After three years of painstaking restoration, a team of experts have finally replaced a rotten 18-foot wooden shaft that for 100 years helped turn Alderford Street watermill, Sible Hedingham.

Restorers from Essex County Council's mills team travelled to France to find the perfect wood for the 2.6-metre diameter shaft, which weighs a ton.

Team member Geoff Wood said: "You would not believe the effort that has been put into this. The size of the tree trunk we needed was huge. We thought we had found one in Norfolk, but that turned out to have too much sapwood.

"That's why we ended up turning to France."

Once the team, which also included Graham Robinson and Michael Hoyle, had brought the oak back to Hedingham, work began on reducing the width of the tree.

"The trunk was three metres in diameter and we needed it to be 2.6m so we used a bicycle as a lathe so we could shape the trunk," said Mr Wood. "Once you get the trunk turning it is pretty easy to keep it going but it is very hard work."

Once the shaft, which supports the waterwheel, was completed the team used specialist lifting equipment from the Environment Agency to put the new oak into place.

The waterwheel and sluice mechanism had previously been restored and it is hoped the mill will now be able to turn for another 100 years.

It will be open to the public on Sunday as part of National Mills Weekend.

Essex county councillor Jeremy Lucas, cabinet member for heritage, culture and the arts, said: "Our mills team has performed an outstanding job in restoring this ancient watermill and this is a great opportunity for everyone to see it in action."

Alderford Street watermill dates from 1830 and has been modified over the years to run on four different sources of power.

Originally driven by water it was modified in 1840 and given a steam engine, then between the first and second world wars it was converted to run with oil.

In the 1940s it was changed again, this time to run on electricity.

It was run using water on occasions.

The mill will open 1.30pm until 6pm on Sunday. Entry is free but donations will be accepted for the mills restoration fund.

• Do you remember the last time the mill was powered by water? Do you recall the people who worked there? Leave a comment here