The Midhurst Magazine - Spring 2020 (issue 31) by TheMidhurstSociety

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Editorial: Celebrating our 60th

This is a very special issue! The Midhurst Society has reached its 60th year of service to the community – with some ups and downs. Over that time its membership has reached as many as 400 people at times. The first official communication, was an early version of The Midhurst Magazine in Autumn 1988. The Magazine had become directed more to local history than to omnibus topics aligned with all of the Society’s aims. There is plenty of local history to be excited about; but it was difficult to find enough material to fill a regular periodical publication. In 2019 we broadened the scope to cover all aspects of Midhurst life.

South Pond, here seen in c.1965, looks much like it does today – and back in the 40s. (Frances Frith Collection) to provide some idea of what life was like in the early 1960s and what changes have taken place over the last 60 years. There exist many most interesting stories of people’s lives in town. We are fortunate that some folks are willing to share their experiences. Keep them coming!

Keeping it going relies on volunteers with desires of seeing the Society’s aims fulfilled. As it is in Cocking with the Blue Bell pub being a mechanism that binds a community together, so it is for the Midhurst Magazine. It is a lens for viewing the cohesion of the town and local country. Moving to use of digital communication methods has allowed a great website to now be put in place for the Society. Addition of a Facebook page is reaching still more audience. The new look magazine is seen, not only for its content of wide interest, but also as an advertisement when copies are on display in shops, and in places using our articles to enhance their declaration of support of the Society’s aims. It has become a snowball gathering size as it rolls on.

Following on from the precedent set last year we cover a wide range of topics – a walks book review; the coming of the electric car; our regular local walk - and Bridget takes us shopping. Planning proposals can result in enormous change and their scrutiny is an important aspect of the Committee's work. We bring you the latest developments. The history of locally played stoolball is fascinating. A most unusual community activity called yarn bombing is given that might explain the occurrence of copious knitted decorations seen around. An intriguing poem, written in a print style that models their writhing nature, is about yew trees.

To celebrate our 60th year this issue is double length and looks into our past, gives accounts of the present and also some glimpses into the future of our award-winning patch in Sussex.

Do let us know if you have an interesting short story, fiction or non-fiction, for us to publish; an account of something special that others would like to know.

We begin with past accounts of the Founders of the Society – but only a few records could be found about them. If you have any information, we would love to hear from you: we are trying to form an archive collection.

Thank you for your support. Also, we acknowledge the information and support we have at the West Sussex Record Office, on the Gravelroots website, and others named within. Peter Sydenham and Harvey Tordoff. (CoEditors)

In this issue we have delved into the past, using many historical sources and the Internet, 1

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Contents Out and about

14 Kingley Vale: a walk 16 Kingley Vale: a poem 18 Book review: South Downs walks 32 Local stoolball story

Midhurst in 1986

34 Picture quiz 35 Garden club

Midhurst has changed a lot over the decades. A few aerial photos have been taken; these are by Reg Symonds p.26

38 Yarn Bombers 45 Michael Foot’s visit

Feature Article

As we were

12 Bridget’s meanderings

25 David Percy remembers

60 years on

30 Market house identity

A look at the changes in the District that have taken place over the last 60 years p.6

31 ICI came to town 40 Crown Hotel’s life

Covers: Front – Formula 2 race car with Society Member, Michael De Jong-Smith . Tesla car with Society Member, Matt Brandon. Rear – Grange Community Centre - courtesy WSRO

42 Life got better Contents continue on page 3 2

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Contents continued Society Matters

The Environment and Society actions

4 Society founders

28 Cars of the Future 46 Projects and Campaigns

44 Midhurst District map 51 Planning

Personalities

20 Michael De Jong-Smith 56 Chairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Page 58 Talks 59 Membership form

22 A life time in Midhurst: Neil Dallyn speaks

36 Hannah Alsbury-Morris talks about Supermedics

Formed in 1960. The Midhurst Society aims to preserve, protect and improve local features of historic or community interest. It promotes high standards of planning and architecture. In liaison with public authorities, it seeks to enhance the local environment and amenities. Above all it strives to make Midhurst a better place to live, work and enjoy.

President:

The Midhurst Magazine 60th Anniversary

The Viscountess Cowdray

Issue 31. Spring, April 2020

Chair:

Mike Balmforth

www.midhurstsociety.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/themidhurstsociety Enquiries to MidhurstSociety@bigger-picture.co.uk ISBN 978-1-78972-203-1

Editors: Peter Sydenham and Harvey Tordoff

Print on Demand: IngramSpark. (On-line and print) See website for details of membership and talks 3

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

The Society Founders: Past Reports From Past Midhurst Society publications

Frances Johnson-Davies (Midhurst Magazine July 2003)

[She also published an interesting history of Midhurst with the Society (Johnson- Davies, Frances. Midhurst - A Brief History, Midhurst Society, 1996)]

‘was a founder member of The Midhurst Society and its first chairman. She was also editor of our magazine for many years.

Frances grew up with a passion for animals that has continued to this day; in fact, it is such a passion that she refuses to leave Telegraph Hill in spite of ill health. With her are three rescue horses and six sheep, bred from her original flock of 50. We have much to thank Frances for, as can be seen when browsing through the archives, and not least for her commitment to the Society for over forty years.’

Frances was born in Calcutta and started riding at the age of two. She grew up on the northeast frontier of India at Simla. The family kept their own cattle and their property bordered jungle frequented by tigers and monkeys who often ventured into their garden at night. Whilst Frances' mother developed a career of designing clothes for the Court in India, by the age of eight Frances couldn't even read or write, despite having private tutors. So she was despatched back to England where she grew up to become head of film and production at the Central Office of Information, living in Pall Mall and South Audley Street.

Frances died in 2008 and is buried in the Midhurst Cemetery.

Tom Merrit (Midhurst Magazine July 2003)

When her mother returned to England, Frances spent much of her time at Buddington House, the family home for nearly 30 years. France's closest friend was Alice Lascelles ……. of Woolbeding House and they spent many happy hours riding and hunting. Alice founded The Midhurst Society in 1960 and, in Frances' words, 'Issued a royal command for me to take over the chair' – which she did for twelve years. In 1988 she published – and funded herself – the first Midhurst Society Magazine and continued for fourteen years as Editor.

‘In the Spring of 1999 Miss Alice L Lascelles paid tribute to Tom Merrit, who had died recently. “Without him the Midhurst Society would have had a very shaky start if, indeed, it had started at all. His knowledge and interest in the town and neighbourhood led to the idea of forming the Midhurst Society just when the town was becoming popular and rapidly expanding. He was one of those rare people who did appreciate and love the old town but knew that it must not be kept in mothballs. He knew that change and development were necessary to keep the place alive. The Midhurst Society's loss, and mine, were very great when he retired” 4

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Miss Alice Lascelles

would not deprive the common of its principal feature – an open and peaceful natural reserve. Although the common was often in her thoughts in recent years, Alice Lascalles had other interests, among them the arts, literature and literary figures. Many of the Nation’s arts, Royal and political figures had, at one time or another, been entertained in her home in Woolbeding. She served on a number of local councils and committees, including the Midhurst Society which she founded with others in the 1960s. She was its President for the rest of the century.

Alice was born in Kensington, London on 4 April 1914 to Edward Charles Ponsonby Lascelles and Leila Winifred Leonor KennettBarrington.

Never serious for long, it amused her to explain to strangers that it was “Lascelles to rhyme with tassels” - a smiling quip for the illustrious name.

For much of her life she lived in the Lascelles’ Woolbeding House, just NW of Midhurst. According to a Midhurst Society Newsletter Issue No.1 May 2001, Her obituary states she:

Alice Leila Lascelles died on 2nd May 2001, aged 87. She was the last of the Lascelles to live in the House at Woolbeding.’ By ‘F J-D, The Midhurst Society.

‘was a very private person, her influence for good in the community was widespread. Nearly always unobtrusive in her approach she gave support to those who, for one reason or another, were unable to help themselves. She was effective, too, in warning against measures she believed would be harmful. The fencing of Woolbeding Common was an example.

[We could find no memorial. Eds] Woolbeding House is a pretty Georgian house set in the rolling Sussex countryside. It was given to the National Trust in 1957.

Once part of the family estate, Woolbeding Common had a special place in Miss Lascelles’ affections. She was concerned that fencing would change the character of this beautiful open space and that people would then be restricted in their use of it. The National Trust’s plan to graze cattle on the common brought anxiety about the comfort and safety of dogs and walkers, particularly dog-walkers. She knew that dogs and cattle are curious about each other and a clash between animals and an intervening owner had been fatal elsewhere. Horse-riders, too, could be at risk. She worried that animals and people could be trapped within fences by the fires that regularly occur in summer months. Changes in management were inevitable for a number of reasons. She knew that; but hoped the result

In the 1970s Woolbeding House and gardens were leased to Simon Sainsbury, of the supermarket family, who with his partner Stewart Grimshaw and help from landscape designers, laid out the beautiful gardens that can be seen there today. The gardens are open to visitors, but not the house. When Simon died in 2006 the lease passed to Stewart.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Over 60 Years: Looking back Reflections compiled by Harvey Tordoff - with some help by Peter Sydenham In 1960 The Everly Brothers' 'Cathy's Clown' was the top-selling record. Wolves beat Blackburn 3-0 in the FA Cup Final. England cricketers, captained by Colin Cowdray, enjoyed series victories against the West Indies and South Africa. England won rugby union's Five Nations Championship. Neale Fraser and Maria Bueno won the singles titles at Wimbledon. Jack Brabham was F1 Champion. A new type of television programme appeared: Coronation Street.

In 1960 the United Kingdom was emerging from the hardships of the Second World War. Food rationing had been lifted in the mid1950s and as Harold MacMillan told us: 'we'd never had it so good'. (National Archives, UK)

A sliced loaf of bread cost 5p; 20 cigarettes cost 25p. Bobby Charlton, along with other top footballers, was paid £50 per week.

