Clayton's Jill Windmill

By Deirdre Huston

The earliest reference to a windmill on Clayton Hill was Duncton Mill in 1765. After forty and eighty five years respectively as working mills, both Jack and Jill mills fell into disuse. Simon Potter is a longstanding Trustee of The Jack and Jill Windmills society who has been involved since 1978. He first visited the mill as a boy when his mother worked as secretary to Henry Longhurst who owned the house at Jack mill. Restoration work commenced in 1979. A strong team of volunteers formed during the 1980s and, in 1986, Jill’s millstones produced flour for the first time in eighty years! Over the years, Simon has seen what a valuable role volunteers play in maintaining the mill and making her accessible to a wide cross-section of visitors, and he says: “We do tours, showing people around, do maintenance to keep her running and some of us are also actively involved in milling.”

Many volunteers find the site is a lovely, restorative place to wile away a day, an oasis of calm away from busy day-to-day life. A bank of cowslips, ox-slips, wild orchids and daffodils add colour and help attract wildlife. Nicola recalls how one day they watched a stoat. Some local volunteers help maintain the grounds and grassy area. Nineteen-year-old trainee millwright, Adam Winsor is another regular volunteer at Jill mill, and says: “I love coming to help at Jill mill, up on the downs.” He also enjoys helping with milling flour at Oldland Mill, and has been awarded a grant through the Heritage Crafts’ Endangered Crafts Fund, which hopes to increase the likelihood of endangered crafts surviving into the next generation. “Being a millwright is an endangered craft,’ he says, and adds: ‘It would be great if younger people get involved as this craft is worth saving.” During National Mill Weekend, several volunteers are busy scraping paint from the lower body because on the south side, where the sun is most intense, because the heat causes paint to peel away leaving timbers exposed. Simon explains: “Over the years, we’ve tried various options, but none has worked, now Ace Coatings South, on Ditchling Industrial Estate, have recommended specialist ‘Zinsser’ paint but the only drawback is that we have to scrape away all loose paintwork.

Over the summer, Jill mill will be open most Sundays from 2pm to 5pm, but they urgently need volunteers as there are many gaps in the schedule, meaning they may not offer refreshments on some dates which affects fundraising. Simon says: “We need people to help with the teas and coffees; some volunteers also like to make cakes with flour milled at the mill.” They also need volunteers to help show people around and get involved with maintenance. There are lots of different ways to get involved and Simon is keen to welcome in new volunteers, and create a new team to shepherd Jill mill on to future glories. He says: “Anyone interested should pop up on an open day on a Sunday or contact us through the website.” The windmill makes a wonderful landmark. If you are interested in finding out more, please see: www.jillwindmill.org.uk

To read the full article all about Jill Windmill, pick up June’s copy of Hassocks Life today.

Jack and Jill Windmills and The Coffee Mill

Chelsea Lee is the owner of new downland pitstop, The Coffee Mill. She currently runs this with help from her mother-in-law, Fee. The Coffee Mill is located on their family farm in the field next to the Jack and Jill windmills. The Coffee Mill stems from an idea Chelsea had during lockdown. She recalls: “During the first lockdown, when we were riding our horses along the South Downs Way, we were amazed at the hum of activity in the car park and around the windmills: dog walkers, cyclists, runners, horse riders and people coming to simply admire the view were all enjoying themselves.”

As well as being well known locally, the Jack and Jill windmills are a renowned landmark in the South Downs National Park. Chelsea says, “Seeing how popular the area was for visitors gave us the idea of buying a converted horse box to sell good quality hot drinks, cakes, and ice creams! We aim to buy our products locally where we can,” says Chelsea, “and we stock Back Yard coffee beans from The Roaster in Ditchling. We also sell pots of Sussex ice cream that comes directly from Downs View Dairy. I have a five star hygiene rating. Our cakes are either homemade, or we try and source them as locally as possible!”

“We hope to see you very soon,” says Chelsea, and adds: “We love our furry friends, and welcome horses and dogs. They can even get a treat from us or a refreshing drink of water!” Currently only open during weekends, the Coffee Mill plans to add extra days in the week during the summer holidays. Follow @thecoffeemillclayton on Facebook for more details.