The conservation work at Nether Alderley Mill is almost complete, and the building has been handed back to the National Trust.
However, while the building and repair work is finished, they have still got a lot of work to do to prepare the mill for reopening.
Experts have been on site over the past 6 months and last week the scaffolding came down so the sweeping roof is visible once again.
The roof is now looking a little straighter, although not too straight as neither the National Trust or their contractors wanted the mill to lose all of its bumps and lumps, as this is part of what gives the building its character.
Catherine Farfan, Project Coordinator, said "As much as possible where the dips and undulations of Nether Alderley Mill's roof were structurally sound, they've been left as they were. But some of these dints were symptoms of deeper, structural issues within the timber frame of the building itself which needed careful attention...
"After the roof was removed to take a closer look at these issues, Lucy from our architects and Andy from our conservation contractors spent two long days painstakingly going through every single beam on the vast roof, working out where repairs were needed and, if necessary, replacements.
"Once we had a clearer understanding of the work that needed to happen, a father-and-son team of joiners who specialise in carpentry repairs and traditional joinery, started on site, repairing, replacing, strengthening and splicing timbers. When they were done, the roofers could begin replacing the roof slates."
The slates were carefully numbered as they came off the roof so they were able to replace the vast majority of the slates exactly where they used to be and each tile had to have a new oak peg which had been hand-whittled so that it sits in the slate neatly.
Even though the roof has been replaced, there's still plenty to do before the mill is finished. The roof needs to be made water and weather proof, which has already been started, and the inside of the mill will also be freshly lime-washed.
Millwrights are still working hard on the mill mechanism to get it to running smoothly. Repaired sections are gradually being put back in and crucial repairs are also being carried out to the waterwheels.
Last but not least, work has begun on an access ramp into the mill, which will allow easier access into the ground-floor areas of the mill.
The National Trust anticipate that they will be able to reopen the mill in March 2013, when they are hoping to produce flour at the mill once more.
