"We set up a fence round it over a year ago, but were concerned that the centre post could fall in high winds. And the timbers are so decayed that there's a risk of that happening at any moment.

"A structural engineer confirmed our concerns and said it could fall in high winds and could fall outside the fence, either on Old Mill Park or Gunter's Lane."

The centre post and the quarter bars have now been removed, and the company is now working on an application for further work on the mill.

John said: "We envisage a scheme which we hope will be acceptable and attractive to all interested parties."