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Plan showing Findon Windmill in the days when it was working. |
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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Plan showing Findon Windmill in the days when it was working. |
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS A WINDMILL IN FINDON
Copyright Valerie Martin 1997
Text first published in the West Sussex Gazette, 2nd January 1997.
Also in the Findon News, September 2001.
I have discovered that in the early 1820s, milling was enjoying its heyday in Sussex and there were approximately twenty professional millwrights all fully occupied and busy working in the county.
It must surely have been a fascinating sight in Findon in 1823 to witness a post mill being constructed on the Downs. I often wonder if the construction work was hampered by the hurricane of that year when it is recorded that "a great gale and incursion of the sea" occurred. Did the inclement weather in those days, mean that the workmen downed tools on the windy hillside and trudged off home down to the village? The effects of the weather blew down a giant elm tree that had proudly stood for some years in the Steyne Field (now Steyne Gardens) in nearby Worthing.
The windmill had some ancient neighbours. 330 metres to the north east from the windmill site is something known in archaeological terms as a Saucer Barrow (Grid reference TQ 1337 0933). This feature is a round barrow with a low wide mound surrounded by a ditch and there could be an external bank but I am not very sure about that.
A Platform Barrow (Grid reference TQ1335 0942) is also sited 360 metres north east of the Mill House. A busy time for the local ancients in days of yore. This kind of barrow is apparently the rarest of the recognised round barrows. It consists of a flat, wide, circular mound.... and a ditch of sorts. I understand that these occur widely across West Sussex and not much anywhere else.
The Findon windmill was erected on high ground, north-west of Cissbury Ring, where a stupendous view was to be had to a sister-mill at High Salvington; to Muntham Court in the west; and out to sea and the elements of the coast.
The Windmill subsequently appeared on Greenwood’s one-inch map of that year. At the time Findon was still a village where narrow twisting trails converged. There were unsurfaced flinty roads plastered with squelching mud in the winter, and dusty trackways throughout the rest of the year.
This is the original advertisement as it appeared on 8th September 1823, and ran for three consecutive weeks in the newspaper: -
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A good description can be gleaned of Findon Windmill in its infancy. It is assumed that no one was interested in striking a bargain at this time because on 24th November further advertising space was taken. Directly under coverage for letting Arundel Windmill and selling Hide’s Mill, appeared the familiar Findon Windmill. This time "To be sold by private contract" and enquiries could be made again to Mr. Charles Best.
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An impression of how the Findon Windmill may have appeared by Valerie Martin in 1997. |
It appears there were no takers following this second notice. A further announcement appeared among advertisements for Towers Tonic Pills and Arundel Customs House selling off seized brandy, ropes and anchors. The Windmill was "To be sold by auction by Mr. Thomas Soane", an auctioneer and appraiser of Steyning. The occasion was to be at The Green Man in Findon on Tuesday, 30th December at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
Continue if you would like to read about The First Findon Miller.
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — was launched by Valerie Martin in January 1999 and will grow to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com |
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