Incredible Windmill Restoration (Before and After) | Restoration Man | Reel Truth History

all over the UK thousands of historic buildings life forgotten and neglected often tangled up with red tape were abandoned by owners who cannot afford the repairs some of these are in danger of being lost forever English heritage as buildings at risk register has over a thousand buildings about standing architectural interest that are literally falling down waiting for people like you to turn them into holes you sit there at home and you look at the TV think I could do that I dream that house every night it's definitely took a lot of blood sweat and tears to get the Planning Commission in this series you're going to see people breathing new life into derelict water towers engine houses windmills and churches and I want to help these restoration warriors on their journeys as they reclaim recycle and make these buildings useful again every structure has its own unique history which I know will help guide these intrepid restorers the house in their roof we just knew it was a building that just deserved to be saved but their labors of love can come at a huge personal price or financially if Satan goes wrong we lose everything and emotionally he's always working at night in at weekends is always working he lives his life super stressed when you take on a listed building you're taking on a responsibility you become its Guardian to pass on to future generations [Music] we'll be on the stand back and point to the grandkids and say bored sweat and tears we converted it into the house I hope I can bring my vision and expertise to help these restoration warriors realize their dreams I'm here in Kingston near Canterbury in Kent for as long as records have existed Kent has been known as the Garden of England fruit vegetables and hops for the brewing of beer have flourished in its rich fertile soil but it's not just these crops that have blossomed wheat has always been the major harvest and where there's wheat there are Mel's thoughts who have been built in the early 1820s this wind powered mill known as Reed's mill was one of over thousands that were working in Britain by the mid 19th century but by the end of World War one only 350 remained today Peter and Nicky have a vision to bring this Georgian Monument out of retirement to become a family home the plot of land has been in the families best bet of 100 years and it's just stood there as a sort of a monument in the middle of our lives about four years ago completely I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and it's through insurance and paying our mortgage off up north it's put us in a position where we could actually afford to do this which before it's always been a dream that we've wanted to do it and it would just be a travesty if we didn't actually manage to keep it in the family life just doesn't really get any better than this quite honestly not for me anyway 37 year old IT manager Pete and 31 year old nurse Nicky are not idle dreamers their vision is to restore the old structure while creating something for the 21st century the tower and its surrounding land of one acre has been in the family for nearly 100 years to maintain the family heritage it's been generously passed on to Pete by his parents after selling their house in Hull for two hundred and forty thousand pounds Pete and Nicky were left with a clear profit of a hundred and seventy five thousand which they'll use to kick-start the build on top of this Peter Nicky are also applying for a three hundred thousand pound self-built mortgage which they'll need once their savings are all spent these funds will be released in three stages as the restoration progresses to save money Pete and Nicky have also moved into Pete's parents house who live right next door to the mill giving themselves ten months to complete the bills Peter Nicky are about to embark on the unpredictable but exciting journey of restoration we will do it every restoration project has a unique story to tell I hope I can unravel the history of this building to inspire what Pete and Nicky no suits around the mill it really is a special building for us we can't wait to get up there onto the top of it and that's something that I've certainly never done I think dad might have done once in his childhood I don't know not be very special dude I think it will be in the same position as your father she'll go have a look yes pretty say it when you go inside this building you can instantly sense its unique qualities but it does make you realize just how difficult it will be to turn it into a home tastic structure the great thing about buildings of this form you never get into those conversations thing or something can I get the lighter I mean you've got the way there so you've got the opportunity here of getting fantastic sunlight yes yeah yeah but obviously it's 260 degrees well we are putting a proper sort of cap on it to do it justice hopefully and what about putting the sails back on is that gonna happen or not we we were in two minds actually and unfortunately the builders were chosen a true craftsman and they kind of just down the duration of say more that you've really got to what's your all personal view about restoration and that is not the style that this place is going to be like when it's done I think it's very important for us just to make sure that it maintains its character that's the fundamental thing I think we yeah we haven't got pots of money at all so we're we're gonna potentially have to actually use some sort of modern techniques to achieve the same result this is going to be home for us the proposed plans for Pete and Nicky's home are divided into three distinct parts