The Swinging Sixties were just about to start! Did they ever reach Midhurst? We uncovered no evidence, although in 1967 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) appeared before magistrates in Chichester on drug charges. Keith didn't bear a grudge. In 2007 he marched through the streets of Chichester protesting proposed closure of services at St Richard's Hospital. There were clouds on the horizon. The hostility between the USSR and the West

(Local newspaper advertisement of 1960.) The recently-formed Common Market dominated the headlines and we applied for membership in 1963. General de Gaulle said 'NON'. We applied again in 1967. The good General, who had benefited from our hospitality and protection during the war, and whose country we helped liberate, again said 'NON'. It wasn't until 1973 that we were admitted, by which time we had demonstrated our love for all things decimal by abandoning shillings and pence. Joining a single European currency proved to be a step too far and we hung on to our pound Sterling.

‘Death Strip’ part of Berlin Wall in 1986. It came down in 1989. (Wikipedia) became clear for all to see with construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. 6

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. villages. (Midhurst as an area or place has many different definitions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by post code; by parish; by Town Council domain, and more.)

The Cuban missile crisis had us all fearful and spellbound over the following year. The threat of nuclear war hung over us and our faith in politicians took a dive with the Profumo affair in 1963. All the while those menacing newfangled satellites seemed to be watching everything from their mysterious orbits; but of course, satellites would never make a difference to our everyday lives!

The following details some of the changes in Midhurst that The Society became involved with. The King Edward VII Sanatorium, opened to great fanfare in 1906, became a victim of its own success. TB was being brought under control with the coming of antibiotics, so 'our Sani' didn't have enough paying patients. In 1964 the decision was made to turn it into a general hospital, attracting the support of the whole town.

Midhurst had seen little change in the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War many houses still did not have electricity or running water and, therefore, had no indoor toilets or a dedicated bathroom. The telephone switchboard in town lasted until 1968. It was not until 1985 that the first UK mobile phone call was made. Before then it was a trip to the phone box for most people. You can amuse your grandchildren by telling them how you once went 40 years without an internet connection! And that there were no laptop computers until the 1980s; a portable one weighed in at 27 pounds! The population had remained stable at just under 2,000, but in the second half of the century it started to rise steadily to approximately 5,000. Older residents will remember a small compact town surrounded by trees and fields, but the demand for new houses saw a steady urban spread, particularly towards the south and west. Concern was expressed not just at the rate of expansion, but also at the apparent fall in standards of the new buildings.

(From Saniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history by S E Large)

New developments took place. In 1973, Queen Elizabeth signed the Visitors book after opening the new Midhurst Medical Research Institute there. For a while it looked as though the changes had been successful, but surgical cases spent far less time in hospital than the former TB patients, and bed occupancy was always a problem. When complete closure was first mooted the town was stunned. MP Andrew Tyrie raised the matter in Parliament but couldn't prevent closure in 2006.

In response The Midhurst Society was created in 1960 with the following aims: (i) To stimulate public interest in the town and surrounding area of benefit and in the existence of the Society.

The Midhurst Society was most anxious about development proposals there, fearing that new builds would take precedence and excuses would eventually be found to demolish the main building and chapel. However, although permission was given for approximately 400 housing units in total, the sanatorium survives, sympathetically converted into apartments.

(ii) To promote high standards of planning and architecture in the area of benefit. (iii) To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest in the area of benefit. Notwithstanding the name, the area of benefit (or influence) encompassed surrounding 7

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. the stated aim of 'bringing out the best' in its students. At a cost of ÂŁ31 million a new building was opened in 2012 on the River Site Campus. The official opening was performed by Lord Adonis in 2013. Student numbers have increased from the original 12 poor boys to approximately 1500 students.

Midhurst Cottage (or Community) Hospital closed its Bailey Unit in 2018 and now the nearest hospital bed was in Chichester, but the Riverbank Medical Centre is currently being considered for the creation of a Community Hub for the region. It is hoped that the hub will incorporate the Hospital and the empty building known as Rotherfield Mews.

Other schools in the area have had mixed fortunes. Bepton and Heyshott schools had already been closed by 1960. The Old National School, at the edge of Midhurst Common opposite the Half Moon, was in use for over 100 years but it was closed in 1972 when the building (still recognisable today) was converted into housing, and was replaced by the new Midhurst Primary School in Ashfield Road.

Ancient rural buildings across the land were in need of protection. In many instances their structures were in dire condition and were being destroyed to make way for modern ones. The Weald and Downland Living Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Enthusiasts started it to preserve, and bring to life buildings not finding sustaining uses where they originally stood. The Museum brings together a selection of such gems from the SE of England and reinstates them on site. Schools also changed. What would the founder of the first school, Gilbert Hannam, have made of it? In 1672, for 12 poor boys, Hannam opened a school above the building commonly known as the Old Market Hall. Over the years that school was relocated, and grew, until in 1966 the Grammar School (as it had become) merged with the nearby Secondary Modern.

(Gravelroots)

The West Lavington School managed to survive for 150 years before it, too, closed in 2008: it is now home to Little Laura's Nursery. At the end of 2019 Stedham Primary School was under threat of closure but was reprieved after a spirited protest campaign.

Among its former students were Bertie (HG) Wells and Sir Charles Lyell, father of modern geology. It was Lyell's explanation of the slow changes in the earth over aeons that gave Charles Darwin the confidence to develop his theory of evolution. Prior to that, the wisdom of the day was that the earth was only a few thousand years old and so near-simultaneous creation of the species was the only possibility.

In Easebourne, where there had once been a 'tuppenny school', a new intermediate school was built in 1970, and although this closed in 2008 the new Easebourne CE Primary School continues to thrive. Of course, some things never change, do they? Yes, they do! Even the Cowdray Ruins, the scene we all identify with Midhurst, has entered a new phase of life. The Cowdray Heritage Trust was created to raise funds for the restoration and stabilisation of the Ruins, which were opened to the public in 2007 with the help of Lottery grants and public donations. Safety concerns closed the site

The current Midhurst Rother Academy, incorporating the Grammar School and the Intermediary School, was created in 2009 with 8

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. still have independent shops with character there is a growing presence of establishments that don't have internet competition: hairdressers, charity shops, cafes.

again in 2019, and we await news of the Trust's plans for the future.

(Geograph)

(Bing)

In 1970 a new fire station was built in New Road, providing welcome relief from the inadequate premises in The Wharf. However, one of the biggest local developments was the construction in 1980 of the Grange Community Centre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; see this rear cover. It was a joint venture between The Midhurst and District Community Association (an independent voluntary organisation) and the West Sussex County Council. It's aims were to promote the spirit of community; to provide opportunities for sport, leisure and community involvement; and to provide for the elderly, for people with handicaps, and for their special needs.

The Orion cinema in North Street (built in 1881 as the Midhurst Public Hall) had its last showing in 1962 with the film Twice Around the Daffodils. It was demolished in 1966 to make way for a bland supermarket building that now houses Tesco (previously the International Stores and Gateway). Midhurst lost a grand ornate building, of the late Victorian era, that today could well have become a highlight of local architecture that had been returned to its original purpose; as an opulent town hall with presence and pride of place. In 1960 most people shopped locally, and Midhurst was well-served with independent shops. Before the refrigerator became a household necessity, daily shopping was the norm, but increasing affluence and mobility signalled the advent of supermarkets.

Was it a good investment? By 2014 the building was looking distinctly tired and it was demolished, to be replaced by a new Leisure Centre next door. The original site was boarded up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and has remained so ever since.

In 1992 Budgens of Billingshurst expressed an interest in building a supermarket on the site of the old bus garage in North Street, which came to naught. The Portsea Co-op explored the idea of a store behind The Angel. In 1995 two quite different planning applications were made for the White City site: one (a renewal) for sheltered accommodation; the other from Budgens for a supermarket. The Midhurst Society favoured the sheltered accommodation, but it was a store for Budgens that was built, complete with shoppers' car park. Not surprisingly, there was a knock-on effect on other shops in town, and although we

Social habits were changing too. The population was increasing but the number of pubs shrank. The Three Horseshoes (North Street) is now home to Pizza Express. The Egmont Arms (Rumbolds Hill), shown here, and The Crown (Edinburgh Square) were converted, sympathetically, into residential properties. 9

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. Building status, and in 1974 the Midhurst Conservation Area was established. This was revised in 2000 but with the advent of the South Downs National Park in 2011 (with Midhurst at its heart) conservation and protection entered a new phase. In drafting proposals for a newly-defined Conservation Area in 2012 the SDNPA commented: ‘Midhurst is remarkable for the quality and preservation of its historic environment.’ Perhaps unsurprisingly, the SDNPA chose Midhurst for its base. In earlier times the Society was not in favour of there being a national park for it would bring in greater use of the area to its detriment.

The demand for housing was unstoppable. Some of the big old houses were demolished or converted, estates and gardens were built on, with only the names remaining to remind us of their past use: Guillards Oak, Taylor's Field, Oakhurst, Elmleigh, Heatherwood, Heathfield Park, Holmbush, Close Walk Woods. On the corner of Petersfield Road and Bepton Road the showroom and garage, belonging to T H Russell, were pulled down and replaced with a residential development called Russell Court. The Dairy gave way to The Old Dairy (residential). On the opposite side of Petersfield Road, St Margaret's Convent was redeveloped, being named the Montagues. Prices there in 2015 started at £350,000 for a 3-bedroom house; a good deal greater than the house in the advert shown above for 1960. By this time the description 'affordable housing' had made its appearance and was included in the Convent site proposals.

The old town is still largely as it was 60 years back: except it is now smarter with new paving and street furniture. To think, 80 years back at this intersection one saw and very much heard the ongoing noise of tanks, trucks, guns, troops and more as they made their way down South Road to be part of the D-Day landings of Second World War!

