A mill owner's dream to see the historic building restored is set to be realised in his memory.

Narborough Bone Mill has been awarded £92,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The funding will be used to repair and conserve the remains of the once agriculturally important mill and tell the stories behind its historic significance.

Situated on the banks of the River Nar in Narborough, near Swaffham, the now disused mill was used for rendering down animal bones from local slaughterhouses – and even human bones from Germany – into agricultural fertiliser.

Bones would also be transported up the River Nar by barge from the blubber-processing factory at South Lynn.

The mill stopped operating towards by the end of the 19th century but the 16-foot waterwheel and the foundations of the main mill building remain – together with three underground sluices and four millstone. The Nar still flows through the brick pound made by staunches and mitre gates.

A team of volunteers will restore the mill and its workings, and it will be opened up to visitors.

The mill had been bought by Robin Munford in the early 1970s. It had been his vision to see it restored before he died in 2013. His wife Beryl and three children, Fred, Emma and Elaine, said the work would be done in his honour.

His daughter, Emma Fendley, said: 'We are delighted to have received this grant, although saddened as well as dad is not here to see the wheel restored. We are grateful to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings for first step support and to the HLF for giving us the opportunity to fulfil one of his ambitions and look forward to seeing the end result.'

Are you helping to preserve part of Norfolk's heritage? Email kate.scotter@archant.co.uk