The Bircham Windmill was built in the 19th century but sat in disrepair until the 1970s, when a local man bought and restored the five-story structure. (Geoff Ziezulewicz / S&S)
The Bircham Windmill was built in the 19th century but sat in disrepair until the 1970s, when a local man bought and restored the five-story structure. (Geoff Ziezulewicz / S&S)
The Bircham Windmill has its own bakery, where patrons can buy all types of tasty homemade treats. There's also a kids bakery where youngsters can bake their own bread to take home. (Geoff Ziezulewicz / S&S)
BIRCHAM — Heading to the no-frills, “technically a coast” Norfolk coast soon? Got a car full of fidgety kids along for the ride? If so, make a pit stop at the Bircham Windmill on your way there.
Situated just six miles from the water, the windmill offers historic insight for the grown-ups and plenty of pint-size attractions for the brood.
The Bircham Windmill isn’t so much a solitary windmill as a compound of things to do.
The windmill itself, set in the vast Norfolk fields, was built in 1848 but fell into disrepair until local man Roger Wagg bought it in 1974, said his daughter, Ellie Charmers.
Charmers’ “ancestral family” were bakers by trade, and when they came into some money, they bought the mill.
Wagg then spent eight years painstakingly rebuilding the windmill and its five floors, she said. The windmill cap at the top was lying in the grass when Wagg bought the place.
“The cap was on the ground,” she said. “For years it was on the ground.”
Now on windy days, the cap spins as it was meant to, while a host of activities bustles beneath.
Parents and kids can explore all five floors of the windmill. Grown folks can peruse the various information and displays on each floor, while there’s also a special “mouse trail” to educate the young’uns in a creative way.
Down below, the mill features Falabella miniature horses, sheep, goats, chickens and guinea pigs, a virtual cornucopia of cuddly critters.
Aside from the obligatory tearoom found at so many historical things to do in England, there’s also a bakery that uses all types of ingredients to cook up fresh loaves of bread, scones, Cornish pasties and sausage rolls, with nothing priced higher than a few pounds.
There’s also a kids corner, where, for 2 pounds a pop, youngsters can bake their own bread to take home.
Situated so close to the coast, the mill also offers bike rentals in hourly or daily blocks for those looking to explore.
It might not be a destination unto itself, but if you find yourself by the Norfolk coast, the Bircham Windmill is a great way to kill an afternoon.
“It’s got a beautiful setting,” Charmers said. “It’s really a nice day out, really.”
Getting thereWhat: A fully restored windmill just a few miles away from the Norfolk coast. It includes a petting zoo and hands-on bakery.
Where: Just past King’s Lynn off the A10. For route planning, punch in Great Bircham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 6SJ into your favorite online map or satellite navigation system.
Cost: Free entry to the tea room and gardens, 2 pounds per child, 3.75 pounds for adults. Various classes and activities of varying prices are also on throughout the year.
For more information, log on to www.birchamwindmill.co.uk.