The closure of the railway stations in Midhurst had pushed all transport onto the roads. The growth in population, the increase in ownership of private cars, the perceived need to travel further for shopping, all combined to put pressure on roads and car parks. Two major roads (the A286 north/south and the A272 east/west) converged and shared the same restricted space between North Mill Bridge and the Rumbolds Hill miniroundabout. Ronald Boxall (in A Midhurst Lad) recalls dribbling an old tennis ball down the middle of North Street “and the only thing I had to avoid were the numerous deposits of horse manure”. Nowadays traffic jams are common, and the exhaust emissions constitute a health hazard. The most obvious partial solution would be a by-pass to the north-west of the town, allowing east/west traffic to avoid North Street completely. Land ownership, funding and political will have so far provided insurmountable barriers, although a solution should not prove to be beyond the wit of man.

Through all of this the Midhurst Society quietly fought for what it believed to be in the best interests of the town. We have a lot to thank those unsung volunteers for; and the present members of the Committee feel privileged to have been chosen to carry on this tremendously important work. (Midhurst Town Council)

Fortunately, the special character of the old part of Midhurst had long-been recognised. Many individual properties were given Listed 10

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Looking Back 60 Years: Some 1961 events

empty of shoppers destitute of affordable housing minus a local labour force devoid of a police presence terrorised by young vandals without tourists or visitors with an aging population with negative equity” --------------------------------------------

• • • • • • •

January. The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, ceased to be legal tender. In the 17th century Midhurst minted its own farthing! February. The Sunday Telegraph newspaper started.

Spring 1990. Letter from Lady Bonham Carter: -

March. First use of Identikit facial composite system to identify a murderer. Black and white £5 note ceased to be used. First Beatles performance.

“I enclose my cheque for £5 to cover my subscription to the Midhurst Society. I think the magazine is now quite excellent.” The Committee is pleased to announce that membership has passed 400.

April. Jaguar E-type launched as 2-seater with top speed of 150mph. May. Betting shops allowed. Guilford Cathedral consecrated. The “Forgotten Prisoners” article sets foundation of Amnesty International.

We are again back in business! In Summer 1991 ‘At the Annual General Meeting held on 10 April, in response to the announcement that the Society has been given a selection of slides of Midhurst, Mr Douglas Rudwick suggested that his son, David, might give a talk illustrated with these slides.’ And Dave is still at it!

July. Suicide decriminalised in England and Wales. August. UK applies for EEC membership. ‘Lady Chatterley’ play opened in London. September. First Mothercare shop opened.

In Summer 1994 ‘The Society had raised with the County Council the possible removal of the Library from the building in Knockhundred Row to the vacant Court House, which is close to a car park and could provide a convenient and attractive setting for the Library. Miss Lascelles suggested the present Library building might be a suitable site for a museum. nothing came of that.’

October. Acker Bilk’s clarinet piece, Stranger on the Shore, released. First programme of Songs of Praise broadcast. Is still runs today; one programme was made in Easebourne. November. First British winner of Miss World Beauty pageant. December. Birth control pills available in the NHS. Tanganyika gains independence from Britain.

‘In response to a request for news of a by-pass for Midhurst, Miss Chesters said that plans had been put forward some years ago for a route through Pitsham but nothing came of it!’ We are still waiting for some brave and bold action on that most needed action.

Vision for Midhurst, cast in July 2003. Taken from The Midhurst Society Newsletter of July 2003. “Last October Country Life declared Midhurst to be the Second-Best Place in England to live. However, by 2012, unless we protect our heritage, Midhurst might be: • The Worst Place to live • gridlocked by traffic • immobilised by parked cars 11

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Bridget's Midhurst Meanderings By Bridget Howard

We carried small wicker baskets for fragile items.

Well now, “Shopping” - the physical act of entering a retail establishment and buying from it one or more of the goods on sale there. Do you still do this, or do you prefer to order online from the comfort of your home, paying a financial penalty to return unsuitable objects? We are witnessing a social revolution in which 'shopping' does not require shops. In the 1930's, a time which many of the town residents of Midhurst will remember, there were six butchers, four bakers, five grocers, four greengrocers, three chemists, and six sweet shops – not to mention cobblers, pubs, garages, book shops and a music shops.

In the greengrocer's, punnets of soft fruit were carefully inserted in paper bags. The baker, using tongs, placed small cakes into partitioned cardboard boxes. Loaves of bread were wrapped in white paper before being handed to us. Plenty of paper, plenty of time to chat.

Do you remember the grocer? We stood at the counter while the shop assistant wielded a length of wire with wooden handles at each end, and cut our portion of cheese from a large block. Similarly, wooden paddles squared off our butter. Few things were pre-packed. We chose our biscuits from a bank of tins with glass fronts. The cheapest were 'broken biscuits'. Sugar came in blue paper cones. We stood, but the wives of local dignitaries sat on tall chairs and discussed their needs with an attendant senior assistant. Later that day, the errand boy opened our unlocked back door and put our purchases on the kitchen table. No need to lug home the supermarket's plastic bags. No supermarkets. No plastic.

There were more shops in Midhurst's Old Town than there are today. At the beginning of the 20th century, for example, at the top of Church Hill, Mr Dion L Dailey the chemist also sold tobacco and cigarettes, drawing materials, photographic goods, and mineral water! A few years earlier Mr Samuel Cowlap had the young H. G. Wells as his assistant in there. Today, a blue plaque identifies the house. Nearby, there were two boot-makers: Miss Ruth Symonds and Mr William Wonnar plied their craft beside the Midhurst Steam Bakery. On the other side of Church Hill, on the site recently occupied by Lloyds Bank, was the emporium of Morleys, a Mecca for the 12

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. Today the travel agent in Rumbolds Hill occupies the former premises of Mr R. B. Robertson's drapery and haberdashery. (This was owned by Andy Robertson’s father)

fashion-conscious. They advertised a large collection of up-to-date millinery, mantles, capes and dresses for the ladies, together

Life on the Hill had its incidents! One day, Mrs Waller’s shop at the top of Wool Lane was visited; not by a bull - but a cow. It inspected the goods on sale and was persuaded to leave without leaving a calling card.

Mrs Waller’s Shop

with boys', youths' and gentlemen's wear, including boots and shoes. The shop used a system of overhead chutes to take money for purchases across to the cashier in the corner, returning with change and the receipt. Morleys had competitors. Two shoe-shops flourished in West Street. Frisby's (now a ladies hairdresser on the corner of Grange Road) sold inexpensive models. The other,

In another incident, during WW2, a despatch rider sending his motor cycle up Rumbolds Hill, failed to take the slight turn into the narrowed road. He came to a rapid stop in the Wheatsheaf pub’s window. You can still see the damage it made there if you look hard.

Gillams, marked by a plaque outside the photographic gallery, advertised the more costly Clarks' models.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Walking with Richard Williamson: Country Walk - Kingley Vale Everybody has their own idea of the age of these ancient trees, varying between 700 and 5,000 years. Imagine what you will. These monsters inspire awe, folklore, legend, pseudo-religion, ghosts, ghouls, and witchcraft; take your pick, I have heard them all. The valley is open access, and many like to sit on the downland turf in the valley amongst a carpet of wild flowers in summer.

Although I have written the Kingley Vale walk five times before in my weekly column I know there are still many Sussex people who have never been there. It is about 10 miles south of Midhurst. Is it the best walk in the county? That may or may not be your opinion. For me, 56 years ago on September 9, 1963 I knew I had never seen anything as good in England, and as manager of its ecosystem for 30 years together with other nature reserves, it remained supreme. I even wrote two books about it. One was the story of a roebuck that lived and died there, written in the style of my father's Tarka the Otter. It was called Capreol, published by Macdonald. The other was my story of the Reserve and how it is managed and with every detail of the plants, insects, birds and mammals that live there. That was called The Great Yew Forest, published by MacMillan.

I logged 360 species. Or you might want to see the birds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I have logged 56 breeding species over half a century, with many more in winter. I have also logged the butterflies over 47 years on a weekly five mile transect, results of which show a regular saw-tooth graph on a seven-year cycle, the peaks of which are on a steady decline. Forty species of butterfly have been recorded from a UK list of 56. Most people like to climb to the top of the hill to the so-called King's Graves which are Bronze Age tumuli and see that famous view of the Channel and the Isle of Wight. It is one I have never tired of, and neither will you. I only hope that the middle section of the coastal plain is not going to be massacred by yet more urban infilling. That would be sacrilege. Make the effort to go there and see for yourself and let your views be known.

The Reserve lies nearly a mile from the nearest

road and car park at West Stoke, three miles north-west of Chichester. A word of warning, it is full at weekends. Another access is from the north through the beech forests from the car park near Stoughton. The Reserve is famous worldwide for its yew forest, composed of 30,000 yew trees, the majority of which are on the steep valley slopes having spread from about 20 ancient trees in the valley.

