A Short History of Mill House
Mill House Past
Mill House sits in the north west corner of a two acre plot of land in Barcombe, the house now forms what was originally a pair of farm worker cottages.
The cottages were converted in 1897 to a single residence, know as “Millhouse”. In the 1930’s the milestone from the burnt down windmill was in use as a step. The bakehouse, which adjoined the miller's cottage was also converted into a garage.
Fragments of the milestone still remain and are in use around the property.
In 1981 permission was granted for the garage at the side of the house to be converted into a Games room. Before is was converted into a garage, it had been the "Bakehouse".
In April 1994 permission was granted for a single storey extension, this now forms the boot room on the other side of the house.
The previous owners lived at Mill House for around 25 years, the plot was not much more than a field, they planted up the woodland and cultivated a vegetable garden.
We took ownership of Mill House in October 2018.
Mill House was clearly given its name due to the site being the location of a Post Mill between 1817 and 1907.
The Post Mill location was fairly close to the front of the house. The area is now what we refer to as the nuttery, unfortunately it shows no obvious signs that the Mill was ever there.
Overlaying a hand drawn map from c1900 onto a more recent Google Earth Map in 2019 shows how the current driveway matches up to the path around it.
You can learn more about the “Post Mill” below.
Hand-draw map from circa 1900 overlaid onto aerial photography from 2019.
The existing driveway entrance matches up to the entrance for the Post Mill.
The Post Mill
The Post Mill was erected in 1817 by millwright Jesse Pumphery, who worked it until 1825. The mill was a large white one with a single-storey wooden roundhouse and two pairs of stones.
This drawing of the Post Mill is from the Sussex Archaeology Society.
The roundhouse was used at one time as a chicken house, until an accidental fire burnt it down in 1907. Many of the timbers and machinery were saved and afterwards sold.
It was reputed to have been solidly constructed and very heavy and difficult to turn by hand. A horse was therefore employed, walking on a concrete track around the mill.
The mill operated until 1891 when the ground on which it stood was sold to E W Bunney a flower grower who wanted to demolish it but thought the cost was unreasonable as the millwrights wanted £30 all materials for the job.
The mill was left alone and the roundhouse was eventually used as a hen house
Unfortunately the mill burnt down one day in 1907 at around 4 O’clock in the afternoon.
The cause was never known: it was thought to have started in the top of the mill; there was a gale blowing at the time and the burning wood was blown a tremendous way.
Thankfully, during the fire the wind was blowing in the opposite direction of the mill house.
To acknowledge what was here before us, we have based the Sussex Mill House logo on the photos of the Post Mill that used to be here.
The Post Mill at Mill House
A man - presumably Jeremiah ‘Jack’ Bunney is standing on the steps.
Inside the Mill
An interior photo from the mills archive.
'View near Barcombe' by Henry John Kinnaird (1861 to 1929)