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Iconic Woodbridge windmill on the market for first time in half a century
Part of the Woodbridge skyline - historic Buttrum's windmill is on the market for the first time in almost 50 years - Credit: Archant
An historic Suffolk windmill often used as an iconic image of its town has been put up for sale for the first time in nearly 50 years.
The view from the top of the six-storey mill in Burkitt Road, Woodbridge. Picture: NEALS - Credit: Archant
Sealed bids are being invited for Buttrum’s Mill and its Mill House, in the heart of Woodbridge, and it is expected to fetch more than £650,000.
The six-storey Grade II* listed tower windmill, built by millwright John Whitmore in 1836, is a familiar landmark, and it has commanding views across the town towards the River Deben and open countryside.
The Mill House, itself Grade II listed, is a house of character partly dating back to the Regency period, and there are a range of other ancillary buildings including a granary and offices, all set in grounds of almost one acre, just off Burkitt Road.
It includes a paddock stretching down to Mill View Close.
Buttrum's Mill and buildings in snow, Easter 1975 - Credit: Archant
Estate agent James Neal said: “This is a special property.
“It was sold in 1877 for £1,000.
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“It was last sold at auction in 1969, by us. My father described it as a special property then. Bidding for lot one started at £6,500 and it was eventually sold for £8,800.”
Martin Whitworth and his wife Betty were the buyers at that time.
Martin Whitworth, who bought Buttrum's Mill and Mill House with his wife Betty in 1969, in the grounds in 2011. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN
This time sealed, informal tender bids are being invited, by November 7, and there is a guide price in excess of £650,000.
Mr Neal added: “We are expecting a lot of interest. The Mill House overlooks the garden and has views of the mill with the four sails punctuating the sky.”
It was a working windmill until 1928, grinding grain produced from the surrounding arable farmers.
Buttrum’s Mill is the last complete and standing tower mill with which John Whitmore was associated. The last of the Buttrums were there in 1844.
The mill was restored in the 1950s and again in the 1980s.
It was leased to the old East Suffolk County Council, on a 99-year lease, and has since passed on to Suffolk County Council, who take care of its maintenance.
It is opened for visitors a few days each year, and historians say it is a fascinating place to visit.
Most of the original internal workings of the mill are still in place; step ladders with rope handrails to each floor, four original millstones, hoppers, the central shaft, pulleys and gears.The four shuttered sails still turn – and are a prominent feature on the Woodbridge skyline.