The valley was used for 6,000 years by farmers from Neolithic times until 1939. There was a Roman presence when wheat and grapes were grown. The remains of a small bronze Age 14

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. fighters were constructed and the whole area was a collecting point for D-Day troops. There is so much to see in this nether world which has fascinated me for over half a century and live it through your own imagination.

village can just be seen if you know how and where to look for the signs. Sheep fairs were held here in the Middle Ages. There are 16 separate indications on the ground of historic monuments. When the military took over the ground in the 1890s for a firing range, the place was peppered with bullets and bombs. I myself took part in two 100% clearances of ordnance. Underground dwellings for guerrilla

First published in the Chichester Observer and reproduced here by kind permission of Richard Williamson, with whom copyright remains.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Coming Home: The Kingley Vale Yews by Sue Tordoff

no chimneys smoke no people dwell no holy well, but a pocket of flint smooth sharp when napped it slept in the ground until I found it in the vee of ancient yew boughs someone placed a stone like an antler, an offering from the deer people echoing the growth of trees who goes in the grove, who shelters under the skelter of trees, whose hands smooth the rippled bark, whose heart made an altar of the yew?

those ancients walked the land before these trees were seeds, you can feel them still in the quiet of the vee formed by the hills in the valley of the grove of yews of you of me. we are the people we walk our rainbow walk we talk our raindrop talk we drop our voices under the yews we sing our ringing hearts we bring our offerings we reel bringing feelings wringing out our hearts what we offer is ourselves

under the branches, the shapes of gothic arches. on the silent skyline barrows march. the mewing of the distant buzzard a call to prayer a prayer that moans in the wind, a wild and silent prayer, entreaty for healing for forgiveness that beseeches here loud in the ear, a buzzing-of-insectsprayer rasping in our heads, a fluttering-of-leaves prayer whispering on the breeze. the clasping of hands and genuflexion. moving branches applaud success

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

oh yes there is darkness too in the grove, the twilight grows thick here. those with weak bellies go home before sundown. there where shadows move and the shade deepens the only flash a movement at the corner of my eye the brave merge with the shadow of their past, the wind mourns their passing, life goes on the yews grant life support it hide it seek it live and die it, their rotting in the damp earth thrives

I can smell it taste it long after, it’s in my nose my eyes my ears on my tongue. the life of the grove is in my touch, so much life giving, my fingers move at the tree’s will, stroke the colours green-brown-dun pink-lime-purple sunsets in the clouds of bark – stroke the colours polish them a prayer to perfection

and now the sharpness of flint opens my hand, cut to the bone blood flows drip drop on to the earth my offering my thanks for the shadows coming home

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Day Walks on the South Downs: by Deirdre Huston Book review by Harvey Tordoff

three counties, 150 pages in all. Before we get started there are several pages of helpful notes and advice.

This is a new edition, the first having sold out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; two printings - and the opportunity was taken to update the walks and mapping and add more photos. There is a lot of competition for walking books, so that's a recommendation in itself! It looks good, and it feels good. Quality paper, lots of sharp photos, maps and text. Small enough to fit in your pocket but big enough to fit a lot of information on a page without it feeling cramped. However, the proof of the pudding . . . .

Each walk then has a brief introduction, a summary of what's involved â&#x20AC;&#x201C; distance (kilometres and miles); total elevation (metres and feet); time to allow; starting point (grid reference and sat nav); which big map to use; location of pubs and cafes; and a comment on how straightforward (or otherwise) the walk is. This is followed by a well-written and interesting general description of the whole walk, a map marked with key points along the way, and then one or more pages of specific instructions. All entries are generously interspersed with

I have used several guide books over the years and I remember on some occasions having difficulty finding the car park, or even deciding which pedestrian exit to use from the car park; and then spotting landmarks that might have been obvious to some but not to me. But the more you walk with this book as a guide and the more confident you become that you can trust Deirdre Huston. The South Downs is our newest National Park, but the Downs of course are ancient. They are naturally beautiful in their own right and there are many instances of human occupation, ancient and modern, that warrant closer inspection. Deidre knows where they are.

good photographs of the landscape and particular features, and on some walks with suggested alternative loops or short cuts. The walks are all fairly long, many of them with hill climbs, so not for a casual Sunday afternoon amble, but if you are reasonably fit and don't just want to tick off another achievement, this book is perfect. Could I have asked for more? At the risk of

The book contains 20 circular walks across 18

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. being picky, the coloured panels on which the summary details are printed render the text harder to read. The general descriptions could have been longer, because so many features are left out, but then it would be a different book and wouldn't fit in your pocket. And the pages of instructions are not especially entertaining but they do tell you what you need to know. Bottom line: this is an excellent book and I have no hesitation in recommending it. Harvey Tordoff Midhurst February 2020 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Or, why not an Ultra-Marathon on the South Downs Way? In case those walks are too easy for the ultra-marathoners amongst us, you could take part in something like the SWD100 ultra foot race! That 2015 route coursed from Winchester to Eastbourne and for those who really train up for it, this is a way to pass a day away taking some 27 hours, or more, to complete. Who needs a car when you can run!

Read a log diary of a 2015 competitor at https://navs1962.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/there-andback-again-a-south-downs-way-journey-part-2-sdw100/

Your reward for finishing the gruelling run - the Finishers Medal

For those who have less time to devote to this kind of leisure there are the local events such as the Petersfield Half Marathon and 10km run. 19

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Meet the Committee: Michael de Jong-Smith by Michael de Jong -Smith I was born in Surrey in 1933, and first left home to spend time in the Forces, during which I had to grow up very quickly, seeing active service during the first Suez Canal Zone Crisis of 1951-4.

Michael in 2012

where I enjoyed competing with my Merlin Rocket. Then I met Nel on top of a mountain in Austria. And my life changed for ever. We were married in 1965, and lived in Wokingham for four years until I was offered a job in Sierra Leone.

1952: Bren gun carrier experience.

After leaving the Forces I served an apprenticeship, worked for the M.O.D. for a while and then became involved in Engineering for the rest of my working life. I became very active in motor racing, and spent much of my time racing Formula 2 single seat racing cars, at Brands Hatch, Goodwood and that led me into

Here’s another I made earlier: Cobra.

After West Africa we came back to England until, a year later I was asked to run a company in The Netherlands, probably because I spoke the language. Languages have always interested me so apart from English, I can get by in Dutch, Turkish and have a ‘smattering’ of Arabic and German. By then we had a daughter, Rowena, and a son, Adrian, and now we have three grown-up grand-daughters - Chloe, who is a successful engineer, and Jasmine and Jessica, who are still studying. When that post ended we returned to England and I joined an American company building pipelines in Saudi Arabia, as Head of Procurement; but this was not a success, so Nel and I decided to create our own company, which grew to become the Rowena Group of six separate organisations and we were able to

Formula 2 days.

other venues during the late 1950s. I also managed to find time to design and build three sports cars, and even registered a car make, ‘Palux’, with the Department of Transport. My father founded the Egham Lake Sailing Club 20

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. When we retired, we bought land in Turkey and had a house built; and enjoyed our time there for nineteen years. Other countries

keep ourselves and our family fed and clothed for twenty-one years. When we came to Midhurst in 1973, it was a totally different place to what it is now. The first thing we were given when we bought our house, was a booklet about Midhurst which showed, amongst other things, the route of the proposed by-pass road. It still hasn’t happened. We did not need to shop outside the town, as Henderson’s Department Store was on the corner of West Street and Rumbolds Hill, and Bradleys outfitters were on the opposite corner. In fact, my in-laws would come from Holland specially to buy their clothes from Hendersons, Bradleys and Christines in North Street.

Nel and Michael in 2015

visited during our lifetime include, Senegal, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Albania, Libya, Egypt and nearly all the European countries. At 87 years of age, I now have Parkinson’s Disease, but this has not stopped me following many activities such as bowling, computing, building miniature Victorian locomotives and, of course, being Membership Secretary for the Midhurst Society.

There was Cullens the grocers and International Stores, several greengrocers, three butcher’s shops, Mays in West Street (which became Greens), a good shoe shop and many more pubs than there are now. The Crown in Edinburgh Square put on plays and other events, and I particularly remember old Mr. Ayling, dressed in his shepherd’s smock, giving the most amusing comedy monologues with a broad Sussex accent.

---------------------------------------------------------

There was a farrier opposite Lloyds Bank and a blacksmiths at the end of North Street. The bus depot was off North Street where Northgate Mews is now. Just imagine trying to reverse a double-deck bus through that narrow alley-way.

Yesteryear 1960: Car Park Plan at a Standstill ‘After nearly two years of negotiations, Midhurst Rural District Council and Cowdray Estate Co., Ltd., are still at deadlock over the siting of the proposed new car park at Cowdray Meadows, Midhurst. The Council wants to construct the park on the north side of the Meadows but the Cowdray Estate Co. feels it should be on the south side. It appeared that Lord Cowdray was likely to object to the siting of the park on the north side, but might be prepared to consider its construction on the south. A lay-out plan was submitted showing how the land on the south side could be used, the wrought iron gates being set back to allow an entrance to the car park across the Causeway.’ (Local newspaper, WSRO)

When the bus station fell out of use, indoor markets were held in the old bus depot building. The Southdowns Motor Company offices were on the opposite side of North Street where Fitzcanes are now. Russell’s Garage was on the corner of Station Road and Petersfield Road, and one could also buy petrol from the pumps outside the garage; which is now Pizza Express. My daughter grazed her pony in the field where the original Grange Centre was built, and we used the stables behind Peachey House, but we had to give that up when we became involved with raising money to build the Centre. 21

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Looking Back: Neil Dallynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s views in 1995 - and now First, from a 1995 Midhurst Society publication that disturbs him. He minds when unsympathetic materials are used with ancient stone-work, too bright bricks or pretentious thatch, which result in a building that is uncomfortable with its surroundings. (From the

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;He is sixteen and content with the life in farming he has chosen for himself when his education has been completed at the Midhurst Grammar School. A member of a family of farmers he is undisturbed by the change being imposed on the farming community. Though his principal interest is in arable crops, he accepts that diversification is necessary and already work, such as tree surgery and garden landscaping, have become part of farm life. Where once the main crops would have been wheat, oats and barley, today they plant flax and linseed. Keyzaston Farm, at the foot of the Downs at Sutton, is a mixed farm of 150acres, rented from Lord Mersey, of which approximately 100 acres is arable, and 50 acres is grazing for cattle and a few sheep. Although Neil Dallyn is not unsympathetic to the idea of small farms following in the traditional pattern, he knows they are no longer viable and it is the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intention to add to their acreage as and when other farms become available.

