Watch as historic waterwheel turns again for first time in four years

Daniels Mill, in Knowle Sands, is home to the largest working waterwheel powering a corn mill in the country but the wheel became damaged and jammed during a series of floods in 2020.

Peter George, who owns the mill, said the wheel turned for about 40 minutes in total on Saturday but has got to be treated especially carefully. He has called it Lizzie in honour of Elizabeth Williams, a great grandmother on his wife's side of the family who have owned it for many years.

"She is an old lady and has to treated carefully," said Peter. "It's a bit like a love affair getting her going again. If you mistreat the women you will end up with empty pockets."

There is plenty of work to be done with Lizzie before she can keep turning for hours on end but Peter was delighted as the restored mechanism cranked back to life.

The historic corn mill is thought to be around 500 years old and was in the same family for more than 250 years before a charitable trust took over in 2008.

A £1.5million restoration project has been underway at Daniels Mill, which opens to the public each summer, but the 38ft cast iron wheel at the tourist attraction hasn't turned under water power for four years.

The Mill had previously hoped to get the wheel turning for the King's Coronation last year but the restoration work was more detailed than expected.

However, on Saturday, which is National Mills Day, the wheel began turning again under water power for the first time in four years.

Chairman of the trust that has been restoring the waterwheel, David Hollyhead, said: "The wheel was damaged as part of serious flooding back in February 2020 and the insurance company declined to cover it.

"The trustees have worked hard to ensure its preservation and worked with local businesses and individuals to stabilise, jack up and repair the wheel and water courses and wheel pit to enable the wheel to turn again after four years of being jammed in the partially collapsed wheel pit with flood debris."

There has been a watermill on site since the 1500s and finally finished commercial work when miller Henry Thomasson died in 1957.

The wheel was second-hand when it was installed and was rebuilt in the 1850s following the building of the viaduct over the pools and financial injection from the railway company.

He said the wheel is now unique, being the largest of any water corn mill in the UK, although they were once a locally common site.

Mr Hollyhead added: "With the wheel again operable flour will be available for sale and mill open for visitors with tea room starting at national mills weekend."

Daniels Mill is open until October every weekend between 10am to 4pm as well as on bank holiday Mondays.