Fancy buying an 18th century mill on the Shropshire border? It'll cost you £625,000
Standing tall in the countryside, it would be impossible to tell this 18th century windmill had nearly burnt to the ground nearly 130 years ago.
The Grade II listed building, near Market Drayton, was nearly destroyed in 1887 when fireworks were launched from it, celebrating 50 years of Queen Victoria's reign.
However, sparks from the two rockets started a fire inside the building, causing much of it to be damaged.
Half a century later, the historic building, now a home and B&B, is on the market with a price tag of £625,000.
The mill, which sits between Eccleshall and Loggerheads, was converted for residential use 11 years ago and is currently owned by Chris and Helen Hallam.
The couple found the home in 2007 when they were house-hunting.
Mr Hallam said: "We spotted The Windmill in the property section of a national newspaper and fell in love with it.
"We used a company in the Midlands which specialises in building roofs for mosques in the Middle East, and they did a fantastic job.
"It looks as if it's made of lead. However, it's actually a glass-reinforced plastic compound – the same material they use to make the hulls of yachts."
Three years after the blaze, the sails were dismantled by a local joiner for safety reasons, and a crowd gathered to watch. Since then, it has not been able to function as a traditional mill.
After that, the remaining tower was given a new lease of life in the 1930s to hold scrap and rubbish, which was later removed by the Home Guard during the Second World War to use the tower as a lookout post.
Mr Hallam used to run his own business supplying catering equipment to bars, restaurants and hotels.
He sold the business in 2011 for health reasons and now works from home.
The couple have turned some of the windmill into a B&B business, which they advertise through the online holiday rentals site Airbnb.
He added: "We have guests from all over the world coming to stay with us – no doubt they are attracted by the novelty of staying in an 18th Century windmill for a couple of nights, which makes a change from staying in a hotel or a more traditional B&B.
"Running a B&B is a great way of meeting people, which I enjoy."
He added: "After I sold my catering business, I found I missed the social interaction."
The Hallams, who have just turned 60, are keen to move south in order to be closer to their family. For more information about the Windmill, email telford@savills.com or call (01952) 239500.