(from the Spectator at the time)

At Keyzaston Farm they cut the hedges late to allow the birds time to build their nests and rear their young. He sometimes feels the footpaths that were established for the practical purpose of communication between farms and villages for those that could only go on foot are nowadays misused for journeys to nowhere, sometimes with undisciplined dogs who can sniff out creatures that live in the hedgerows. It is, or course, in the nature of dogs to sniff things out, many a farm dog has been sent after rabbits, but working dogs can usually be brought to heel when their job is done. Dogs just out to play have a different attitude. He does not care for the mess left behind people who arrive uninvited on farm land, but recognises that travellers are probably an established hazard for farmers. One gets the impression when talking to Neil Dallyn that he hopes to find a path through the apparent disorder of his time which will reconcile the urbanising of the countryside

It is tempting to think that this remarkably unruffled person has no strong objections to anything, but talk for a while about the countryside and it becomes clear that he is concerned about the way the character of the villages is changing; cottages that once housed integrated communities with a common knowledge of the workings of their locality have become occupied by people who come from far away and are rarely able to contribute to rural life as it has been understood. He is concerned about the conversion of traditional farm buildings. He has no objection to their becoming desirable residences, better that they are used than allowed to decay, it is the manner in which the transition is sometimes 22

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. with its traditions and so strike a new and acceptable balance.

together I feel having some qualifications in your chosen career is important.

When the time comes, Neil Dallyn expects to take a course at Brinsbury, the agricultural college near Pulborough, and perhaps have a few months in a French farming community before becoming a working member of the farm at Sutton. Until then he will continue his education at the Grammar School and take his leisure fishing for dace on a lake not far from his home, at Burton.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

From leaving college I continued working on the farm but there was not enough work/income to carry on as it was, my brother Michael and myself used to go and do relief labour on other farms and ended up working winters for a local building firm W & A Baxters where we gained some good skills we could use on the farm and later on in our contracting careers. In 2000 I went out and worked 6 months in Florida USA on a potato farm spraying crops and harvesting with my cousin Lee Dallyn. A great experience that again pushed me and I enjoyed the challenge of living and working in another country and, as it turned out, a great time to be away from the UK as Foot and Mouth hit the UK and UK farming industry.

And Now That said in 1995, we caught up with Neil Dallyn and asked him how his life had worked out. This is what he said now.

On returning home, I had a clear plan of how I

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Midhurst Grammar School was a great fun place of learning. Although at the time I was desperate to get on the farm and start work and felt it was a necessary part of learning and was ticking off the days. But as you get older you realise what a shaping period in your life it is, the teachers your friends and actually your next steps in life could be determined by your results. School got far more interesting as the work got harder and options came along and I really enjoyed the challenge of maths and business studies - finally a class at GCSE I felt could be useful in my chosen career of farming.

wanted to improve the farm and make it viable. I was going to build the contracting business which in turn would give us better machinery to farm our farm more efficiently whilst taking the pressure off the farm to supply incomes for the families involved. The farm has slowly expanded to 1400 acres with 13 different landlords from the original 150 acres with 2 landlords. We grow Wheat, Oats, Beans, Maize and Potatoes and supply hay, haylage and straw. We also have 100 Suckler cows producing 100 finished animals a year and half the farm is organic so get sold as organic or under the Aberdeen Angus scheme.

After Midhurst I did 2 years of day release at Brinsbury College gaining NVQ level 2 and level 3 plus spraying, telehandler, and AtV driving qualifications. Another great step and I enjoyed working on the farm whilst carrying on learning and getting formal qualifications. This was important as when putting tenders

The contracting business has grown hugely. We now have myself running farm and farm contracting business and my brother Michael 23

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. generally carry on with the options voluntarily

running the fencing, landscaping and estate maintenance side of the business. We employ 6 full time employees with 4 part time employees and other self-employed tractor and drivers come in as required. The work has also changed hugely. Our main customer contracting is vineyards helping install and harvest support which helps spread the season of all our kit and although we do a large amount of traditional contracting like ploughing, drilling and combining we also could be found flail collecting the wildflower meadow around the folly in Petworth Park or harvesting and spreading Heather seed. You can certainly say we have diversified! This wide range of skills and work base and support we have given our customers has resulted in us winning Contractor Innovator of the year award last year at the British farming awards a testament to all the operators in the company of their high standard and commitment to the work they do and when needed to extremely long hours. [The judges considered Neil to be a really versatile local specialist with a business which they felt was very much under control. Ed.]

as it creates positive attributes to the farm. All this has only happened with the fabulous support from all my family especially my wife Rachael and my two girls Phoebe and Amelia. Now the business is in a good stable position I can start spending more family time supporting them in their hobbies - riding and competing on their ponies at The Lord Leconfield Pony Club, and for their schools or local competitions. They in turn come and support me at local ploughing matches as my hobby is match ploughing and do 9 matches a year including the Sussex championship and the National which is in Lincoln this year. At the moment the girls are happy to come and help on the farm, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it as a career which is absolutely fine as you really need to believe and have a strong passion for farming as it is a way of life and does require some long hours, but it is very rewarding and we possibly work in the best office view of any industry at the foot of the south Downs.

Even though we have grown, small family farms can survive and have a huge role in the farming patchwork in the UK. But I still feel you need to have other streams of income as commodity prices are not always kind! The environmental schemes are very important and deliver fantastic results for the environment and community and are creating a fabulous patchwork of outstanding habitats - a real credit to all the farmers and land owners. Although the paper work and red tape is huge, even when these schemes ends farmers

(Thank you to the Dallyn Family for this article and congratulations for your win. đ&#x;&#x2019;Şđ&#x;&#x2019;Ş)

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Grandma's House: A Memory of Midhurst By David Percy ‘This is the view I remember as I went up to bed when I stayed at my grandparents' house as a child. There was a window on the turn of the stairs that overlooked South Pond. At night the street lamp outside the white house on the right, then an antiques shop, threw a silvery light over it which was reflected in the dancing waters of the pond. Quite magical! Granddad drove a train on the Midhurst branch line. He always told us to be wary of the pond's pair of swans, because "they could break a man's arm" with their wings. Each morning and afternoon we would cross the road directly opposite their house to take Snowy, their golden and white crossbred collie, into the Close Walks where, beside a less-used path off to the right, there was an ancient, headless statue of a woman. Grandma knew the names of all the wildflowers we encountered, pointing to them with her walking stick, and whenever I smell bluebells, I instantly recall her and the happy times I spent with them.

statues of figures which were designed to look solid, but in fact had fronts but no backs. Would this be what is now known as the Walled Garden? Some of the drivers competing in sports car races at Goodwood in the 50’s used to stay at the Spread Eagle, and as children my brothers, sister and I would hear the deep, throaty growls and snarls of them warming up their cars behind the brick wall in the car park, and spill out onto Chichester Road to watch the procession of Allards, Aston Martins, Jaguars and Frazer-Nash’s being driven to the circuit. Stirring stuff for a small boy! I live a long way away in Chester, but still have a great affection for the town.

My dad who was born in 1917, used to tell a story of how as a boy he and his friends used to climb into an old forbidden garden in the Ruins, and if discovered hide in lead

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Midhurst: Aerial views in 1986 By Reg Symonds

North Street, looking South at the top.

Rumbolds Hill. Looking North at the top.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Cowdray Ruins, looking North at the top

Cowdray Ruins, looking West at the top.

Rare shots, and not taken with a drone; they did not exist in 1986. Aerial photography was first carried out from a balloon in 1858. A kite was used in 1882. By WW1 it was in military use to get intelligence on enemy movements

and placements. Commercial use by Aerofilms Ltd began in the UK in 1919 by police, real estate and cityscape photographers.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Future for Cars in Midhurst: Go Electric by Matthew Brandon The age of the electric car is slowly approaching, and it is only a matter of time until the government prohibit the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in the UK by a renewed date of 2035. However, consumers are reluctant to invest in electric cars for a number of reasons, specifically cost, charge time, and vehicle range. This article aims to reassure readers about electric cars, and give a brief insight of what it’s like to own an electric car in Midhurst.

The Tesla Model 3 is a complete joy to drive around Midhurst and the surrounding area. The car runs silently yet delivers impressive performance and more than enough grip to take on the twists and turns of the country roads. There are also ample charging points around Midhurst and West Sussex to charge your vehicle, even two new chargers at North Street Car Park. Tesla also run their own Supercharger network across the UK, which can charge your car from 0-80% in 30 minutes whilst you’re having a coffee break.

What is an electric car? An electric car uses electric motors to turn the wheels and derives all its power from large rechargeable batteries. The size of a battery correlates to its power output and range. For instance, the Tesla Model 3 comes with a 50-kWh battery as standard, with a range of 254 miles, and 0-60 in 5.3 seconds which is more than enough to beat the majority of cars at the traffic lights in Midhurst!

The greatest benefit of buying an electric car is the exceptionally low running cost. I charge the car from my home using a Rolec 32A WallPod which charges my car overnight. Depending on your tariff, you can charge the car from 0-100% for as little as £7 which will give you an estimated range of over 250 miles. This is considerably cheaper than running my previous car which did 400 miles on a full tank. I have driven just over 5000 miles in my Tesla Model 3 yet only paid £150 in electricity to power the car.

Why did I buy an electric car? I bought an electric car after I calculated how much I was spending every week on petrol. Granted, I had a fuel guzzling petrol engine, but travelling around West Sussex and Surrey was costing me around £80 a week, or over £4,000 a year. So without even test driving the car, I preordered a Tesla Model 3 and waited three months for it to be shipped from California.

Another benefit of owning an electric car is that zero emissions are produced whilst driving, meaning cleaner air and a healthier 28

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. Taycan or the Audi E-Tron. Another disadvantage is the practicality of owning an electric car. Electric cars have a relatively limited range, meaning more frequently stopoffs for charging on long journeys. It is also essential that the consumer has off-road parking to plug in their car at home. Domestic chargers have to be wired into the mains and cost on average £650 including the government grant of £500.

environment. An electric car also requires less maintenance as there are fewer moving parts compared to a conventional engine, so you need not worry about expensive garage bills.

Conclusion. In my opinion, if you are considering buying a new car, buy into the electric car craze! The government grant of £3,500 will help you offset the cost of a new electric vehicle as well as the charger grant of £500 for your domestic charger. The car is better for the environment and will save enormous amounts of money on fuel.

On the other hand, electric cars are expensive to buy initially, with the cost starting from £21,000 for a basic Skoda, but can easily reach the £100,000 mark for cars such as the Porsche

fitted with a rapid start kerosene heater! It had no capacity to use resistive heating.

