East Dereham Windmill

The mill was sold to Green's Nurseries in 1973. Planning permission to convert the mill to residential accommodation was sought sometime after the Second World War but was refused. In 1973, an application for permission to demolish the mill was refused as the mill was a listed building by that time (since 1972). A repair notice was served on Green's Nurseries in November 1974 but they did not repair the mill. In December 1977, the remains of the cap and the windshaft were removed by Lennard & Lawn (Millwrights) Ltd. The mill was sold in 1978 to Breckland District Council for £1.[3] The brickwork, floors, windows and doors were repaired in spring 1979 via a scheme supported by the Manpower Services Commission which gave three unemployed people work for three months. In July 1979, Breckland District Council approved further restoration work to complete the first phase of the restoration.[3]

Photographs from 1982 confirm that some renovations were underway.[4] In March 1983, permission was granted to the Girl Guides and Toc H to use the mill as a meeting room on a weekly basis during the summer months. In January 1984, it was revealed that vandalism had occurred at the mill. In December 1984, Breckland District Council approved repair work to the mill and agreed to investigate the possibility of installing an electricity and water supply to the mill. John Lawn was asked to survey the mill and produce a report on the cost of restoration. Restoration of the mill as a landmark was undertaken by John Lawn and the mill was formally opened to the public on 14 September 1987.[5]

In 2002, the mill was taken over by Dereham Town Council.[6] In July 2003, the Friends of Dereham Mill sought a £500 National Lottery Awards for All grant to fund a comprehensive survey of the mill by millwright Tom Davies.[7] On 13 January 2004, the mill lost half a sail in a gale. It was reported that the Friends of Dereham Mill were hoping that insurance money would be able to be used to assist with the estimated £600,000 cost of full restoration on the mill.[8] In 2005, an appeal was launched for photographs of the mill when it had its original sails on, as those fitted during the restoration were thought to be the wrong type.[9] In November 2007, planning permission was granted for a visitor centre to be built at the mill. It was reported that a Heritage Lottery Fund grant was being sought to enable the restoration of the mill to working order.[10] The application for lottery funds was turned down.[6]

The sails had been removed but funding was not adequate to repair and reinstall them; in February 2010, the mill was boarded up. A new group of Trustees formed in 2011 and were successful in gaining funding to restore the structure and its sails. The work was completed by summer 2013 and Dereham Windmill reopened as a Community Exhibition Centre in September 2013. Since that time, the mill has been open on certain days of the week, with exhibits changing each month.[11] In 2020, the ground floor was fully accessible and guides were available to take visitors to other floors of the structure. Each floor included illustrated explanations of the process that was underway in that area during the early days of the mill.[12] A news report in mid April 2020 however, indicated some concern due to a shortage of volunteers and of potential Board members for the Dereham Windmill Charity.[13]