the first is the mill itself which is split into four levels the kitchen is on the ground floor up on the first floor they'll be the master bedroom connected by a small staircase up to the second floor is the ensuite bathroom the third full will be used for storage and a new traditional Kennish cap will top the mill with wind sails alongside will be a new but traditional style Kennish barn link to the old mill with a modern glass conservatory on the ground-floor is the entrance the utility room a study and the living and dining rooms the first floor will have a gallery a guest bedroom with ensuite to further bedrooms and a family bathroom the final part of the build is a separate annex with self-contained guest accommodation and a double garage this is a really exciting but ambitious project for two restoration novices there are so many architectural challenges on this build and the biggest they need to resolve is the junction between old and new how the glass link between the sloping sides of the mail and the farm is going to be achieved so what is it you want me to do for you if possible have a look at this this transaction between the glazed link in the actual mill tear itself yes we've got some really interesting sort of shapes and curves and tilts and angles to deal with there we've got the curved form of the mill you know to make it look like it's elegant it's meant to be and it doesn't look it is probably the most important detail if the whole thing isn't it really it's just a case of make sure we get the materials right for the mill and the finish right and the details right everywhere yes especially that glass going into the mill I'm really excited about Peter Mickey's plans for their dream home and how it can help them with the glass link between the mill and the barn the tricky thing is you've got a a conical share which is a tapering and circular building with a kind of bone block over here the glass is the right decision in the first place because it becomes the light beautiful connection between the two blocks if you like it's all about how earth meets that and if it looks too fussy complicated or be a mess been involved in the design has made me even more determined to find out as much as possible of how Mills evolves throughout the ages when the first male in Britain was built in Sussex in 11 AD by a bishop who actually gleaned the design from the Knights returning from the Crusades in Persia now throughout the Middle Ages and because of its prime coastal location Kent became a place absolutely covered in males they were built by the church and by wealthy landowners to grind the flour of their estates and by the early eighteen hundreds Kent had over 230 windmills Pete and Nicky's restoration build has begun but there are already underlying problems Pete works away from home three days a week and Nicky has just started a new job and to compound this the project very nearly didn't happen at all Nicky wasn't well four years ago now with cancer and we were it was a very sort of bittersweet thing must have been a difficult time for you to be alive I'm lucky to be here and if it hadn't happened then we wouldn't be in this position to actually even remotely be able to afford to do this do you okay though checkups every six months but really well still say she's back to making more than anything for a couple who've got no building experience whatsoever if actually set up this project really well they've got a good design a good butcher a reasonable time scale and a really good builder but what I'm worried about is the fact that Peters working away for three days a week and Nicky has just accepted a brand-new job and if there's one thing that you need to do to keep control of your builders and your money and everything else is be on site if single day and these guys aren't gonna be in 2010 restoration warriors Pete and Mickey took on this derelict 19th century Kent windmill they plan to convert the mail and add a brand new three-bedroom chemist barn to realize their dream home for the future [Music] great bitter doing building work I think morning how you doing met your eyes gonna say yeah you picked a good mother first oh it's fantastic yeah not really very pleasant at all so it's a big big data isn't it temporary dates to return my phone day today yeah so this is where the kind of McConnell settle has to get together and that you've got your ghost Paco yeah Garrett you sir it's getting there it does look really good actually you can't see the towers but it's nicely claimed towers on the roof there and they look fat we're hoping fingers crossed this is where the Christmas pic comes in that actually we might even be in there Christmas you've got four weeks I mean four weeks till Christmas say if Nikki's got anything to do with it we're definitely in there the focus it's on the problems at this time yeah but you want to push push push push push as hard as you can but the reality is you battling against the elements on yes [Music] the builders are cracking on with the new barn which is being constructed from beautiful oak beams that will form the main structure Pete's dad proudly watches as this restoration comes to life it's nice to say the first time we've got because you've got this big strong vertical element here and then you've had nothing yeah and it's it's the first sign of what this new structure is going to look like god I'm excited everywhere you look the work has gone ahead at incredible speed the annex and garage are already complete and just need fitting out but all of this work costs money I know they started out with a hundred and seventy five thousand pounds so I want to know how Pete's finances are holding up we're still waiting