Clayton Windmills facts for kids

The Clayton Windmills, often called Jack and Jill, are two famous windmills in England. You can find them on the South Downs hills, near the village of Clayton, West Sussex. These windmills include a tall tower mill called Jack and a post mill called Jill. There's also the round base of an older mill, Duncton Mill. All three are special historic buildings, protected by law.

Exploring the Windmills

The windmills stand high up on the South Downs, giving you amazing views of the Sussex Weald countryside. They are about seven miles north of the city of Brighton and Hove. Besides Jack and Jill, you can also see the round base of Duncton Mill, which is a short walk east of Jack.

It's easy to get to the mills by car. Just follow Mill Lane from the A273 road where it crosses the South Downs. There's a free car park right next to the windmills.

History of the Mills

Duncton Mill

Duncton Mill was built way back in 1765. It was owned by a person called Viscount Montague. He leased it out for 99 years. This mill was taken down in 1866. Only its round base, called a roundhouse, was left. This roundhouse was then used as a storage building.

Duncton Mill's Design

Duncton Mill was a type of windmill called a post mill. It had a single-storey roundhouse. It also had four common sails. The mill was turned by hand to face the wind. It had two pairs of millstones inside. An important part from Duncton Mill was later used in Jack windmill. This part was called the Head Wheel.

Jill

Jill
Jill (foreground) and Jack (background)
Origin
Grid reference	TQ 304 134
Operator(s)	Jack and Jill Windmills Society
Year built	1821
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Post mill
Base storeys	Two storey roundhouse
No. of sails	Four
Type of sails	Patent sails
Windshaft	Wood, with cast iron poll end
Winding	Tailpole mounted fantail
Fantail blades	Five blades
No. of pairs of millstones	Two pairs, arranged Head and Tail
Other information	Moved from Brighton in 1852. Main post constructed of four pieces of timber.

Jill is a post mill. It was first built in Brighton in 1821. It was known as Lashmar's New Mill. In 1830, a part of the mill broke. This caused the sails to fall down. In 1852, Jill was moved to Clayton. Horses and oxen helped to move the huge mill.

The windmills stopped working in 1906. In 1908, Jill was damaged in a big storm. Over the years, she lost her fantail and sails. In 1953, some repairs were done. Then, in 1978, work began to make Jill able to grind flour again. She finally ground flour once more in 1986!

During the Great Storm of 1987, Jill almost caught fire. The strong winds turned her sails so fast that the brakes got too hot. Luckily, some people from the Windmill Society came to save her. They carried water up the hill to put out the fire.

Today, Jill can still work. You can visit her most Sundays from May to September. She makes wholemeal flour sometimes. This flour is made from organic wheat grown nearby in Sussex. When the wind is blowing and Jill is working, a guide can show you how the milling process works. Mid Sussex District Council owns Jill Windmill.

Jill's Features

Jill is a post mill with a two-storey roundhouse. She has four special sails called Patent Sails. A five-bladed fantail on her tailpole turns her to face the wind. Her main shaft is made of wood. Jill has two pairs of millstones. The main post of Jill is made from four separate pieces of wood. This is a special feature seen in only a few windmills.

Jack

Jack
Jack, with the roundhouse of Duncton Mill in the foreground
Origin
Grid reference	TQ 304 135
Year built	1866
Information
Purpose	Corn mill
Type	Tower mill
Storeys	Five storeys
No. of sails	Four
Type of sails	Patent sails
Windshaft	Cast iron
Winding	Fantail
Fantail blades	Five blades
Other information	Was fitted with Hammond's Patent Sweep Governor. Brake wheel was formerly in Duncton mill.

Jack is a five-storey tower mill. It was built in 1866 to replace the old Duncton Mill. Jack worked together with Jill until about 1907. It's unusual for a windmill to have a male name. Most other windmills in the country are thought of as female.

Jack's Design

Jack is a five-storey tower mill with a rounded top. He has four Patent Sails. A five-bladed fantail helped him turn to face the wind. There was a platform on the first floor. It is thought that a mill builder named Cooper built Jack. In 1873, Jack got a special device called Hammond's Patent Sweep Governor. This helped control the sails.

Jack had three pairs of millstones. There was even room for a fourth pair. All the old machinery inside has been taken out now. In 1966, Jack got new sails because he was going to be in a film! Jack is about 44 feet (13.41 m) tall to the top. He is 22 feet 8 inches (6.91 m) wide at the bottom. He is 13 feet (3.96 m) wide at the top. The current owners have lived at the windmill since 2012. The Mill House and Granary buildings were built for them in 2016. These buildings help connect Jack and Jill windmills. They also open up views across the site.

Gallery

• 

  Jack and Jill (the tiny white dots middle-right) in relation to the Sussex landscape.

• 

  Jack (left) and Jill (right)

• 

  Jack and Jill from Wolstonbury Hill

• 

  The mills at work

Millers

Here are some of the people who worked as millers at these windmills:

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