The Path to Practicality During the 19th century many vehicles applied electric motors to propel them along. The first known one was a 7-ton locomotive that hauled a 6-ton load, 1.5 miles at 4mph - that was in 1837. That was amazing for it had only crude electric storage batteries and electrical technology was in its infancy.

Improvement to the capability resulted with the use of lithium-based batteries; not the lead acid ones still being used in cars - but soon to go to save weight. The massive drop in cost means we now hear about the phasing out of petrol and diesel fuelled cars in the foreseeable decades.

Ferdinand Porsche build an all-wheel drive, electrically driven car in 1898. By 1910 progress was restricted by infrastructure to support battery charging.

For a geophysical research project, we needed to take people and heavy items a quarter mile into a mine drive. The floor had permanently flowing red mud coming up from a shaft inside to find its way out the entrance.

Internal combustion alternatives overtook those poor capabilities. It has taken decades to reach a useful state for passenger cars.

We converted an old tiny Renault van by changing the drive to use four electric starter motors driving the ring gear held by the gearbox. The huge tractor electric battery drove it in and back on a charge. At one trip, covered with ladders and wooded props and carrying 4 people, it just took off and ground its way along without any feeling of stress. We called it our lemon charged van.

In the mid 80’s I was invited to experience a major UK national research unit’s electric research delivery van. Wow. We took off in utter silence. It did not have gears. I looked in the empty back of the van and asked what was its payload. Zero! The lead acid batteries under the floor limited its capability. I also asked how do you heat the van in winter. There being no spare heat from an engine, it was

Peter Sydenham 29

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

The Old Market House: Not so! By Harvey Tordoff Not the real Market House after all

walls were filled in around 1760, two punishment cells were built,

We all know about the Old Market House in Midhurst, the place where in 1672 Gilbert Hannam started a school for 12 poor Protestant boys, the origin of today's Midhurst Rother

Real old Town Hall when it was a fire station

and the fire engine was housed there. It became the Civic Centre, and the Law Courts and Council meetings were held on the upper floor. In due course the real Market House became the Town Hall. The stairs were moved outside in the 1840's. The cells are still there, as is the fire bell, but the ground floor is now a popular cafe.

Supposed Old Market House in 1866, Antiques were sold there then.

College. People who live in Midhurst probably pass by the Old Market House several times a week, but surprisingly there is some confusion over the identity of the building. Bridget Howard provided a detailed history in the Midhurst Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage Magazine (No 3, 2005); we quote from that article here. It is also now available in her 2006 leaflet published by the Society.

The 'other' building has an interesting history in its own right. In 1639 it was leased to Richard Cobden, a wealthy cloth merchant and 4 times great-grandfather of the Victorian statesman and social reformer of the same name. In fact, members of the Cobden family lived there until the end of the eighteenth century, when the descendants of the first Richard moved to Dunford Farm, Heyshott, where the famous Richard Cobden was born in 1804. The property in South Street became The Swan public house, then Arthur Glazier's The Coffee Tavern, a building contractor and an antique dealer, before becoming The Coffee Tavern again in the 1960's.

Bridget explains at length that this building couldn't have been the Old Market House, because we know that the original Market House was built in 1551 on an empty piece of land, by which time the South Street plot served as a butcher's shop. A map of 1632 shows a typical open-floor market hall in the Market Square where the Old Town Hall is today. The ground floor

It would be less confusing if the 'other' building had a name. In view of the Cobdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long occupancy Bridget suggests it could simply be known as that: Cobdens. 30

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

ICI: Good Company By Brian Cox ‘It was from the early '60s that the ICI division, known as Plant Protection, based on the Verdley Estate at Fernhurst, researched, developed and marketed a clutch of agrochemical products that was to have a huge impact on world agriculture, notably in developing countries. The upshot was that the company started to attract young agronomists and other supporting staff who could tackle global demand.

Part of the massive site as it was in 2017.

www.derelictplaces.co.uk/ICI/Syngenta gave some of these people freedom to help get it going. For instance, Richard Loversidge chaired the management committee, with Jim Strong as the centre's director; and Richard himself then served as the director for a further 13 years.

This had an immediate impact, as young families found new homes and moved into towns like Midhurst. The children went to local schools and found their friendships there, as did their parents in the wider community.

Other individuals played a part within the local community, too. One of them was Keith Moores, who took an interest in Midhurst politics and became Chairman of Midhurst Town Council. Similarly, Peter Cochrane was for several years the town clerk. Of course, there were plenty of ICI folk with interests in a variety of local activities. But they did not indulge them by any means solely because they were employed by ICI at Verdley. They would have done so whoever they happened to work for. They were just lucky that it was ICI who brought them to this idyllic piece of Sussex in the first place.’

There followed a welcome contribution to the local economy. For example, not only did the incomers buy houses and do their shopping in Midhurst, but ICI put up their many business visitors in local hotels and fed them in local restaurants. Flats were rented on the Fairway for those in need of help: new recruits still house hunting or families back from an overseas posting. But it was not just the incomers. Expansion at Fernhurst also brought jobs for local people, to the extent that for a while ICI ran a minibus service to get local people to work.

In Addition. ICI’s Plant Protection Division was set up in the Verdley Estate in 1945. They bought it from Miss Schuster. It consisted of the mansion (Verdley Place) gardens, pleasure gardens and five farms. This all supported practical application of its research on pest and disease (weed) control in horticulture.

The world of computers arrived and evolved at pace. ICI recognised their importance not just in business but also in education. So, the company helped to get Midhurst Grammar School started on the new technology and then, as the company updated its own hardware, passed on some to the school.

This huge ICI enterprise had its Headquarters there in the 1970s and 1980s. Its activity left there in 2001. It is now the residential area called Verdley Place.

The coming of The Grange Community Centre was another landmark. ICI contributed to the fundraising and covenanted for several years. But it was at a time when national economic slowdown encouraged some of those approaching retirement to go early. Thus, ICI

See Voices of Fernhurst, The Fernhurst Society, 2006 and their extensive archives. 31

Midhurst Magazine Issue 31 Spring April, 2020. The 60th year edition

Stoolball: Birth of Cricket? by Carol Lintott, Chairperson, Midhurst Stoolball Club.

The game of Stoolball originated in Sussex, traditionally played by milkmaids who used their milking stools as a ‘wicket’. The earliest record of the game being played regularly dates from 1450 in Myrc’s ‘Instructions for Parish Priests’ in which he is “unequivocal in his abhorrence” of Stoolball being played in Churchyards.

those ancient milkmaids!” The game’s popularity has faded since the 1960s, but many town and village teams still play friendly matches against each other and at local league level across the South Downs. Most teams run an annual tournament where up to twelve teams are invited to play in two sections culminating in a final between the winners of each section. It took a long time for the sport to be recognised nationally, a National Stoolball Association (now Stoolball England) was formed in 1979 to promote the game and the Sports Council officially listed Stoolball as a sport in 2008. (Not yet recognised as an Olympic sport!)

Circa 1948 Back row - Left to right - Eileen Betts, Kathleen Luff, Olive Shrimpton, Bubbles Goodall, Eileen Ede, Dorothy Davis, Doris Miles Front Row - Left to right - Margaret Thorpe, Maureen Gumbrell, Ethel Brummell (Scorer), Margaret Luff, Jean Holford.

The Stoolball season runs from late April to September, is played on grass, and nowadays is more easily described as being a cross between rounders and cricket. Strikers score by hitting the ball into the field and running between the two wickets. The pitch has either a natural or a 90-yard diameter boundary, and is 16 yards long with two wickets. The bats are willow, with a round spliced face and a long,

As this pre-dates cricket by a century or so, it could be said that stoolball is the mother of cricket, and Ben Stokes should be thankful for

Midhurst Magazine Issue 31 Spring April, 2020. The 60th year edition sprung handle. The ball, similar to that used in rounders, is traditionally a small wooden ball, bound in string and covered in chamoix leather.

Over the years, the club has had a long service tradition, the late Ethel Brummell was secretary for 25 years and Joan Arnell then held the same post for a further 25 years. Latterly Sandra Thorpe held the post of treasurer for 25 years.

Each team consists of 11 players, with one team fielding and the other batting. Fielding positions are also similar to that of cricket, bowling is underarm from a bowling ‘crease’ 10 yards from the striker's wicket. The bowled ball reaches the striker on the full as in rounders rather than bouncing from the pitch as in cricket. Each over consists of eight balls during which the striker can be bowled, caught, run out or even bowled out ‘bodybefore-wicket’. Originally the milking stool must have been suspended from a tree branch, but now the ‘wicket’ itself is a square piece of wood at head or shoulder height fastened to a post, meaning that the striker doesn't have to stoop in an ungainly manner. There is no truth in the rumour that the Bristol Stool Chart is used in the sport.

The club is based at the Midhurst Sports Association at Cowdray Ruins Playing Fields where, between April-September, they play Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Club hold two tournaments contested by 10 or 12 teams, one for the club on the second Sunday in June and the ‘Dutton Cup’ which is played for the benefit of The Friends of The Midhurst Community Hospital on the second Sunday in September. The club is excited to be coming up to their centenary, which will be celebrated at the June Tournament in 2021. During the winter, the club keep their eye in by competing in the Midhurst Indoor Stoolball League held on Sundays at the Grange Community Centre. The present captain is Katherine House and the Treasurer is Lily White. The Club has 20 senior members and two junior members who we hope will continue to play for many years to come.

The Midhurst Stoolball Club was formed by the late Ellen Bennett and Jean Forrest in 1921.

New players are always welcome and anyone interested can contact Katherine House on: 07584 430086 or by email: katherinehouse@hotmail.co.uk

Circa 1955 Back row - Left to right - Audrey Harper, Dorothy Davis, Molly Betts, Eileen Ede, Olive Shrimpton, Margaret Thorpe Front Row - Left to right - Shirley Budd, Molly (Thorpe) Etherington, Joan Arnell, Mary (Stocker) West, Molly Bowen.

