The Wind Energy Museum is the country’s only collection of its kind
(Picture: Sowerbys)In the middle of the Norfolk Broads, an unusual assortment of 10 historic mills stand tall above the flat land and labyrinthine waterways below. There is a 1920s wind engine with rotating sails; a large scoopwheel, originally used to drain the marsh; a steam engine with a turbine, called a Holmes Engine — the last one in existence today.
This is The Wind Energy Museum, showcasing 200 years of wind power history, and the UK’s only collection of its kind. Almost three miles away is Thurne Mill, a 202-year-old white pump mill facing the River Thurne.
This is also Debra Nicholson’s home, where she lives with her husband Philip, 91-year-old mother, daughter and two grandchildren. But when she moved to Norfolk in 1998, running —and living at — the country’s only wind power museum wasn’t something she’d planned. It was the result of a friendship which began almost by chance.
With a background in international banking, Debra had moved to the area from Essex with Philip, planning to retire and spend time with their two young children. Without work, and with Philip working away from home during the week, Debra found that she didn’t know anyone – and she had time on her hands.
At 45, she decided to do an A-level in photography, selecting Thurne Mill, which she had visited on holidays as a child, as the subject for her portfolio. When she went to photograph the mill, she noticed a plaque on its door, reading: “Saved in 1949 by R.D. Morse.” At her daughter’s suggestion, Debra decided to track the mystery R.D. Morse down in the phone book, doubtful whether he’d even be alive.
The phone rang, however, and Ronald “Bob” Morse picked up.
An engineer, he had a fascination with windmills and windpumps, and had bought Thurne Mill in 1947, restoring it to save it from demolition. He collected 19th and early 20th century windpumps from around the world, displaying them at the museum.
Bob invited Debra to visit him at Marsh Cottage, who dug out detailed histories and the specifics of Thurne Mill’s restoration. They kept in touch during Debra’s A-level, and when she passed, she called him to thank him for his help.
“He cleared his throat —I can hear him now— and he said: ‘You’ll have to excuse me, I haven’t spoken to anybody for a week.’” says Debra.
“The marsh is such a lovely place to live, but it’s quite isolated if you’re on your own. I decided to keep in touch with him. I called him every night at quarter to six. If I didn’t call him, he called me. Gradually, he became part of the family.”
Debra would take Bob to the shops on Friday mornings; they visited mills in the area together and he celebrated Christmas with her family. “Out of the blue, he said to me: ‘I wonder if you would look after the museum once I’ve gone.’ That was quite a tall order, because I’m not an engineer.”
Debra mulled it over with Philip, who encouraged her to take it on. In 2003, they moved to Repps with Bastwick, where the museum is located, and built a log cabin in which to live, called Marsh View. Debra began to work at the museum, with Bob teaching her about its history.
“As a child, I absolutely adored the mill, without even realising what it is. When I came here and actually got into the connection, it became a bug,” says Debra. “We’ve got Norfolk’s 200-year drainage history right here at the museum, because Bob saved a scoop wheel, which was the first drainage system – all the wind pumps around the Broads would have had one.”
She adds: “It’s just interesting to get your teeth into it and learn it yourself – and develop little models that demonstrate things even more intricately for the public…I’ve done it for so long that it’s just grown on me. I haven’t had much of a life outside it, really.”
In 2007, however, Bob passed away suddenly. Debra was left in charge of the museum, its 10 exhibits, and Thurne Mill.
“I felt proud to be perfectly honest. I was never daunted by it, which is a good thing,” she says, thanks to Bob’s guidance. With the help of her father, and Philip —the groundskeeper— they levelled out the land, cut back the undergrowth and got the site back up and running. They also restored Marsh Cottage, the three-bedroom property dating back to the 1700s, turning it into a comfortable, 1,428-square-foot home.
At first, business was slow. It was six weeks after opening that their first customer arrived – while Debra was on her lawnmower. But visitor numbers increased, picking up particularly after lockdown in 2021.
Now, though, Debra has her hands full. Philip was diagnosed with MS and is no longer able to walk. And, following her father’s death, her mother has moved in with her. Being volunteer-run, it has become difficult for Debra to open the museum as much as is needed to stay afloat.
“It’s been great. I’ve loved it. If I wasn’t in the situation I’m in, I wouldn’t even be considering moving. It’s a lovely place to live – you can go out in your pyjamas, you can shout at the dog, and the grandchildren love it.”
After 15 years in Debra’s care, the 2.84-acre site —including the museum, Marsh Cottage and Marsh View— is for sale with Sowerbys. The Grade II-listed Thurne Mill, which has its own mooring, is being sold separately through Town & Country.
The museum occupies part of a 3,924-square-foot barn, whilst there are five other outbuildings included in the sale. The museum site is currently listed for £1 million, whilst Thurne Mill is £200,000, to be sold by online auction.
Ideally, Debra is looking for a buyer who will purchase both properties, preserve them for posterity and keep the museum open. “I would absolutely love somebody to walk in here and replace me. That would be my dream come true. I don’t know what the chances of that are. I’ve got to find the right person – I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it. It’s the only collection of its kind in Britain,” she says.
“It’s too important to lose, so if push comes to shove, I’ll still be where I am – unless I can find somebody else.”
If the right buyer does come along, Debra plans to move locally, and would relish the chance to continue to contribute to the museum in an advisory capacity. “I am the only one that knew Bob and what his lifestyle was like; what he was like. I think that is an important story,” she says.
“What will I miss most? All of it: the views, the location, the peace. And the pride of what’s across the road. I’m really proud of it. I will miss it – I know I will.”
