Land for sale

A rare and truly incredible opportunity to purchase one of Norfolk's most iconic windmills with its very own mooring! This 202-year-old, Grade 2 Listed, pump mill is simply breathtaking, not to mention in it is in full working order and recently benefited from being professionally re-painted in celebration of its 200th anniversary, and is offered with its own Mooring within its Title.

Norfolk is perhaps most famous for its man-made Broads, a National Park consisting of over 125 miles of navigable and lock-free waterways; all set within beautiful countryside and surrounded by charming and quaint towns and villages.

With its big skies and sparkling landscape of marshland fields and feathery reeds, it is no wonder the Norfolk Broads are so popular.

Dotted with picturesque mills, most erected to help drain the low-lying marshes, none are more picturesque however than the Pump Mill at Thurne.

Built in 1820 on the East Bank of the River Thurne, just to the north of the moorage channel, the Mill was built by local Millwrights England & Co. of Ludham, with a brick base and a weatherboarded cap, it had 4 canvas sails driving a Scoopwheel that was used to raise water from Thurne Dyke and empty it into the river.

The canvas sails however would not automatically turn into the wind, meaning they required constant attention from Marshmen, who lived on-site and had to keep a close eye on the wind direction so they could manually turn the sails into the wind and 'furl' or 'unfurl' the sails depending on the strength of the wind.

In 1835 the Mill was raised to install a new turbine pump and patent sails, which required more clearance, as well as the installation of a 'fantail' to direct the patent sails meaning they automatically turned into the wind.

The main shaft was made of vertical timbers bolted together, with a horizontal shaft running to a turbine installed in the 20th century.

In 1919 the cap even blew off in a severe storm, forcing restoration efforts, with the biggest change being in 1926 when a steam turbine and shed were installed, with the Mill finally ceasing operation in 1936, after an incredible 116 years.

The Mill was left derelict and in poor condition but was later bought by the late Mr. Ronald 'Bob' Morse in 1949 (R D Morse) from The Internal Drainage Board to ensure its preservation and prevent it from being sold for scrap and destroyed.

With this, Morse turned to Albert England, a direct descendant of the England company that had built the Mill, and together they restored it to full working order by 1951 and later leased the Mill to the Norfolk Windmill Trust.

The mill has been open to visitors on specific days from Spring through Autumn, including the annual National Mills Weekend and Heritage Open Days. Visits had been arranged at other times through, via the Wind Energy Museum a short distance away in Repps With Bastwick.

The museum has maintained a photographic library and information on Windmills all across Norfolk.

The Mill was in the news in 2013 when the local Wind Energy Museum in Repps With Bastwick, also up for sale, launched a Charity Abseil event, with over 20 people abseiling down the side of the Mill in wet and windy conditions, raising over £2000 for restoration work.

Thurne Mill is one of the most photographed Mills on the Norfolk Broads, with its location close to the water's edge making it a wonderful place for early morning or late evening photographs, but it is simply beautiful on its own at any time of day! So much so that it was even named one of the 'Ten Prettiest Mills in Norfolk' by the Eastern Daily Press.

The Mill is extremely easy to access and stands directly on the Weaver's Way footpath on the north side of Thurne Dyke, just a short stroll from the popular Lion Inn.

To be bought individually or as part of a lot, advertised separately, consisting of the cottage, a large plot of land, circa 2.7 acres with various outbuildings, a workshop, and a three-bedroom cabin with a certificate of lawfulness pending to replace with a house/dwelling and a historic windmill in Thurne.

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Tenure: Freehold