The first known captain was Dolly Andrews, followed by Molly Hyland. In 1930 Gladys Werry joined the club, and in 1933 took over the captaincy until 1947. Gladys Werry was a most successful member, representing Sussex County on many occasions. In later years she was President and Chairperson of the club. Eileen Ede, a member since 1934 took over as captain in 1947 until 1966, she also represented West Sussex.

June 2018 - a winning team Back Row - Left to right - Sue (Lintott) Rutter, Anna Cheal, Elaine (Weller) West, Katherine House, Natalie Garnett, Vikki Gamblen, Michaela Fay. Middle Row - Left to right - Steph Hall, Sam Dean, Georgina Norgate, Jo Trussler. Front Row - Left to right - Laura Fordham, Abi (Costello) Angear, Lily White, Michaela Glue.

Pictorial Quiz: Know your District! Answers on page 57.

1. What is the meaning of the name “Midhurst”? 2. What is the name of the hill behind Midhurst Rother College? 3. Where did “Midhurst Lad” Ronald Boxall spend his childhood before his family moved to June Lane? 4. What was the name of the pub in Edinburgh Square? 5. What was the name of the cinema in North Street? 6. What was the name of the convent in Petersfield Road? 7. What symbolic carving can be found on North Mill Bridge? 8. Who wrote the novel “Green Darkness” partly set in and around Midhurst? 9. The King Edward VII 'Sani' was opened in 1906. When did the hospital close? 10. What two symbols can be found on the Midhurst Welcome signs as you enter town? 11. Where were the Midhurst Gasworks? 12. Why was New Road created?

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Daffie Time: On Wordsworth’s Sister’s Frustration Sent in by Annie Atwell, Midhurst Garden Club The Midhurst Garden Club, unlike a lot of societies and clubs, is bucking the trend and its membership is increasing year by year. We had some enjoyable garden visits and listened to some very interesting speakers in 2019. We also had our first Garden Club Holiday to Suffolk and Essex with a highlight being a visit to the Beth Chatto Gardens. Another holiday is planned for 2021, this time to Staffordshire.

No, don’t get overwrought my dear, I’m coming. “I was out one day wandering Lonely as a cloud when Soft boiled egg, yes my dear, As usual, three minutes – As a cloud when all of a sudden Look, I said I’ll cook it. Just hold on will you – All right, I’m coming.

Our programme for 2020 includes a visit to Ramster Gardens in Surrey, the replanted and restored Leonardslee Gardens, Parham House and Wisley. We have an interesting number of speakers booked, covering a variety of horticultural themes such as Shakespeare’s Flowers and Plants; the hidden meanings of flowers depicted in art, etc.

“One day I was out for a walk When I saw this flock – It can’t be too hard, it had three minutes. Well put some butter on it. -This host of golden daffodils As I was out for a stroll one –

At our meeting on 9 March Ray Broughton, who has spent a lifetime in horticulture, gave a well-received talk on Daffodils and Spring Flowering Plants. It is 250 years since the birth of William Wordsworth and this year of celebration brings to mind a poem by Lynn Peters that explains why Dorothy Wordsworth is not as famous as her brother. Dorothy Wordsworth was an accomplished poet but her duties as housekeeper and companion to William Wordsworth frustrated her artistic endeavours.

“Oh you fancy a stroll, do you, Yes, all right William. I’m coming It’s on the peg. Under your hat. I’ll bring my pad, shall I, in case You want to jot something down?” Author: Lynn Peters Why Dorothy Wordsworth is not as famous as her brother and other poems, November 2018. Available:

“I wandered lonely as a ... They’re in the top-drawer William, Under your socks – I wandered lonely as a – No not that drawer, the top one. I wandered lonely by myself – Well wear the ones you can find,

Amazon.co.uk: Lynn Peters: 9781726498234: Books

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Super Medics: A childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first aid book by Hannah Alsbury-Morris

characters. Our first colour scene in the book came to life in the form of a watercolour painting (see below).

My name is Hannah and I am the author of Super Medics, a first aid book, and training program (based in Petworth) for children. I am a first aid, mental health and safeguarding instructor for my training company Impulse First Aid. In 2013 I became a Community First Responder (CFR) for our local ambulance service 'South East Coast Ambulance Service' (SECAmb) which involves attending certain 999 calls on behalf of SECAmb to provide emergency medical support where needed, while the ambulance in on its way. I love working with and helping people, and this role has given me the ability to make a difference in my community. In 2018 I became a volunteer CFR tutor for SECAmb, providing training to those who wish to become CFR's. However, soon after I started teaching for SECAmb I had a serious horse-riding accident and broke my back in multiple places. I was taken to St George's hospital in London (which was filmed and aired on Channel 4's program 24 hours in A & E), and spent several nights in their care. I was re-built with the help of titanium rods and screws.

Book cover

My ultimate goal throughout the project was to create a bold, bright and inspiring first aid book for children that could be used as both a stand-alone book or as teaching material for first aid in schools. Our medical editor Paramedic Steve Topley, carefully adjusted both images and text to ensure that Super Medics was both factually correct and in line with best practice (at the time of printing). Super Medics was successfully published and made available to all leading book shops in November 2019.

I was somewhat limited as to what I could physically achieve at this time, and during my recovery period I set out to write a first aid book and first aid program for children. This was something that I had wanted to do before my accident to help support my teaching, so I took the opportunity to make it happen. In October 2018 I set out to find a children's illustrator who would be able to represent my ideas while working with a local artist to create initial pen sketches of potential 36

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. For more information see https://supermedics.com/

Children are like sponges, and take in so much information. Teaching them is incredibly rewarding and can be a real pleasure. Providing the Super Medics book and grasping their attention through hands-on learning, practical work and scenarios help to make learning first aid, fun and memorable. I am a wife and mother of two young children. Both my husband and girls have given me great support and inspiration through my journey. I have always been passionate about helping and caring for those in need. I am pleased to say that further to my most recent surgery, I am fully recovered and have ridden since my fall. I am very much looking forward to working with further schools and instructors nationally to make Super Medics training accessible to all children. To supplement this, I am hoping to start my life long wish to become a paramedic in September 2020.

[Congratulations Ashley! What a heartwarming story. We recently saw the TV clip in Australia. Peter Sydenham]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------‘24 Hours in A&E’ So! We have a hero in our midst. Albeit unexpectedly! The 24 Hours in A&E award-winning documentary tv series comes from St George’s in south west London, one of Britain’s most advanced and busiest A&E departments. It focuses on the bonds between patients and their family, as well as those between the staff in the A&E department. Its several stories in each episode combine the clinical response aspect with the human experiences of staff and patients' families and friends. For example: ‘65-year-old retired builder Roger has fallen four metres from his daughter’s roof while doing some building work for her. The trauma team is concerned that he may have badly injured his head, back and neck in the accident. Roger’s daughter Lisa heard him fall from her roof ‘like a sack of potatoes’. “The guilt kicks in, thinking he was on my roof,” she says. “You start asking yourself all those questions: ‘What if, what if?’.” His wife Ellen waits as Roger is taken for a CT scan to find out how badly he’s been hurt. She talks about how Roger has always been a support for her, particularly recently when she lost four sisters. “He has a sensitive side, very caring; he is always there for me. He used to be harder, a bit fiery. He used to lose his temper if things didn’t go right,” says Ellen. “I seem to hold my emotions in quite a bit, I suppose I have been through too many emotional things in life, I hold them back.’ [From https://www.lifestyle.com.au/tv/24-hours-in-emergency/] 37

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

A Modern Midhurst Myth: Yarn Bombers by a roving reporter “And what's the pyramid?”

There are many myths and mysteries swirling around in the woods that close in on Midhurst, most of them dimly seen through the mists of time, but there is one modern mystery. On occasion, Midhurstians wake to find that the town has been visited in the night. The only evidence is a tree, bollards, or railings clad in wool.

“That is an 8-foot Christmas tree!” she replied witheringly. We had this idea about a year ago and have been researching how to make it. Over the last 6 months we have been crocheting “granny squares” and have made in the region of 300 squares plus lots of smaller decorations.

Intrigued, we set out to solve the puzzle, and discovered a pattern. These nocturnal visitations took place around the time of MADhurst, or other festivals. We lay in wait, but we couldn't keep watch on the whole of Midhurst and time and time again we were foiled. If we lurked near the bus station woollen decorations would be found the next morning in Market Square. If that's where we were, it would happen by North Mill Bridge. Eventually we were lucky. One night, weaving our way home from the pub, we saw shadowy movements on the Stag Garden Roundabout. Cautiously, we moved closer, and we clearly saw bright-eyed bushy-tailed creatures with knitted face masks erecting some kind of a woollen pyramid. We called out softly:

It has been a real collaborative project for the beginner and more experienced Wool Technician”. “But wait! Let us photograph you. Let us tell your story!”

“We mean you no harm, but could you tell us what you are doing?” Startled, they bolted, making for the trees that border the water meadows. But from a safe distance one of them stopped, half turned. “We are the MADhurst Yarnbombers” she whispered. “We just want to put a smile on people’s faces and help to make our great little town of Midhurst a fabulous place to live and visit” 38

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

“We are a secret society of guerrilla knitters and don't court publicity.” And with that she was gone. What will they do next? We are as intrigued as you would be. ‘Hug a pole’ is creative for sure! If you want to find out more, we suggest you crochet a Facebook message for MADhurst Yarn Bombers. Even a woolly email might get through! Now that’s a real lot of knitting! And how much more will we see at the next MADhurst to descend (hopefully!) upon the town the from 1st – 31st August 2020. It will surely be another exciting, month long, festival celebrating music, arts and drama.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

The Crown Hotel: A Long and Interesting Life Peter Sydenham reports tables coming out of the long Eastern wall. I really recall school life there because each morning little gill bottles of milk were delivered for us kids – presumably fresh and still warm! It was so creamy and tasty. Our family did not have that luxury at our workingclass home in London!

