The original intro from 2005…

Peter and Diana Hewett were my maternal grandparents. They were both teachers; Diana was a mathematician whilst Peter taught English. Their home, a converted windmill in Kirton, Suffolk – from which this website takes its name – was a literary haven for students, family and friends alike. 

Peter’s autobiography, Owslebury Bottom, was published in 1991, shortly before his death in 1992 at the age of 73. After Peter died, Diana started working on a sequel, officially entitled Paradise Regained but known affectionately as What Happened Next?; but even after Diana’s ashes joined Peter’s under the mulberry bush in the Mill garden in 2000, the book remained in the loft, until my father decided that it was really time we did something about it. 

It was fairly clear that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a publisher for the book, so we decided to do it ourselves and publish on the Internet. 

This has been a long journey for me – not least because I have had to learn how to create web pages as I’ve gone along! I have learned a lot about my grandparents and have shed many new tears over their loss, but I think the journey was worth taking. The real credit for this project, however, must really go to my father, Mike, for kick-starting me into action and for heroically typing the manuscript. 

Owslebury Bottom, the book that started this whole project (it was named after the village in which Peter lived until he was eight), is now out of print, but the family still has a number of copies; so if you’d like one, please contact me. 

I hope that you get as much pleasure out of reading this book as I believe Diana did out of writing it. 

At a later date I hope to add Peter’s poems to the website; watch this space! I also hope to add more photos, and if I find any old plans of the Mill then I’ll add those as well. 

Sophie Watson
April 2005
(Updated July 2025)

…and an update for the new website!

Well, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since I set up the original website. Losing both my parents (Gale in April 2005 and Mike in July 2005), and then having to sell the Mill, was tough, but my memories of them, and of Peter and Diana and the Mill, are still very much alive. I even managed to visit Owslebury Bottom in January this year, and to tread the paths that Peter described so well in the book.

The website was down completely for several years, and it needs to be properly rebuilt, but this cut-down version will at least enable people to access the sequel to Owslebury Bottom. I hope you enjoy it.

Sophie Watson
February 2025