Sussex’s Jack and Jill upon the Hill

Most readers will be aware of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, the unlucky pair who famously went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after.

 

Perhaps you’ve recently revisited and taught the nursery rhyme as part of your child home-schooling syllabus, but are you aware of our local Jack and Jill? Who thankfully have not fallen from the hill but still stand and spin up on top of the hills as magnificently now as they did when erected in the 1800s.

 

Of course, we’re referring to the Clayton Windmills comprised of a post mill JILL and a tower mill JACK, and the roundhouse of a former post mill DUNCTON that stand proud on the South Downs and have received a fair bit of recognition and attention of late.

 

A holiday abroad has as we know not really been an option for a while now forcing people to rediscover the joys of a staycation, which once we were allowed to travel brought a swarm of staycationers to Sussex. We’ve all been rather forced to enjoy walking again it seemed as it was the only thing we could actually do for a while, and a lot of folk more so than usual have been going out for a walk to see our Jack and Jill.

 

The hike from Lewes to Hassocks has made for popular browsing online amongst the walkers’ websites and forums with Jack and Jill being a highlight of the hike and a photo opportunity the hikers just can’t resist. This flurry of attention is nothing new to Jack and Jill, these movie stars aren’t fazed by a few Instagrammers, oh no; they’ve had their fair share of fame throughout the years.

 

The Clayton Windmills have had a fascinating history and although we can’t begin to detail here within a page and a half of your CommunityAd magazine we can recommend seeking out the Clayton Windmill Society for a thorough history. A quick visit to the society’s website will inform you of how in 1910, Jack was leased for the sum of £10 per annum to Minna Spencer Cowper Coles Anson and her husband, Walter Vernon Anson, a serving naval officer which lead to weapon development technology that is still in use and dates back to our boy on the hill. You’ll also be shocked to know that in 1917, after seven years of leasing the mills, Minna Anson purchased them outright for £580 and lived there the rest of her life. Not a bad way to see out your days in a couple of Windmills on the Downs.

 

Henry Longhurst, writer, broadcaster and Sunday Times golf correspondent, bought the windmills and gave Jill into public ownership while utilising the round house Duncton as his study, a writer’s dream. In the ‘70s the likes of Michael Caine, Janet Suzman, Donald Pleasance and Joss Ackland came to admire the pair while working on The Black Windmill, a film which heavily featured both Jack and Jill.

 

Today, Jack remains in private ownership whilst Jill is open to visitors. If weather conditions are suitable, Jill’s majestic sweeps could well be turning in the Downland breeze. The society always welcomes new members and perhaps they will take all the help they can get as they kindly open Jill up to the public on Sunday afternoons and one imagines there’ll be a fair few hikers making their way up the hill.

 

For more details on the society and how to join please visit the Jack and Jill Windmill website.