Jack’s not all right going downhill: but help on way

JILL windmill is looking good but neighbour Jack urgently needs a new cap.
JPMT. Jack Windmill, on the DownsJPMT. Jack Windmill, on the Downs
JPMT. Jack Windmill, on the Downs

Jack’s new owner Claire Maugham, who moved into the house beside the mill in May, said: “Jack Windmill is a very prominent local landmark on the South Downs but it’s in pretty bad condition at the moment. The wooden cap needs lifting off for repairs and two sweeps need replacing.

“It’s a hard-to-reach place on a narrow private drive so we couldn’t have got a crane into the site to do the work without UK Power Networks’ assistance. The work is very urgent because we don’t think the cap will last another winter. We are very grateful for the way the staff got things moving and made this happen. We couldn’t have started the preservation project without their help.”

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A power line is being diverted underground to support the project to preserve one of Sussex’s most important landmarks.

The Grade II*-listed Jack Windmill, in Clayton, near Burgess Hill, is in the top five per cent of the most important buildings in England but has been in a state of decline. The mill’s new owners are carrying out urgent repairs to help protect the 19th Century structure on the South Downs.

UK Power Networks is undergrounding one span of low-voltage overhead electricity line to enable the owners to get a crane on to the site to start vital restoration and maintenance work.

The three-day project, starting on September 11, will involve staff from UK Power Networks office in Lewes excavating a trench and installing 50 metres of new underground cable. Once the new underground cable is live, the overhead line will be switched off and dismantled.

The two windmills are some of the biggest attractions in the South East.