West Blatchington Mill

Surrounded by modern housing

I have no special association with this mill, but I love it for the incongruity of its position today, surrounded by modern housing. It is now a museum, open only in the summer, and a wonderful way to learn about what is involved in milling.

Baking my own bread

It inspired me to start baking my own bread, from stone-ground flour, about twenty years ago. I never buy ready-baked bread now. Perhaps, too, it inspired me to take more interest in food production and what I eat altogether.

Agricultural interest

In addition the museum has information on the history of milling and of the mill itself. Exhibits include scale models of mills, a thresher and other machines, plus many articles of both milling and agricultural interest.

An important route

Strangely, the walk from my present home takes me along an important straight route for those engaged in agriculture in earlier centuries – one ill-suited to the 20th century: The Drove (from the A23 junction), west up a one-in-three hill to Dyke Road, all along The Droveway to Nevill Road, and then Court Farm Road.