NEW millstones arrived at Winchester's City Mill this week - the first of their kind to be commissioned anywhere in Britain for more than 70 years.

The National Trust, which owns the property in Bridge Street, says they might be the first new millstones to arrive in Britain since the 1930s.

The few working mills left in the country normally redress' their stones instead of replacing them.

However, the previous ones at Winchester, which were installed in the 1860s, had simply become too old.

As a result, an order was placed with specialists in Holland to produce new ones, costing around £17,000.

The Winchester branch of the National Trust Association is funding the project, helped by proceeds from a raffle at the mill last summer.

Itchen Abbas-based millwright, Ian Clark, is co-ordinating the works.

He went to a specialist firm in Holland to collect the stones, which weigh around one ton each and have a diameter of four feet.

Because they must be exactly the right size, the original delivery in June was delayed after fears arose that the stones would not fit.

Once the problems were solved, they were shipped to Hampshire in crates designed by Mr Clark.

They were taken by road to the City Mill, which stands beside the River Itchen, and can trace its roots back to medieval times.

Having been restored in 1743, it continued milling until the early 20th century. It then became a youth hostel before its current guise of being a tourist venue.

A 12-year restoration scheme finished in 2004, which enabled it to produce flour for the first time since 1928.

Volunteers produce the flour at weekends, and the 1.5 kilo bags are proving popular.

Glenda Willis, from the mill, said: "We have trouble keeping up with demand sometimes, especially when the river is running a bit low because the wheels turn more slowly."

She added that receiving the new stones was not an everyday occurrence.

"Nobody in this country has had new millstones since the 1930s, as normally they're just redressed," she said.

Mr Clark estimates that they will take around 10 days to install, and should last between 50 and 100 years.

The mill is remaining open during the works.