for an absolute final decision on the mortgage right so they haven't said yes they haven't said yes to it now how many pennies have you got in the bank at the minute if you don't mind me asking at the moment we've got about 75 thousand in the bank and we've spent about a hundred a hundred so far yeah I spent a hundred grand so far so you've got a you spent one hundred you that's certainly fine I'm left in the bank how much more do you need from the mortgage can we need as close to 300 as they'll give us if they don't think we can finish it they've effectively gives anything when is the money going to run out but you've got left we've got two or three months before we before you know we'd have to call a hole here if we haven't arranged something it appears that nothing can get paid down and his optimism is infectious as he takes me up to the top of the mill for the very first time this is a beautiful yeah look at that this should be of you what of you even on a day like today it's beautiful so what's gone at this level again so it's got to have a cap on it which in in Kent is a traditional one a little bit like an upturned boat yeah yeah yeah ultimately yes so Jim McCloud we're hoping to how long winter mine on the back I think to anything we can get in this building that's ecological like if you're like brings the building or a new age and rather than have been a kind of you know previously an industrial agricultural piece of architecture yeah it actually becomes that an environment and sustainable piece of architecture the future which is an amazing thing to do it's fantastic even law the weather's been absolutely awful this build is going really well the tower itself for the first time is very structurally sound the timber frame started to be built but to be honest with you if I was Pete and Mickey I'd be unbelievably worried about the finances they spent a hundred grand to date then when he got 70 grand left in the bank account and that mortgage offer still hasn't come through every time I visit the mill my enthusiasm and love of it grows and fascinated by its dominance of the area and intrigued by its history neither Pete or his father nor anything about when it was built or even who originally owned it so I'm determined to help them unlock its past my first port of call is the medieval capital of Kent Canterbury Canterbury Cathedral has been on this site for nearly a thousand years and you can see why it's a beautifully constructed architectural masterpiece pilgrims have been coming here since the Middle Ages and the building makes an appearance in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales but the archive here isn't just about all things ecclesiastical it also contains a wealth of local history information which our hope will reveal more about reeds mill deep within the bowels of this amazing building I discover a wonderful collection of notes on Pete and Nicky's mail so there's a fantastic information from a windmill and fyast called CP Davis Davis is archivist incredible actually I mean the number of windmills that he covered throughout Kennan Sussex and throughout Europe was unbelievable and he had two hundred bucks just on melt alone and you've got some amazing images reads male Kingstown I play the smallest boat on that land least of Westward estate which was owned by one John Wood I believe it was built for a mr. gauja of Margate absolutely brilliant mr. Goucher the first Miller of reeds mill no I just like to find out when this is another note Kingston read mill but it's to have been built for a Daniel gouges we've got his first name Daniel Goucher later after Margate mills and it was built from before 1824 so getting closer it still doesn't tell us exactly when the mill was built so what we've got here is a mark which is dated 1819 so we've got Canterbury just here and if we head out to the southeast along the main road we should communicate them yep better bet this should be another symbol clearly Morgan reads mill but there isn't it's not bad so what that tells us is that this this map did at 1819 reads mill wasn't built but because we've got the proof that Daniel gouge at the first Miller was there in read spell of 1824 it gives us that five year window reads mail was built sometime between 1819 in 1824 Christmas Eve oh my dog beating snow [Music] although I've discovered the mills past its future for the moment is looking bleak with the heaviest snow in decades all work has stopped this means Peter Nicky aren't able to move into their temporary home above the garage but it's Christmas and a welcome break from the build to relax with family and friends [Music] it's New Year and thankfully the snow has melted and work has resumed on the bills I'm on site just have a quick check around unfortunate laid up in bed at the moment she's not been so well since before before Christmas actually but hopefully she'll be on the mend soon anyway for Pete this is an important day although he's received an acceptance on the next stage of the mortgage he doesn't know how much it will be we're gonna run out of equity in February so the values here today to actually tell us how much money we can draw down against against the mortgage our build is just a little bit different because yeah it's a restoration project so we've got old and we got new and you know the old is actually a third floor level already worst-case scenario on this is you know don't get it valued or they come up with some problem on the says well actually sorry no you're not actually you don't satisfy tick boxes XY and Z it's a nail-biting time waiting for the assessor to make his decision [Music] the Gorgas chance just gone really good news to be honest that it's