The Repair Shop expert Steve Fletcher faced a challenging restoration on the BBC show.
The two women were moved to tears after seeing the fix(Image: BBC)
Steve Fletcher, an expert on The Repair Shop since its launch in 2017, was left astounded by the item he was called upon to restore.
During the latest episode of the BBC programme (April 29), viewers watched Steve alongside Sonnaz Nooranvary examine the item that had been brought in.
Casting her eye over it on the table, Sonnaz remarked: “I’m no builder, but needless to say, this looks like it’s seen much better days.” Concurring, Steve responded: “Yeah, I’ve done up old buildings, and I don’t think any of them were as bad as this.”
Stepping into the barn was Dawn Shrives from West Sussex, who jokingly told the experts they were looking at “ruins” before revealing it was an extraordinary model watermill constructed by her late father in 1996.
She explained: “He put it all together to go in front of our family home to replicate the red brickwork of the house. Every little brick he made by hand, individually, he wanted it to be a working watermill. Obviously, the years of it sitting on the ground, outside, the weather had gotten to it.”
Dawn went on to describe how her father had planned to install an underground chamber to make the watermill turn. Tragically, he passed away in 2014, and her mother subsequently moved to a smaller property, reports the Manchester Evening News.
She noted that with her mother now living in a bungalow, there is nothing left to remind her of her beloved late husband, underlining just how precious the watermill model truly is. Dawn continued: “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.”
She went on: “So to have it brought back to life for the family, for mum, would just be amazing. Just to see it put back together and whole again, I think, is almost- we can’t even think of that.” As Steve outlined his intentions to repair the model, it was evident he faced a considerable challenge.
Ultimately, after crafting bricks to substitute those Dawn’s father had originally made, Steve succeeded in restoring the dilapidated model and incorporated water to make the wheel rotate as her father had envisioned decades earlier.
When the moment arrived to reveal the completed restoration, Dawn brought her mother, Pam, along to view the model. The two women were immediately moved to tears upon seeing it unveiled, astounded by Steve’s achievement.
Pam promptly thanked Steve as Dawn exclaimed: “Look at that! Isn’t that lovely?” Pam remarked: “Gosh, that’s amazing. You’ve done all of these (roof tiles). Gosh, thank you.”
Upon noticing the water feature surrounding the house, Steve activated it for the first time, demonstrating the functioning watermill. She observed: “It’s just beyond anything that we could’ve thought would ever happen to it, thank you.”
Addressing the camera directly, Dawn said: “The watermill just sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family, be preserved, and dad would be so pleased to know that it’s working and it’s loved and it’s still loved.” Pam agreed, adding: “It’s just the best thing we could have done, isn’t it?”
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.