Sutton Mill, someday

Whoa, that’s a big’un.

With the removal of Press’s Mill in 1905, this nine-storey marvel took the mantle of tallest windmill in East Anglia, and one of the largest to remain in the entire country. Sadly it hasn’t had the most fortunate existence, with a number of fires and lightning strikes over the course of its life – the last of which bringing its career to an end in the 1940s – and today it stands rather tatty and derelict, with a number of motions to renovate having fallen through. I remember being somewhat disillusioned by its state as a child, feeling that my namesake deserved better. Its sheer size gives it an undeniable pull, but it seems a bit of a shame when you think how even more magnificent it could look.

So, with all that, I thought I’d have a go at restoring to its former glory. I took a relatively recent reference photato and gave it all the bells and whistles of the heyday. It’s a quicker effort than usual, and the (improvised) sails are hardly my best, but it’s the sentiment that counts. Perhaps one day it’ll once again look like this!

• Art
• countryside
• drawing
• landmark
• norfolk
• sutton
• sutton mill
• windmill