actually been valued a hundred thousand more than we hoped fight usefully as well he's he looks like he's actually now he's seen what we doing and seeing sort of that we're actually doing a good job of it he's actually raised the original final value so three quarters of a million is the figure now which is fantastic having the future funding in place has taken a huge load off Pete's shoulders now Peter Nicky can push ahead and finish the annex which means they can at last be together in their own space and no longer need to crash it Pete's parents yes I think we could do that space back particularly with the dogs you know around the feet and our age you know you can easily trip up so I think you know it is time to move over to the garage so hopefully that won't be too much longer we're so close and I can't get can't wait to move across here and get out from underneath among dad's feet at the end of the day it's spring Peter Nicky are nearly ready to move into their annex I'm really keen to see how things are getting on but I'm worried I received a call from Pete saying he has some bad news we're in a distinctly difficult situation where Nicky has got a cancer back so it's kind of turned our worlds upside down just a little tiny bit how bad to the cancer it's it's so we we don't know we've been told she's not going to last a year but we don't quite know how long we've actually got and it's getting more and more difficult to be honest the better the better she she looks and more difficulties to come to terms with what's actually going to happen there's nothing we can do about that what we need to do is just plod on with things and make sure that that she gets as much time here as possible I know Nicky I know that actually in my heart of hearts she's gonna surprise everybody and she's gonna you know do really well and I just just hope that we have some really good good few months you know before anything takes me dramatic turns you can probably say at mum I'm just dazed basically I think I throw myself into just facts and figures really and sort of had a few lot of sort of battles and just make sure that everything sort of logically and practically can be dealt with you know dealing with the pensions people and such life but yeah occasionally or more than occasionally I have a proper moment to it's just in 2010 Peter Nicky inherited this derelict 19th century Kent windmill they plan to restore the mill build a new three-bedroom Kentish barn and an annex with a double garage but their plans have been shattered with the tragic news that Nicky has terminal cancer understandably the build is no longer a priority for either of them I've decided to visit Nicky at a parent's home yes Wow unfortunately and their cancer that we were talking about that had been gone for quite some time seems to have returned with a vengeance prognosis is not good unfortunately they've they've sort of given me months rather than years but you know a long time the build I've had to take a huge step back from it provides that level of complication you know for PE when I'm gone you know does he want to live there is that what he wants will I be in you know I don't want to attain a house of memories if he's gonna live there with somebody else you know in years to come the whole thing like that because well you tainted yes it's the whole reason why you're doing this because you really want to be in folks and they're big bits of the bill that are really important that I've they're kind of passing me by and I really won't grab it all back in and be part of it all again be able to interfere it more now give a bit more tea what time is more important than money at the minute oh absolutely absolutely much more much more important to see to see a cap on that mare would just o just be amazing so yeah he needs to he needs to happen definitely it's spring and Nicky and Pete have decided to move on site into the newly finished annex apartment above the double garage for Pete's mom Sandra a strain of coping with Nicky's illness and holding the family together is taking its toll there's quite a lot going on I think it's quite difficult Pete has found a new hidden strength and has become positive again he's brought Nicky a special present something she's always wanted and if that hasn't taken her breath away after four months of not visiting sight he hopes saying the mill will lift her spirits cry it's just amazing absolutely amazing you look at the foundations and then it really tiny on the ground and now it just looks hideously you see all the rooms and why things will be and get a real picture of how it's gonna pan out it's just future yeah Pete and the builders are throwing everything at this project so Nicky can see her dream home he's just he's just there it was hard for me when I need him and their work when they need it and I just yeah really because he's just on such an amazing job here he's been so desperate to get it ready for me so that you know I can come and stay when you like for parties and stuff like now so I just can't thank him enough he's just amazing in terms of how we decided to proceed after we we found out what was going on and we just let the dust settle a little bit and just got our heads around it checked out the financial situation which has turned it up to be you know pretty reasonable into the day and looking at how Nicky's doing as well I think we've made the right decision because we can have what we wanted and we can have that for as long as she's what she's well which is great [Music] it's looking amazing the last time I was here things grind into a halt for very obvious reasons but looking at it today it's cracking on you know the builders flying with the main part