Crowds gathered at Great Chishill on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the windmill turning automatically to wind once again.
Bill Griffiths, a millwright from Ipswich, has been restoring the Chishill landmark for four years and was present to see the culmination of his efforts, as chairman of trustees David McKeown released the fantail - which caught the wind and steered the mill gently to a new position.
Pop star Sam Smith returned to their childhood village and reopened the windmill back in 2019, after a portion of the work was completed.
The Windependence Day event, originally planned for July 4, was organised by John Wahlich and Hazel Hayden with volunteers.
They offered picnic boxes, games, a raffle, windmill memorabilia and a chance to see inside the windmill. Village pub, The Pheasant, ran a bar and music was provided by The Melodybeats.
The windmill will remain free to turn and the trustees plan to keep it maintained for the foreseeable future so, as David said when releasing the fantail, “Chishill now has the biggest weathervane in the district!”
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