joints had led to a pronounced ‘lean’ of

the frame towards the rear, evidenced in

the remaining timbers and brickwork of

the first floor. The new framing was sized

to meet current standards and additional

posts were introduced where structurally

necessary. Windbracing was introduced

to provide necessary stability. The

staircases were enclosed by fire resisting

partitioning and the underside of the

floor, the internal wall and roof boarding

were treated against surface spread of

flame.

The total time available from fire to

completion of rebuilding was limited to

14 months. In order to achieve this

programme much of the detailed design

work proceeded alongside the building

work. The main contract was let to T.

Gill & Sons of Norwich and work

commenced in August 1991. Work had

been programmed to start in July, but

had to be delayed when it was discovered

that the local Council was about to re-

surface the road providing access to the

Mill. Several further delays were

experienced during the building contract;

for example, the 19th century timber

framed rear wall had inadequate

foundations necessitating piling for the

new wall.

The ground floor structure was

repaired and strengthened. Water

damage during the fire proved to be

largely superficial. Replanning of this

floor allowed the two remaining pieces of

19th century machinery to be featured in

the restaurant. These are the water

turbine and the Hurst frame which

previously supported several pairs of mill

stones.

The timber frame is constructed

entirely of North American pitch pine,

salvaged from demolished 19th century

buildings in other parts of Britain. The

largest beams, 360 x 425 mm and 11

long, proved difficult to find and were

eventually brought from Scotland and

North Wales. The sequence of erection

dictated the design of the joints used,

these had to be accurately cut in the

temporary workshop on site as the size of

timbers used prevented any trial assembly

on the ground. The posts and beams

were craned into position, any necessary

adjustments being made during the

assembly process. The skill of the

carpenters was vital to the successful

erection of the timber frame and

compensated for lack of experience in

this type of construction on the scale

involved — this is probably the biggest

timber framed watermill constructed in

Norfolk this century.

The frame was completed in late

October 1991. The roof was completed

by mid-December using second hand

clay pantiles. It was necessary to

Above: The mill being rebuilt.

Below: The mill rebuilt with timber cladding

CONTEXT 38