of the structure the windows looking pretty good as well to be honest still got the scaffolding beautiful all windmills are topped with a cap on which the sales of fitters as the sales turn they drive the huge storms which grind the wheat into flour the cap was able to rotate through 360 degrees so that whatever direction the wind blows the sails will always be able to face it sadly Reid's mill lost its cap in a devastating storm in 1915 a sorry sight for such an iconic building replacing the cap for for Pete complete its restoration it's monstrous a huge we didn't want to do it and because the tower stood like it has been for the last 95 years and we just thought why why change it completely yeah but I have to say with Mike's assistance we've come around to the idea of thinking well actually that's really quite a good investment what's quite nice is that this has taken a few design twists and turns just the price of steel as meant actually it's the same cost to do the bulk of the framing in oak as well that's a hell of a bit of structure yeah so you're gonna have sales of it yes there we they'll just be a framework and be fairly substantial framework but they will be yeah there will be sales on there as well where's Wonder Woman [Music] are you lost time we saw you it was you know I was gonna take you step back but I can't help myself now yes I might not be around as long as I hoped to enjoy it but now I'm gonna enjoy what time I have in it that's what it's all about now and not this stupid I think I stepped back and I already think to do that I won't sleep no I won't do this I just needed to get a grip and I think I finally got like okay so how'd you feel about trying to get up with the first floor yeah yeah definitely let's give it a go let's go this is a huge step for Nikki ever since she was diagnosed with cancer four months ago she's never seen the upstairs of her new home and the barn well done take a break just just prayed about the stack sorry but it's just beautiful about frying cars isn't lost and everything chromosome it's just [Music] another come inside with your throat there's only good taste still pass it [Music] come to mama Lucretia stop you and that you wanted to pinch me just really oh yeah babies there's no doubt about it about this building project has turned a massive corner there's such a momentum and drive on sight a progress now is absolutely brilliant and you can feel the buzz for Pete and for Nicky and how much they absolutely love this building project and they put their heart and soul into every single part of us but what worries me is that house water party is still a long way off [Music] in 2010 Pete and Nicky started work on this derelict Kent windmill their plans to restore the mill and build a brand-new three-bedroom Kentish barn with an annex was shattered with the news that Nicky has terminal cancer Nicky and Pete's courage and determination to try and see the bill through has given them some strength to come to terms with the situation the historic day when a new three and a half ton cap and sail is proudly reinstated on the top of the mail has arrived good morning Matt good morning are you your eyes get big day just a little bit it's massive day today yeah it's unbelievable so exciting yeah what I like about it looks quite contemporary yeah you know you've got that slightly modern twist on beautiful I see you've got a crowd oh yeah we've got a tiny little audience there no pressure for Mike or anything look at you you look fantastic good so what's it been like getting to this day last few looks quite romantic sweet to be honest marking the guys absolutely pulled out all the stops so it's Monday today and they were here Saturday and Sunday to make sure it happened which is just fantastic but unfortunately we've had some news that Nikki's chemos not being effective so we've had to draw a halt to that and it's kind of added impetus to say right let's crack on with it there will be no delays it's great to say here today yeah she's looking well to be honest she's looking a lot better for not not being on chemo to be honest but yeah I said took me on what an amazing thing to see a over 90 years ago the cat was blown off by the storm and to be standing here the day I've seen this being lifted back into place is just incredible I mean you just have this incredible sense of history but you've seen something important today it's a good beautiful [Music] [Music] it's got a sit submit me right on top of the mouth perfect [Laughter] [Applause] doesn't believe all the way the guys are working today that they're really pulling out the stops as fast as possible to get these sales on because Nikki's got to leave at 3 o'clock for another little batch of radiotherapy and everybody on site once I see this we want to see this for sales and players under the cap on and all its glory so were up against it [Music] [Music] from the other side Wow after being in the family for over a hundred years this iconic building in this landscape has finally been brought back to life by our to restoration warriors despite all the setbacks their vision to create a dream home has never left them tragically Mickey never got to see their dream come true in August she lost her fight against cancer [Music] it's September 2011 an in-memory - Nikki work has started again on the restoration of the mail in one of the most complicated parts of the build the specially designed glass panels are carefully put into place to form the link between the tower and the barn with work almost completed on-site my attentions been turned to try and find the missing pieces of the puzzle in the history of reeds mill we know that the first Miller was Daniel gauja in 1824 