During a recent episode of The Repair Shop, expert Steve Fletcher faced one of his most challenging restorations yet when a guest brought in a dilapidated model watermill crafted by her late father. The emotional reveal left both the guest and her mother in tears.
A Daunting Task
Steve Fletcher, a mainstay on the BBC show since 2017, was joined by fellow expert Sonnaz Nooranvary to examine the item. Sonnaz remarked, "I'm no builder, but needless to say, this looks like it's seen much better days." Steve agreed, noting, "I've done up old buildings, and I don't think any of them were as bad as this."
Dawn Shrives from West Sussex brought the model into the barn, jokingly calling it "ruins" before explaining its significance. Her father had built the watermill in 1996 to sit in front of their family home, replicating the red brickwork of the house. "Every little brick he made by hand, individually," Dawn said. "He wanted it to be a working watermill. But years of sitting on the ground outside had taken its toll."
A Father's Legacy
Dawn revealed that her father had planned to install an underground chamber to make the watermill turn. Tragically, he passed away in 2014, and her mother later moved to a smaller property with no reminders of her late husband. "He's touched every single piece of this. He's crafted this, and she looks out her front window and sees this deteriorating; it's just so sad to see," Dawn added. "To have it brought back to life for the family, for mum, would be amazing."
Steve outlined his repair plan, acknowledging the considerable challenge ahead. He carefully crafted new bricks to replace those originally made by Dawn's father and eventually restored the model, adding water to make the wheel rotate as intended decades ago.
An Emotional Reveal
When Dawn brought her mother, Pam, to see the finished restoration, both women were moved to tears. Pam thanked Steve, exclaiming, "Gosh, that's amazing. You've done all of these roof tiles. Thank you." Dawn added, "Look at that! Isn't that lovely?"
Steve activated the water feature, demonstrating the working watermill. Pam said, "It's just beyond anything that we could've thought would ever happen to it, thank you." Dawn reflected, "The watermill sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family, be preserved, and dad would be so pleased to know it's working and loved." Pam agreed, calling it "the best thing we could have done."
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
