Jack & Jill

We went to a reclamation yard in Burgess Hill this morning and then to Mabel's Emporium where we had lunch in the vintage tea room.  Then on the way home we stopped off at the Jack & Jill windmills in Clayton.  I've been before, but Alan never has and we were lucky today as they had an open day and we got to go up into Jill..

Jill is one of a pair known as Jack & Jill - Jill is a 'post mill' and is still a working mill. Today her 'sweepers' were turning (we learn that's what sails are called in Sussex) and interestingly the whole windmill spins round. You can see that there's a pair of wheels at the bottom of the steps and then there's a small sail which is connected by gears to another set of wheels.  When the direction of the wind blows on the small sail, it moves, turning the mill so that the 'sweepers' are in the direction of the wind. 

Jack is a 5 storey tower mill  but is now in private ownership and no longer has his domed cap as you can see from the picture in my extras.

It was really interesting being able to go inside Jill, and particularly enjoyable because we weren't aware there was an open day.  Apparently they are the source of the nursery rhyme Jack & Jill went up the hill, and were also used in a movie.  

There are 13 windmills in Sussex in total, so I shall now endeavour to blip them all!