This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on November 16th 1995.

'Before I leave my memories of grandfather Wilkins an Arundel miller, I must remark on the hard life in those days, remember nothing was free then. Whatever you needed you paid for or went without, and without a coffin you went to a pauper's grave.'

Ron Greenwood (74), again continuing fascinating tales of his forbears, this week tells how his grandfather worked long hours when the mill was busy.

The pride of Arundel: Its famous castle pictured on an early 20th century postcard.

'Leaving home and walking through the town over the bridge and all the way down to the mill on the left bank, he would start work at 6 am and mill for 12 hours a day. Each evening he would have to dress the heavy millstones. Using a hammer and cold chisel, he used to make twenty 'cracks' to the square inch for the finest flour. His eyelids, small patches on his face and his left forearm were tinged blue from tiny chips of steel flung off the chisel.

'In early summer, any maintenance the mill needed would be carried out.'

The surrounding land, also owned by the Bartletts, carried a hay crop. 'In June time, grandfather was hay making and forever shall I remember how my aunts grumbled because as young girls they not only had to walk all the way there with refreshments but were given a hay fork to tend the hay as well.

'There were no machines for winnowing the hay then. Every bit of work was by fork and wide toothed wooden hay rakes, then on to the haywain when ripe and into the stack, another work of art.

Essential service: A sailing barge transporting cargo up the River Arun to Arundel at the turn of the century.

The industrious miller also worked part-time for the WSG - in the loading bay on Wednesday nights. A retirement silver cigarette case inscribed 'To William Wilkins from his friends on the WSG' has disappeared since.

The hard-working miller was finally laid to rest in Arundel cemetery (just inside the gate) with his wife Emily who had died at the early age of 46.

Next week Ron reminisces of his childhood days on Surrey Wharf and watching wheelwrights at work.

This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on November 16th 1995.