A MASSIVE new waterwheel made with three tons of English oak and costing £58,000 was unveiled to the public at Dunster’s historic watermill on Saturday (February 14) to safeguard the future of a milling tradition which goes back 1,000 years.

The iconic doubleshot watermill, which has two wheels powered from the same mill leat, is one of the rarest in the country and needed a major overhaul and reconstruction if it was to continue to work commercially.

National Trust mill manager Stephen Hayes said: “For some time now we had been struggling to make our traditional grain flour because the upper of our two waterwheels had deteriorated badly and simply had to be replaced.

“The wheel powers two of the mill’s three sets of stones and is vital for producing our traditional flours which are very popular with local residents and visitors.

“We started preparing for the changeover last year and getting the necessary funding in place.

“It was a really major job but it has been done magnificently by millwright Ian Clark and his team who had to take out the old wheel and build the new one in situ in six weeks.

“The wheels are both of wood, rather than cast-iron which is used in other parts of the mill.

“They suffer from water-damage and deterioration and do not have a working life of much more than 20 years.

“The other wheel is only 10 years old, but we are keeping a careful eye on it.

“When the upper wheel was last replaced it cost less than a third the price of the new one.

“Everything involved in keeping the mill going is rising in price, which is why we try to predict problems and deal with them before they become a lot more serious.

“Oak was chosen for its strength and durability in wet conditions.

“The axle on which the wheel runs has also been replaced with greenheart, an imported hardwood which is resistant to rot.”

Milling at Dunster dates to Saxon times and is recorded in the Domesday Book.

The present building dates from the 1770s and produced flour commercially from then on, including during the Second World War.

It finally closed in 1962 and fell into disrepair before being restored and taken over by the National Trust in 2014.

Today, visitors can experience the rare sight of a double overshot watermill still producing flour using centuries-old techniques, a tradition which is now secured well into the future.

Mr Hayes said: “Traditionally, the waterwheels have had to be replaced every 20 years.

“But, by using greenheart axles and having the skills within our own team to do essential maintenance work we hope we can extend the life of the wheels quite considerably.

“Since the National Trust took over the mill it has been a really steep learning curve because there are now so very few experts around and you have to dig out a lot of essential information for yourself.

“Despite milling being one of the oldest professions, you are always learning something new.”