In a deeply emotional moment on the BBC's The Repair Shop, two women were moved to tears after experts restored a miniature watermill built by their late father and husband. The episode, airing on April 29, featured Dawn Shrives from West Sussex, who brought in the model crafted by her father in 1996.
The watermill, which had deteriorated significantly from years outdoors, was presented to experts Steve Fletcher and Sonnaz Nooranvary. Steve, a specialist since the show’s 2017 launch, likened the task to repairing old buildings, noting the model's poor condition. Dawn explained that her father had handmade each brick individually to replicate the red brickwork of their family home, with plans to make it a working watermill. He passed away in 2014, and her mother later moved to a smaller property.
Dawn described how the model, now kept at her mother's home, had become a sad reminder of her father's craftsmanship. With Steve’s restoration, including crafting new bricks and adding water to make the wheel turn, the model was brought back to life. When Dawn and her mother Pam saw the finished piece, they were overcome with emotion.
Pam thanked Steve, while Dawn exclaimed, ‘Look at that! Isn’t that lovely?’ Steve demonstrated the working watermill, and Dawn remarked that the model now represents a legacy that will stay in the family. Pam agreed, calling it ‘the best thing we could have done.’