and with the Industrial Revolution second thousands of people into the cities the demand for flour became enormous throughout the 19th century this demand grew and so did the need for mills in fact Mills and flour were a great way of making a profit now the next time Reed's melt pops upon their start radar it's an 1881 when this funny character Charlie White a Miller bought it in 1914 Pete's grandfather bought the mill and the adjoining fall but the storm of 1915 combined with World War one and the introduction of steam driven Mel's meant betrayed smell fell into disuse but it's remained and Pete's family ever since this historic building had been abandoned for over 90 years until Pete's dad decided to let his son breathe new life into it in September 2010 I met Pete and his wife Mickey as they started out on their quest to convert the family mill into a home the journeys been incredibly difficult and emotional for all involved but the restoration is now complete the last time I was here was over five months ago the day when the cap was gone on top of the windmill there's still a fair bit to do I've been told that the build is completely finished and I can't wait to see that glass link I'm going to see something quite specialist favorite this is a truly exceptional restoration projects where old meets new [Music] all right it looks amazing busy I bet you have it from the outside it looks incredible yeah absolutely beautiful it's fantastic look at that you cannot do anything but smile when you walk through the door it's just gorgeous basically it's well in my opinion anyway the barns unique design and use of natural light is really well done I love the open plan fail - its leash yeah and then you come around entrance hall we're dining wood burner all linked and connected together does it feel like home yeah it's getting there definitely because I'm SEMA furniture for 18 months and it's nice to see it all again and it just yeah if you stay here one of you literally just move this stuff in yeah it's really not quite no this is literally the first day it is been literally the first time it's been finished you love the wood stove the design downstairs is complemented by three spacious bedrooms upstairs although a new build the traditional and beautiful workmanship makes you think it's been here for decades there's no doubt that the new bomb works but it's the glass linked to the old mill that I'm really excited about and what do you reckon to that then is that not just something else speechless yeah it's unusual yeah absolutely but if there was ever a building if there was ever a restoration project yeah we're old very old yeah meets something that wants to be old yeah that meets something that's undoubtedly new yeah it's just brilliant that couldn't work any better and the challenges that you face to get that glass you to meet the curve of the mill while it's sloped and at the same time yeah it was really difficult yeah that's fantastic having the staircase inside the new glass link saves space and really brings the old and new together I love this is so close to the mill you literally just want to hug it my god you're hugging the building as you walk up magic what was once just a ruthless derelict shell has been recycled into a unique and beautiful home on the first floor is a master bedroom and above is a new ensuite bathroom that is fantastic what a brilliant brilliant bathroom it's a clever use of space in a room that has curved and tapering walls where once was just a pile of rubble and weeds is now a state-of-the-art kitchen and what a beautiful kitchen it is look at that perfect yeah absolutely it is perfect Pete and Nicki began an incredible journey of restoration sadly Peters had to finish it alone as custodian of the mill I want him to understand its history so that one day he can pass it on to future generations it's an important desmond it's very very important to this building all finished all done the new in it and I've got something for you what a gift thank you reads windmill book and this is everyone's journey really not just yours yeah probably everyone's journey over the last year and a half marathon of history timeline like look at that that's all that was there yeah how's a great day good well I love that shot actually and more and more about that all your photographs all your drawings in YouTube don't record again the chase of all well done for the hard work last but by no means least a huge tears to Mickey Pete is just the most amazing guy he's had the toughest time imaginable but it's a sign of his integrity and his strength that along with all the love and support he's heard from his family and with a brilliant team of builders behind him he's managed to turn this old abandoned mill into the most beautiful home but remember none of this would have been possible without Mickey everyone is heartbroken but you can't be here the celebrate today but what a legacy she's left behind Pete has set up a trust in memory of Nicky if you'd like more information about the trust or if you're interested in restoration or any other aspect of the series please visit channel 4.com slash restoration man [Music] [Music]

Channel: Banijay History

Views: 28,443

Keywords: history, facts, interesting, documentary, history documentary, documentary history, history channel, ancient, world history, full documentary, top documentaries, documentaire, documental, documentary film, free documentary, full length documentaries, documentaries, factual, documentary full, history channel shows, history shows, restoration, restore, revival, restoration man, george clarke, george clark

Id: U9UfapAj25I

Length: 47min 29sec (2849 seconds)

Published: Fri May 29 2020