The gloss on the mill

LABOUR OF LOVE: The owners of this quirky conversion took inspiration from the old water mill and the stunning Dales landscape. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Gary Longbottom.

REAT minds think alike, and in the case of Bill Hall and Becky Westwood, the thoughts are often left field.

A good example of their creativity is their hall cupboard. It took them minutes to dismiss conventional built-in storage and decide that the back of a Land Rover would do a better job.

“We thought a normal door wouldn’t look right on such a high cupboard. Becky had seen VW car doors used in the changing rooms at a Fat Face store and the idea stemmed from there. A Land Rover is appropriate as they are part of the landscape here in the dale,” says Bill.

They bought three different bits from scrap vehicles and the car door now opens to provide storage space. The rear lights have also been fitted with LEDs for extra effect.

This wonderful, quirky solution is one of many in a home that forms part of a converted water mill near Malham.

Other features include a fireman’s pole from a platform bed to the floor, a potholing ladder hung from the beams so their granddaughter can climb up to the mezzanine instead of taking the stairs, and two hydro electric turbines, which fill the rear half of the sitting room.

The turbines and regulator, installed in 1920, are a reminder of the building’s history and are useful for displaying knick knacks. The old control box is now mounted on the wall.

They could have removed all the historic machinery when extending their apartment into the water mill’s old engine shed but they decided not to.

“It didn’t seem right and we love them. The control box looks like something from

We thought a normal

door wouldn’t look right on such a

high cupboard.

a Frankenstein movie,” says Bill, who bought the property 14 years ago.

It dates back to 1790 and was built to house one of the first looms powered by a water wheel. It later became a sawmill and then a chicken farm before being turned into holiday apartments.

They were sold off individually and there was no shortage of buyers. The mill is at Scalegill, at the spot where the River Aire springs to life, and it is surrounded by natural beauty and wildlife.

Bill, a GP in Settle, says: “I lived in a flat in another mill conversion in Skipton but I wanted somewhere bigger. This was perfect. I love old mills. I grew up in Todmorden and there was a mill we used to play in on the way home