Bourn Mill: Volunteers hope ancient windmill can be saved

Volunteers hope one of England's oldest windmills could be saved for future generations.

Bourn Mill, a Grade I listed monument in Cambridgeshire dating from the 1600s, was recently added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

James Littlewood, from the heritage group which owns it, said no-one wanted to be on the register, but he hoped it might help fund vital repairs.

Historic England said it aimed to find "viable solutions" for those at risk.

The mill faces collapse due to its rotting central support beams.

Speaking about the mill being added to the at risk register, Mr Littlewood, chief executive of mill owners Cambridge Past, Present and Future, said: "It's very sad, really. You don't get on that register lightly, so for a heritage organisation it is not a list that we really want to find ourselves on.

"But we are very concerned about the building - the scaffolding's designed to stop it falling over - we're really worried that in a big storm it could fall down."

He admitted, however, that being on the list raised the profile of the endangered mill.

"And it also means that we are genuinely at the top of the list of need for heritage projects, so we're hoping that the register means that we can get some extra funding to support the repairs that we need," he said.

Domenico D'Alessandro, an architect and surveyor for Historic England, said the organisation became aware of the state of the mill last year.

Working with Cambridge Past, Present and Future, a structural engineer and a millwright, it was concluded "the mill was at risk of collapse", he said.

"We stepped in with a grant to help the trust in propping up the mill," Mr D'Alessandro said.

Being on the at risk register "does make a huge difference", he said.

"It's an annual snapshot of England's most valued heritage and those on the list are at risk of loss - forever."

Mr D'Alessandro said it meant the mill owners could potentially be helped out financially with grants, but it also raised public awareness so "viable solutions" could be explored to protect such buildings "for future generations".

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]