Family plans to give windmill life a whirl

A family plans to spend £80,000 in their quest to restore a landmark countryside windmill to its former glory.

The Old Windmill, in Albrighton, has been sold to Claire and Matt Lakin more than a year-and-a-half after going on the market.

And the family plans to inject some tender loving care into the building which was previously owned by the Morris family since 1919. Claire, aged 34, who is employed by West Midlands Police, said: "When we saw it on the internet we just fell in love with it - it's so unusual.

"It had been empty for quite a long time so it was very cold and had damp patches but it just seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Claire, husband Matt, aged 32, a civil engineer, and son Vaughan, 18 months, enjoyed their first Christmas in the windmill - moving in just one week before.

"We don't have any central heating but we've got the Rayburn cooker up and running and once we have the Christmas decorations up it was lovely," added Claire, who is expecting her second child.

"Because it's a listed building we're going to do the restoration gradually and save up to do it bit by bit."

And the couple are no strangers to hard work having gutted their previous terraced home in Kings Heath.

Claire said: "We won't be knocking down any walls or changing the building, we just want to restore it to its former glory and bring the interior up to date.

"I'm especially looking forward to completing the wooden observatory on the roof."

The windmill has been home to a colonel, a carpenter and an artist, and was also used as a look-out for soldiers during the Second World War.

The corn mill was built in 1768, and has been used as a home since around 1919. Carpenter Charles Morris lived there until his death, aged 79, six years ago.

He and his wife Bridget raised their four children at the five-storey windmill before the Morris family put it up for sale in March 2008 for £475,000.

In February this year, estate agents Berriman Eaton revealed that its asking price had been slashed by £80,000.