Lancelot (Lance) Leonard Hill (1902-1986).
He built rotary clothes lines in 1946.
He called them Hill’s Hoists.
Hill’s Hoists became the most popular rotary clothes line in Australia.
Rotary clotheslines were invented by Gilbert Toyne in 1911. In 1946 Lance Hill developed them further, improved them and made them more affordable.
A Hill’s Hoist. Image©iStock
The Hill's Hoist
Lance Hill was a steam engineer and motor mechanic. When he came back from the Second World War he made a rotary hoist for his wife, who was complaining about the washing falling off the prop washing line. The year was 1945. The place was Adelaide, South Australia.
His line was a single steel pole with metal ribs spreading out from the centre pole. Between the ribs he strung rust-proof wire from which the clothes would hang. The line turned in the breeze and was so successful that soon all the Hill's neighbours wanted one too. Lance Hill was happy to build them.
Lance Hill is in the centre. His brother-in-law, Harold Ling is on the left.The man on the right is a worker, Jack Short
At first he built them in his backyard workshop using scrap metal, some of it was scrap from the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction that was happening at the time.
In 1946, Hill and his brother-in-law opened a factory making rotary clotheslines.
How Lance Hill improved rotary clotheslines
Rotary clotheslines had been designed before 1945. A man named Gilbert Toyne made and patented four rotary clothes hoists around the same time. He added a wind up mechanism to one of them so that the line could be raised higher to catch the wind. However, they were too expensive to become popular. In 1946, Lance Hill designed and built his own winding mechanism which was attached to his rotary lines, which he called ‘Hill’s Hoists’. His winding mechanism worked better and did not make the hoists too expensive. Added to that, unlike others, his hoists were made only of steel, his prices were reasonable and he offered a lifetime guarantee. Hill’s Hoists became very popular by the mid 50s could be seen in most Australian back yards. Hill’s Hoists are still being sold in Australia and around the world.
Millions of Hill's Hoists have been sold, and became such a feature of suburban backyards that they are now recognised as an Australian 'cultural icon' - something that identifies as a feature of our culture. They have even featured on postage stamps and in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
What is a Patent?
If a person has a good idea for an invention, they can apply for a patent for it, as long as the idea is new. Once the government gives them a patent, no one else can copy the idea, design, pattern or object and make money from it. A patent lasts for about 15 years, depending on the product.
