In East Sussex, Patcham Windmill for sale for £1 million

The Life: A family home that is believed to be one of the last brick-built mills in England is on the market for £1 million.

Patcham Windmill. Courtesy Savills

A family home that is believed to be one of the last brick-built mills in England is on the market for £1 million (Dh5.5m).

The 19th-century Patcham Windmill near Brighton, East Sussex, was owned and operated as a mill by one family for almost 40 years, grinding for the last time in 1924.

It has changed hands numerous times since then and was used as a lookout post by the Home Guard during the Second World War.

The mill was converted into a residence in the mid-1960s, when works were carried out to replace ladders with spiral staircases and renew floors to create four bedrooms.

But it was almost destroyed in 1990, when it was hit by a lightning strike during a snowstorm. The force shattered the sweeps - the sails which turn to power the building - fractured the windows and even lifted the entire cap frame.

The property was repaired over the next two years, mainly by staff at the British Engineerium of Hove, who restored its machinery, rebuilt the cap and made new sweeps using wood imported from Sweden, according to the upmarket estate agent Savills, which is selling the property.

It holds a grade II listing for its "special architectural and historic importance," says Sophie Wysock-Wright of Savills.

"This is such a unique property. It's understood that it was the last brick-built mill built in Sussex, possibly in England and remained in the same family for nearly 40 years before it 'ground' for the last time in 1924.

"The mill was converted into a residential home in 1964 but all of the original machinery still remains intact, which is really wonderful."

Since the restoration work, a conservatory and kitchen have been added. An extension adjoining the mill features an octagonal sitting room on the ground floor, in addition to a master bedroom suite with a balcony.

The property occupies just over a quarter of an acre and has its own private drive.