By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER
A watermill immortalised in a watercolour masterpiece by famous English Romantic painter JMW Turner has gone on the market for £1.5million.
The 450-year-old Grade II-listed Rossett Mill in Wrexham was the inspiration behind Turner's Marford Mill in 1795.
Turner is considered one of Britain's greatest ever artists and is famed for his dreamlike landscapes, ethereal sunsets and turbulent seascapes. His paintings often grapple with the burgeoning industrial technology of the time and its newfound presence in the natural world.
He did four tours of Wales in the 1790s, studying and documenting the country in stunning, warmly lit paintings.
Turner's famous Welsh works include castles at Dolbadarn, Harlech, Flint and Conwy and the industrial setting of Aberdulais Mill, in South Wales.
Now his Marford Mill painting hangs in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, while the home it is modelled on is up for sale.
Current owners, couple Brendan and Celia Wilson, have renovated the historic Rossett Mill and are now selling it to move closer to their children.
They bought it for £660,000 and have spent 17 years and £250,000 doing up their 'work of art' home.
The 450-year-old Grade II listed Rossette Mill is up for sale for £1.5million near Wrexham, Wales
The mill was the inspirations for JMW Turner's painting Marford Mill from 1795 (pictured)
Couple Brendan and Celia Wilson were the first to live in the mill and bought it 17 years ago for £660,000
Former company director Brendan first got wind of the mill after they saw an advert selling it in a newspaper while living in Chester.
'I've always liked water mills, who doesn't? They're very picturesque and romantic. But we didn't pursue it, we had no intention of moving,' he said.
'But then, coincidentally, about a fortnight later, we happened to be driving through this area in Rossett, and we said, "Wasn't that water mill round here somewhere?"
'Before we had finished the sentence, we came around the corner and saw it. We knew within five minutes that we wanted to buy it.
'We take it for granted, I suppose, living here, but there is history in every corner of this building. We were the first people to live in it.'
The renovation was a careful labour of love for the couple, the father of three said. They had to import wooden beams from France to repair the building as well as fit it with central heating, a kitchen, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, four reception rooms and an extension.
They even taught themselves how to use the mill despite initially fearing it would 'collapse or explode.'
Whoever owns this mill has the privilege of being allowed to take as much water from the River Alyn to run it because of an ancient covenant and deeds that come with it.
The owners have even learned how to use the mill, despite worries they it would 'collapse or explode.'
Painstaking renovations were carried out by the couple during the time they lived there, importing wooden beams from France to restore the building
Their renovations tastefully brought it into the modern age with central heating and a new kitchen
They also added an extension to the home which now boasts four bedrooms, four bathrooms and four reception rooms
The owners of the mill have the right to take as much water as they need to run the mill by law due to ancient deeds that come with the place
Retired teacher Celia, 71 said: 'We'll be very sad to leave, but it is quite big for us now. We want to move near our children to future-proof.'
Nicola Moorby, curator of historic British art from 1790 to 1850 at Tate Britain, told BBC Wales, 'He was looking for picturesque subjects which were very popular with an antiquarian market at the time.'
There is currently an exhibition at the Tate Britain pitting Turner against his contemporary competitor John Constable - Turner & Constable Rivals & Originals.
Constable is another English Romantic painter, though his paintings often display the beautiful English countryside in a much darker, earthier palette.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-15517363/watermill-home-Turner-masterpiece-sale.html
