A former Norfolk windmill has come up for sale near Dereham for over half a million pounds - complete with a thriving bed and breakfast business.

Yaxham Mill, off Norwich Road, is for sale at a guide price of £550,000 and includes the former mill tower - without its sails - and an adjoining two-storey property which offers six guest bedrooms.

The mill tower was constructed in 1860 and in its heyday provided flour to the adjacent bakery. In 1922, it stopped using wind power and converted to steam and later diesel.

Milling ceased completely in 1940, during the Second World War, when the internal mechanisms were melted down and used for munitions.

Jamie Elbourn, surveyor at selling agents Carter Jonas, describes Yaxham Mill as an "incredibly special" property. "Standing proudly at 48 feet tall, it is one of the highest residential buildings for miles and offers stunning uninterrupted views of the Norfolk countryside.

"The purchase of this quirky and charming property would provide a buyer with a unique opportunity to continue a successful B&B business."

The business is currently managed by the mill's present owners, who partially outsource its cleaning and linen services, and the mill tower is being externally redecorated in April of this year.

All six guest rooms, adjoining the mill tower, have en suite shower rooms, flat screen colour TVs and tea and coffee-making facilities and there is a detached timber breakfast room in the garden.

A planning application been submitted for two semi-detached two-bedroom holiday apartments, which, if granted, will offer further opportunity to grow the business.

The tower itself provides residential accommodation and has a traditional reception area on the ground floor, which features exposed beams and tiled flooring, and a rear door which leads out and into the garden.

The ground-floor kitchen is a commercial-standard kitchen, used for breakfast service, and is fitted with steel worktops and the relevant catering equipment. The adjacent laundry room also comes fully equipped with two washing machines and two tumble dryers.

On the first floor of the tower there is a sitting room with exposed beams and on the second floor a handmade fitted kitchen and a bathroom.

The third floor houses the master bedroom and is accessed by a ship's ladder, while two further bedrooms are located on the fourth and fifth floors.

Outside, Yaxham Mill has a shared driveway to the rear for up to eight cars.

There is an enclosed garden to the side of the mill tower, which is mainly laid to lawn, as well as a patio seating area and two pagodas. The guest accommodation also has access to a small patio area, with views over the neighbouring farmland.

For more information, contact Carter Jonas.

PROPERTY FACTS
Norwich Road, Yaxham
Guide price: £550,000
Carter Jonas, 01223 787116
www.carterjonas.co.uk

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