THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - Cissbury Windmill

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

This is the earliest portrayal I have come across of the Cissbury Windmill. The pencil and ink view dated 27th July 1791 is from Worthing across Broadwater to the downland.

CISSBURY WINDMILL (TQ 136 058) - otherwise known as Offington Windmill, Ballard's Mill and Broadwater Mill - take your pick!

Please do not confuse the old Findon Windmill on the downland above the Gallops with that on the southern slopes of Cissbury Ring.

The Cissbury Windmill was a black post mill with a single-storey flint roundhouse. I have walked passed the site on the edge of the golf course many times with my dogs. In its heyday it could baost two common and two spring sails working two pairs of grinding stones.

I have discovered no earlier record of this windmill than 1780 when one stood proudly on these southern slopes on the east of the track to Cissbury Ring from the Broadwater to Findon road.... the area is known as Mill Plantation.

By 1792 the miller's name was Thomas Heather.

By 1796 he had been replaced by Edward Penfold. It is interesting to note that it is said that the nearby village of Broadwater had a very shabby appearance at this time (in the late 18th and early 19th centuries), but had improved by 1811. In the early nineteenth century the windmill was known as Offington Mill. When Edward died in 1837 he was described in an obituary in the Brighton Gazette as ...

One of those primitive, unaspiring and true old English hearted yeomen, of whom we regret to say so few are left.

The windmill was leased in 1816 but I do not know from whom the property was leased, nor who by.

In 1818 the windmill was occupied by William Patching and was put up for sale. The property was part of the Manor and Estate of Offington and was then in the occupation of a Mr S. Stubbs.

In 1823 the tenant was Mark Markwick.

The windmill was put for sale again in 1837. This post windmill was worked by Charles Ballard from about 1839 and was known during this tenure as Ballard's Mill.

Around the years 1841-2 Edward Isden was said to also be the miller in addition to Charles Ballard. It is not always realised that the miller was really a "foreman" and the actual task of grinding the grain was performed by a grinder so perhaps Edward was, in fact, the grinder.

This is a fascinating sketch of Worthing made in 1854. You can see the original Town Hall with its clock tower (centre right). The west side of Chapel Road was still mostly fields in Victorian days, for grazing cattle and sheep.

The daily coach to London can be seen leaving its Worthing office on the east side of South Street.... heading towards Findon.

Cissbury Ring is the backcloth with the Cissbury windmill below. On the hill to the left is the High Salvington Windmill.

Cissbury Windmill from Broadwater Green in 1860.
(Artist unknown).

Cissbury Windmill from Worthing in 1875. Artist unknown.

By 1890 Charles Ballard had retired and devoted himself to his favourite pastime. This was collecting flint implements on the nearby downland.

Cissbury Mill and miller's cottage just to the south of Findon in 1893.

Charles Ballard's son, Richard, then took over and was working the windmill until 1895.

Cissbury Mill. c.1900. Artist unknown.

The last full-time grinder was Henry Istead who started work at the windmill in 1882 departed after 19 years employment in 1901.

Rather confusingly the Cissbury Windmill was also known as as Broadwater Mill around this time.

Sketch of a painting entitled "Findon Downs, Evening" by Robert Thorne-Waite R.W.S. (1842-1935). I think the windmill in the foreground is the Cissbury Windmill and the one in the distance is the High Salvington Windmill on the downland above Findon.

John Pelling of Worthing tells me that the Isted family had a large painting of the windmill executed on the exterior west wall of their shop at 56 Montague Street in Worthing but the picture was destroyed when the shop was demolished.

The windmill was run for a short time after Henry Isden departed the scene by the owner of High Salvington Windmill. It is said that one miller was employed for running both of the windmills. The name of Stephen Scutt now comes to mind. He was the last miller at the High Salvington Windmill where it was only grinding animal feed up until its final closure in 1905. The Coote family were millers for Colonel Wisden and they employed Stephen and he perhaps had to split his time working between this windmill and the Cissbury Windmill. Unfortunately, Stephen Scutt drowned himself in a water tank in 1906 because he was depressed.

A painting of Cissbury Mill. The picture is entitled

"Golf Links and Windmill at nearby Worthing" by Warren Williams (1863-1918).

As the Golf Course did not open until 1906, the date of the painting can be narrowed down and must have been executed between 1906 and 1918 when the artist died. The new golf course was laid out under the supervision of Harry Vardon on 540 acres of downland slopes. Entrance fees for gentlemen were £3. 3s., with a similar annual subscription. Ladies' the entrance fees were £2.2s. and the annual subscription for them was £1. 11s. 6d.

The Miller's Cottage close to the Cissbury Windmill. Artist unknown.

The miller's cottage at Cissbury Windmill.

It was occupied until 1937 when it was demolished.

Cissbury Windmill ceased to be used c.1901.

The Golf Links opened on the site on 23rd October 1906.

Cissbury Mill in a derelict state in 1908. I wonder who the young lads were?

In a sorry state in 1914. Harvest days at Broadwater Windmill (as it was called at the time of this photograph).

Some say that this windmill was demolished around 1914 .... and others say 1920. John Pelling tells me that some say it was burnt down. Towards the end of its days the sails were still on but the body was in a near-skeleton condition with the majority of the weatherboarding gone. Could this have been vandalism? Gale damage?

18th October 2004

Dear Valerie,

Bless my soul, I never knew that the Cissbury Windmill even existed! There must surely be at least a trace of it still in existence and that will mean a good long tramp across the downs next time I visit!

It appears on a very old Ordnance Survey map that Peter has in NZ .... sufficiently old that Findon Valley is still a lush cultivated valley. I attach a copy of part of it which he shared with me some time ago. It seems to be within Warren Farm and is already described as "Old Windmill" even in those days.

I imagine that Henry Isted was the owner of "Isteds" in Montague street when I was a kid. Amongst the many items for sale were to be found sacks of animal feed which had been milled. We always bought the meal to feed the chickens during the war from Isteds, where all sorts of milled animal feed was available. I still remember the pleasing smell of the shop and the bare wooden floorboards.

Thanks for stimulating the old grey cells yet again.

Yours aye ........... Mike.

Mike Cooksey, Bristol.

18th October 2004

Valerie

I was interested to see that Broadwater mill was once owned by Henry Isted as there was a well known corn merchants in Montague Street Worthing called Isteds.

It was on the corner of Grafton Road where British Home Store is now. It was there throughout my childhood and I recall with pleasure the smell of the old shop and the old counters with glass panels showing all kinds of grains, lentils and seeds. Runner and broad bean seeds could be bought by the pint measured out in enamel mugs and hay and straw bales were stored in their yard at the back. Later they moved to the Guildbourne Centre but they were never the same.

In the early 1900`s one of the Isteds was a keen member of Worthing Rowing Club and with my godfather Ted Long of the Caxton Printery round the corner in Portland Road competed in the pairs all round the South coast winning many prizes, some of which I still have.

Pam.

Pam Stepney, Findon Village, West Sussex.

2nd November 2004

Hi Valerie,

Cootes the bakers, who were connected with the last working day of Salvington and Cissbury Windmills delivered bread as far as Findon from their Salvington Road bakery.

My mother said they use to bring their carts to Ockendons Wheelwrights shop for repair.

One of the carts can be seen in the re-issued postcards of Findon at Northend.

The Salvington bakery closed in 1984 by then it was operated by Knowles. A millstone was in the yard. Bakers Court now stands on the site.

John Pelling of Lower Salvington Nr Worthing, West Sussex.

Continue if you would like to read about yet another windmill in Heene Windmill in Worthing.

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E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com