Renovation plans for Denver Mill

Plans have gone in for £120,000 worth of work to repair Denver Mill.

Norfolk Buildings Trust is looking to remove the historic building’s concrete render along with a number of repairs.

As previously reported in the Lynn News, the trust has accepted an offer from a West Norfolk business, whose plans for the site include a tea room and retail units.

The building was put up for sale last year and the repair works will be funded from the sale profits.

The listed building application has been lodged with West Norfolk Council.

The design and access statement says that previous reports have found that the existing masonry walls are saturated.

It states: “The cement render has been in a state of delamination and decay for nearly 30 years.

“With the impermeable layer of external render and the impermeable internal paint, moisture has been trapped within the wall, causing the high levels recorded.

“Over the years rendering has continued to fall off in places, notably around the gallery area.

“Over the same time the external render has continued to crack and craze, allowing moisture into the masonry walls.

“As the bed joints are at right angles to the slope of the tower the moisture, with assistance from gravity, transfers into the building causing problems where contact is made with wood and steel and generally with the masonry.”

Renovations include removing and replacing some windows along with some timbers.

Once the concrete render has been removed, it will be replaced with a lime wash.

Fibreglass repairs are planned for the mill’s cap, which will also need to be re-decorated.

The mill will also receive some re-decoration as part of the renovation works.

James Parry, from the Trust, told the Lynn News previously: “There was a very good response to the mill going on the market, with interest from a range of potential purchasers, from local to international.

“We accepted an offer and we expect completion of the sale within the next few weeks.

“As part of the sale agreement the trust will be honouring its pledge to carry out the essential repairs on the mill tower and the work is expected to start in early spring.”

The mill, which was built in 1835 for John Porter on the site of an earlier post mill, was gifted to the county by Edith Staines in memory of her father and brother.

It had been owned by Norfolk County Council until 1995 when it was acquired by the trust.

The trust has spent £1 million on restoration using a Lottery grant.

It has also acquired other buildings on the site over the years.

The four sails were removed in 2011 after a structural failure.