Well I finally made it. Haven't been up here for years.
Looking back towards the Goring Gap in the centre. My home is down there somewhere.
This is the Miller's Tomb.
The story goes that John Oliver, the miller, was an old rogue & part-time smuggler. Lots of that going on round here at the time.The windmill he tended has long since disappeared. Legend has it that he kept his coffin under his bed. He left instructions to be buried upside down because he believed that at the Last Judgement the whole world would turn topsy-turvy, and he wanted to be the only man facing the right way after this upheaval. It's said if you run round the tomb 7 times he willl jump out & chase you. I didn't bother to try it as I was puffed out after climbing up there.
Like most of this stuff it's a lot of old nonsense & here's the full story.
http://www.yeoldesussexpages.co.uk/folklore/millers.htmThis is what's left of the ancient Bronze Age settlement. The ditch & earth ramparts are typical of the hill fortifications in southern England. There are plenty much bigger than this one but it gives a good idea of what they're like. Many visitors are disapppointed not to see a castle. I find the thought of building even a small one like this with primitive bone & flint tools far more impressive than any castle.
The inside of the settlement where my ancestors lived. The ramparts would have originally been much higher & often topped off with a spiked wooden fence. Unfortunately much of these historic remains were destroyed during WWII when a radar post & gun emplacements were sited here.
I spent many happy hours in places like this from the age of about 8. It was our adventure playground & paradise for any kid. Sadly they would not have the freedom nowadays that my brother & I enjoyed.
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