WILTSHIRE'S only working windmill at Wilton saw what was believed to be a unique event on Saturday when flour was milled and baked into a loaf in one day.

The Sheaf to Loaf event was the highlight of the Wilton Windmill Society's annual country fair.

It was held in the grounds of the 182 year-old mill, the only working example left in Wiltshire.

Locally grown sheaves of wheat were put through an old fashioned threshing machine powered by a 1912 Brown and May steam engine that was built in Devizes.

The grain was then milled in the windmill and the flour was baked into loaves on site.

It was believed to be the first time that grain had been milled and baked into bread all in one day at Wilton.

The Brown and May engine has its own interesting history.

It was one of the last engines produced by the Devizes firm and was shipped out to Australia where it powered a sawmill in New South Wales for many years.

It was rescued from the scrapheap in 1997 and brought back to England and restored by David Cooper from Thatcham.

The windmill itself was built in 1821 to replace seven watermills in the area that closed when the Kennet and Avon Canal opened.

With the advent of steam and electric power mills the Wilton windmill fell into disuse in the 1920s.

The mill was purchased by Wiltshire County Council in 1971 and cost £25,000 to restore 50 times what it originally cost to build.

The Wilton Windmill Society says the mill can be seen in operation on most weekends, weather permitting, throughout the summer.

Other attractions at Saturday's well attended country fair included a display of old tractors, a vintage fairground organ, corn dolly making, juggling and ferret racing.