Old Smock Mill

This is where we have been staying for the last couple of days.  It is an old windmill which was in use until the Second World War.  The current owners have done a magnificent job of restoring it and have imaginatively and creatively converted it into living accommodation. (Their ambitiion is to restore the missing cap, sweeps and fantail.)

The ground floor is reserved for the owners (who live in a cottage next door) but we have the first floor, accessed from the staging which encircles the mill, which contains the sitting and dining areas and a kitchen.  The second floor, accessed via a lovely staircase, is the spacious bedroom area and the third floor, accessed via a specially designed and beautifully constructed spiral cantilever staircase, is the bath/shower room.  All the fittings are high quality but selected to blend in well with the character of the building and many of the original features were retained in the restoration, including the heavy ceiling beams and, in the bedroom (which was where the millstones were originally), the giant spur wheel.

It is a unique and lovely place to stay.

The sun shone all day today (although there was still a very chilly breeze coming in off the sea) and we spent some time down at Rye harbour, walking out along a path through the marshes where a variety of bird life could be seen.