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The Clayton Windmills, known locally as
Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...
, stand on the
South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...
above the village of
Clayton, West Sussex Clayton is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Hassocks, in the Mid Sussex district, in the county of West Sussex, England. It lies at the foot of the South Downs, south of London, north of Brighton, and east north ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. They comprise a
post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...
and a
tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...
, and the roundhouse of a former post mill. All three are Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s.


Setting and access

The windmills stand atop the South Downs with views of the
Sussex Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. It has three parts, the sandstone "High We ...
. They are seven miles north of the city of
Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...
. As well as ''Jack'' and ''Jill'', the roundhouse of ''Duncton Mill'' survives, located a short distance east of ''Jack''. The mills are accessible by road at the end of Mill Lane from the A273 road where it crosses the South Downs. There is free parking in the car park beside the mills.


History of the mills


Duncton Mill

''Duncton Mill'' was built in 1765. It was owned by Viscount Montague and leased for 99 years. ''Duncton Mill'' was demolished in 1866, leaving the roundhouse to be used as a store.


Duncton Mill description

''Duncton Mill'' was a
post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...
with a single storey roundhouse, four Common sails. It was winded by hand and had two pairs of
millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...
s. The Head Wheel from ''Duncton Mill'' was used as the Brake Wheel in ''Jack'' when that mill was built.


Jill

''Jill'' is a
post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...
originally built in Dyke Road,
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, in 1821. It was known as ''Lashmar's New Mill'' and was built to replace ''Lashmar's Old Mill''. In 1830, the Windshaft broke, bringing the sails crashing to the ground. A painting by Nash dated 1839 and an engraving in the ''Handbook to Brighton'' (1847) show her to have had a roof mounted
Fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...
, similar to the arrangement still found on Icklesham windmill. ''Lashmar's New Mill'' was the most southerly of the three Dyke Road post mills. In 1852 she was moved to Clayton by a team of horses and oxen. The site is now Belmont—a short street of
Grade II-listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
villas. The working life of the mills ended in 1906 and in 1908 ''Jill'' was damaged in a storm. She lost her fantail and sails over the years until in 1953 restoration was carried out by E Hole and Son, the
Burgess Hill Burgess Hill () is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. ...
millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...
s, funded by Cuckfield Rural District Council. In 1978, restoration of ''Jill'' to working order was commenced. ''Jill'' ground flour again in 1986. During the Great Storm of 1987, ''Jill''’s brakes had been applied prior to the storm’s arrival, but the extreme winds were able to turn the sails, overcoming the brakes and generating friction which set the mill on fire. Some members of the Windmill Society were able to get to the mill and save her by carrying water up the hill to put the fire out. Today, ''Jill'' is in working order and open to the public most Sundays between May and September. She produces stoneground wholemeal flour on an occasional basis. The vast majority of her flour is sold to visitors. It is ground from organic wheat, grown locally in
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
. On the occasions when the wind is blowing and ''Jill'' is in operation, a guide is available to explain the process of milling. ''Jill'' Windmill is owned by Mid Sussex District Council.


Jill description

''Jill'' is a post mill with a two-storey roundhouse. She has four Patent Sails and is winded by a five blade
fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...
mounted on the tailpole. The windshaft is wooden, with a
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
poll end dated 1831. ''Jill'' has two pairs of
millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...
s, arranged Head and Tail. The compass arm Tail Wheel shows evidence of having been used as a Brake Wheel at some time. The main Post of ''Jill'' is made from four separate pieces of timber, a feature seen in some Sussex post mills and only found in this and Argos Hill Mill today.


Jack

''Jack'' is a five-storey
tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...
built in 1866 to replace ''Duncton Mill''. Worked as a pair with ''Jill'', ''Jack'' worked until c.1907. Unusually Jack mill has a male name — almost every other mill in the country is considered female. In 1928, while a pit was being dug for a water tank, an Anglo-Saxon skeleton was discovered. It was later removed to the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
. Jack was owned by barrister
Jolyon Maugham Jolyon Toby Dennis Maugham (; born 1 July 1971) is a British barrister. Initially a practitioner in taxation law, he later became a founder and director of the Good Law Project, through which he has played a role in bringing a number of legal c ...
for several years.


Jack description

''Jack'' is a five-storey tower mill with a domed cap. He carries four Patent Sails and was winded by a five blade fantail. There was a stage at first floor level. It is believed that ''Jack'' was built by the millwright Cooper, of
Henfield Henfield is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at ...
. In 1873, ''Jack'' was fitted with Hammond's Patent Sweep Governor, a feature also fitted to the post mill at
Herstmonceux Herstmonceux ( , , or ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, which includes Herstmonceux Castle. The Herstmonceux Medieval Festival is held annually in August. History The name comes from Anglo-Sax ...
, which was also run by the Hammonds. ''Jack'' had three pairs of millstones, and room for a fourth pair. All machinery below windshaft level has been removed. In 1966, Jack was fitted with new sails as he was to appear in a film. Jack is to the curb, diameter at the base and diameter at the curb. The present owners have lived at the windmill since 2012. The Mill House and Granary were built for them by architect Sarah Featherstone of Featherstone Young in 2016. The Granary retains the historical beams and original footprint of the 18th century granary, while the Mill House is a reconfiguration of Henry Longhurst's house. Together, the buildings connect Jack and Jill windmills on a straight axis, opening up views throughout the site.


Gallery

Image:arundel_016.jpg, Jack and Jill (the tiny white dots middle-right) in relation to the Sussex landscape. Image:Jandj2.jpg, Jack ''(left)'' and Jill ''(right)'' Image:jjcrop.jpg, Jack and Jill from Wolstonbury Hill Image:Clayton mills.jpg, The mills at work


Millers

*Edward Horam 1765–1787 (''Duncton'') *John Geere 1809 (''Duncton'') *Thomas Hicks 1810 (''Duncton'') *John Hamlin 1816 (''Duncton'') *James Mitchell 1838–1872 (''Duncton'', ''Jack'', ''Jill'') *Joseph Hammond 1872–1882 (''Jack'', ''Jill'') *Charles Hammond 1872–1905 (''Jack'', ''Jill'') *Guy 1905–1907 (''Jack'', ''Jill'') References for above:-


Cultural references

In summer 1973, Jack and Jill became cinema stars when
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
made the film '' The Black Windmill''. Actors featured in the film included
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
,
Janet Suzman Dame Janet Suzman (born 9 February 1939) is a South African-born British actress who had a successful early career in the Royal Shakespeare Company, later replaying many Shakespearean roles on television. In her first film, '' Nicholas and Alexa ...
,
Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...
and
Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying ...
. New sweeps were fitted to Jack for the film, at a cost of £3,000 and the exterior of the mill was repainted. The owner of Jack at the time of the film was Henry Longhurst, golf broadcaster and writer. The windmills were featured in Series 3 of the Channel 4 programme "Treasure Hunt" first broadcast 31 January 1985.


References


Further reading


Online version


External links



page on Duncton mill.

page on Jack mill.

page on Jill mill.
Clayton Windmills website
{{Sussex Windmills Tourist attractions in West Sussex Museums in West Sussex Mill museums in England Windmills in West Sussex Grinding mills in the United Kingdom Post mills in the United Kingdom Tower mills in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures completed in 1765 Windmills completed in the 18th century Windmills completed in 1821 Windmills completed in 1866 Buildings and structures demolished in 1865 Grade II* listed buildings in West Sussex