Clayton Windmills
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The Clayton Windmills are known locally as Jack and Jill and stand on the South Downs above the village of Clayton, Sussex.
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– (geographic coordinates Lat: 50:54:13N (50.9037) Lon: 0:08:44W (-0.1455) ) – UK Grid ref: TQ304132
[edit] Jack and Jill
Jill, along with her neighbour Jack (in private ownership), stand atop the scenic South Downs with spectacular views of the Sussex Weald. The windmills are seven miles north of the city of Brighton and Hove.
Jill Windmill is a mid 18th Century post mill (earliest record 1765) which has been restored to working order and she now produces stoneground wholemeal flour on an occasional basis. The vast majority of her flour which is sold to visitors is ground from organic wheat, grown in Sussex.
Jill Windmill is owned by Mid Sussex District Council.
When the wind is blowing (as it frequently does on the South Downs) Jill may be in operation and a guide available to explain the mysteries of milling.
[edit] History of the Mills
Jill dates from 1821 and was originally located in Brighton, but in 1852 she was moved to Clayton by a team of oxen.
Jack is a tower mill or cap mill built in 1866 and replaced another post mill, which dated from 1765. Unusually Jack mill has a male name. Almost every other mill in the country is named after a girl.
The working life of the mills ended in 1906.
[edit] Access
The mills are easily accessible by road at the end of Mill Lane from the A273 where it crosses the South Downs. There is ample free parking in the car park beside the mills.
[edit] Film Stars
In summer 1973, Jack and Jill became movie stars when Universal Pictures made the film The Black Windmill.
Actors featured in the film included Michael Caine, Janet Suzman, Donald Pleasance and Joss Ackland.
New sweeps were fitted to Jack for the film, at a cost of £3,000 and the exterior of the mill was repainted.
[edit] Famous residents
The owner of Jack at the time of the film was Henry Longhurst, golf broadcaster and writer. His wife Claudine recalled that some months later she and Henry were flying to the United States when 'The Black Windmill' was shown as the in-flight movie. 'So there we were halfway cross the Atlantic watching our home on film!'