Situated right next to the St Ann’s building complex, in Edinburgh Square to the SE corner of the Market Square is a white painted two storey, privately occupied, house.

The hall was also used by the Home Guard as an assembly hall. It would have done justice as a set for filming Captain Mainwaring calling his fictitious HG troop to order.

Over the last 80 years or so this building has seen much change. It began, who knows when it was built, as one of the local pubs called The Crown.

After the war it seems (not entirely certain!) an annual dinner was held in the hall for blind men and their companions.

Change of Purpose In 2008 the pub building was up for sale. These pictures show it as it was then.

The Crown Hotel being up for sale in 2008

From my childhood memory as an evacuee living in the St Ann’s building during WW2, it had a large hall at its rear that was used as a preschool kindergarten. It was convenient for me; then a 3 ½ year old kid. In the hall were long

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

PUB CRAWL by Alec Annand

Now Midhurst is a jolly place for pubs: You will find them dotted all around the town. You can always get a drink, if you find it hurts to think, At the Swan - or if you'd rather, try the Crown! There's the Bricks for people well-to-do, the Wheatsheaf for the broke, The Egmont or the Shoes for local lads; If you want to venture further, why not try the Royal Oak, Or the Greyhound with its country wines and dads?

If you want to stay the night, the Angel

is all right, As the Pilgrims found it many years ago;

If you've plenty of spare cash, and you

want to make a splash, The Spread Eagle is the place for you to go. But for delicious food, and for service that is good, And good fellowship and warmth and Real Ale, You should visit the Half Moon - whether feeling dry at noon, Or requiring dinner: Reggie will not fail! [Annand A, Midhurst Madrigals. Grange Centre benefit publication, 1981]

Punch

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Life got better over time: Peter Sydenham remembers Duck Lane in the late 1930s. When I lived. as a small boy, in a shop on Red Lion Street during WW2, we did have a running cold tap water, an inside toilet and mains electricity; we were well off – except rats sometimes ran over us in our shared single bed! With no heating apart from a one-bar electric radiator it was far from luxurious.

Living conditions in the District for the majority of its residents have changed greatly for the best as the centuries have passed. In Norman times the majority of the people had almost none of the national wealth; a situation that largely remains to this day but with it being much better spread. Wealthy land-owners ran farms and other enterprises, using the rural population as serfs – not much better than being an owned slave with minimal rights – who were ‘tied’ to their Lord’s properties and subject to his whims. This situation slowly improved over many centuries but much still exists today.

In the late 30s the super-rich Peggy Guggenheim lived in a Harting cottage with minimal heating. And no hot water supply. She stayed in bed all day to keep warm. The major Midhurst District land owner, Lord Cowdray (father of the current Lord) had started to upgrade his many yellow-painted properties, but that ceased for the duration of the war.

In the 19th century the landed gentry began to have their wealth reduced by major government reforms; many were stripped of their money-making privileges. By the 1930s social reform was well under way but many in rural areas still lived in dire circumstances. In the surrounding Midhurst District villages, and even in town, many dwellings had no inside toilets and bathrooms, no mains sewerage connections, mains electricity or a reticulated water supply. Ronnie Boxall tells us, in his A Midhurst Lad book, that he lived in squalor in

The several local mansions usually enjoyed the latest services and products. In some cases, the owner, for they were under no law-based compulsion, even generously provided water and electricity supplies for his rural workers. Here are presented some insights into life since the Midhurst Society was formed in 1961.

Some Must Have-to-Haves in the 1960s

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Around town in the 60s. estate. In fact, my sister moved into the house our grandmother had lived in after she passed on. When the cottage next door to her became vacant I asked the 'Lord of the Manor' if it would be possible for me to rent it. He summoned me to the Big House for an interview to assess my suitability as a tenant.

from the Frances Frith Collection

I duly went along one Saturday morning and met him in his extensive gardens. He told me what the rent would be and that it was payable on the quarter days. And he told me it would be a condition of tenancy that I would have to do some work in his garden. I did not know much about gardening but I replied that I could help with lawnmowing or woodcutting. His wife, who was from a younger generation, was passing by and asked what we were discussing. When her husband told her, she replied “You can't do that now! Those days are gone, you can't insist that he helps in the garden, he just has to pay the rent”. Her husband was a little taken aback by this and after a few moments changed the subject by asking if I was married. I admitted I had a partner but we weren't married. “Well,” he said, “in that case you certainly can't live in one of my houses!” I told him we were due to be married before the moving in date and grudgingly he said that would be acceptable. I had to supply my own rent book, and in April we moved in. When work permitted, I started clearing up the garden. Being out in the country there was a lot of wildlife and we loved watching the deer in the field opposite. That was until they moved on to our garden where they ate everything from lettuce and cabbage to the roses we had planted that spring.

In 1977: Renting a House by Peter Jones (there are more than one in the District.) The situation regarding land-lords attitudes persisted. ‘My family has lived in the same hamlet just outside Midhurst for many generations in accommodation rented from the owner of the local 43

The cottage had a Rayburn, and an open fire in most of the rooms. We could cook on the Rayburn, and it also heated the water, so we had to make sure it was kept fuelled all day. When the winter started to bite, we would have a fire in the bedroom, which would make it very snug but the fire would burn down in the early hours and often we would wake to find ice ferns on the inside of the bedroom windows. In 1989 we moved into Midhurst to the joys of central heating.’

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

The Midhurst and District Map. c1967. Just what is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Midhurstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; territory is confusing. The Society defines it as the town and a given set of villages. There is a region for the Midhurst Town Council; another defined for the Postal District of Midhurst that extends to include Easebourne and other villages. There is also the region covered by he Midhurst and Petworth Observer newspaper. Then there is one for the Midhurst Parish and for the Chichester District Council - gets confusing. And the list goes on! There was once the Parliamentary Constituency of Midhurst. Exhausting.

This 1967 map of the, now gone, Midhurst District Council (MRD) seems to define the area. From the 1967 Official Midhurst Guidebook

In WW2, sign posts were removed to confuse 5th column spies and any invading force. It seems that was not needed as it was already so confusing!

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Michael Foot’s Visit in 1961: H G Wells the cause. From a Midhurst Society publication ‘On 12th July 1996, on the fiftieth anniversary of his death, the HG Wells Society in London asked West Sussex County Council if they could place plaques on buildings that had reference to him when he lived and was a student here. Mr. Michael Foot MP, who had just written a book about HG Wells, was asked to do the unveiling. He arrived in an ancient white Rolls Royce and he

They provide a link between notable past figures and the location of the person, organisation or event. Apart from a blue plaque, given by The Midhurst Society and the Chichester District Council, that was erected in 2010 to commemorate the WW2 air station in Ambersham [see A Midhurst Flying Field, Tania Pons, Selham Airfield Project, 2017], there are no other such memorials placed up by local entities – that is surprising considering the many Worthies and organisations, who lived or operated in the Midhurst District. It is here necessary to correct the report quoted above by John Stringer. Locally published, Gilbert Hambone’s blog https://gilbert-midhurst.blogspot.com/ helps put the record a little straighter.

performed the ceremonies, making a short speech at each of the three locations, Midhurst Grammar School where Wells had been a pupil and teacher, Mittens the Chemist in Church Hill where he had worked, and Ye Olde Tea Shoppe in North Street where he had lodged. Accompanying the unveiling party were six Midhurst Grammar School girls, dressed in Victorian costume. Mr. Foot was heard to remark 'You wouldn't have had those girls around if H G Wells had been here, he 'fancied' young ladies!' by John Stringer. [From Midhurst in Living Memory, Sanchia Elsdon, Midhurst Society, 2010.]

First, the car is old enough to be called a Veteran. Next: ‘It is not a Rolls Royce, whose first car in 1904 bore the distinctive Palladian style radiator grill sported by every model since. But to my shame, although a lifelong motoring buff myself, I have been unable to identify this particular car.’ Can anyone tell us what make of car it is, and who owned it when Michael Foot visited the town? This blogger specialises in collecting on his site, interesting videos of life in Midhurst ranging from the 50s until today. Well worth a look!

Blue Plaques started as a feature of English Heritage. That scheme concentrated on buildings in London. Many organisations followed suit with similar criteria. 45

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Projects and Campaigns: Harvey Tordoff reports. Most clubs and societies have names that describe what they do. The Midhurst Society is slightly more enigmatic. You probably know that we put on regular talks with guest speakers, and that we comment on planning applications, but behind the scenes we get involved in much more.

small schools in the area should be closed or merged with others. There was insufficient dialogue between WSCC and the schools concerned, and when the news broke there was little time to present a case for keeping the schools open.

The common theme is: how can we make Midhurst a better place to live, work and visit? In addition to this magazine (which first appeared in a different format in 1988) we have published many books and history leaflets. A new print run is now being distributed in popular places around town.

Stedham Primary School

We wrote to WSCC and using social media we helped raise awareness of the possibility of closure facing Stedham Primary School. There was overwhelming local support and a petition was launched. The decision was made to 'federate' with Harting C of E Primary School and Stedham has been reprieved!

We placed a number of seats in and around town. We became involved in cultural activities such as the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the visit by Queen Elizabeth. Over the years we successfully fought for road signs to keep large vehicles out of the old town, although some satnavs aren't convinced! We fought unsuccessfully for better signage for Midhurst on the A3 after the Hindhead tunnel opened.

Dunford House, Heyshott

Dunford House in Heyshott has faced an uncertain future since the owners, YMCA, stopped using it several years ago. It was the birthplace and home in later life of the nineteenth century social reformer Richard Cobden, and still contains many objects pertaining to his life and work. It had remained in the hands of Cobden's descendants

Here is a summary of some of our more recent activities. West Sussex County Council (WSCC) decided that in the interests of economy some of the 46

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. 2019, after major renovations. A cafe opened in January 2020 and expectations are that the village shop and post office will relocate there soon.

until they gifted it for posterity to the YMCA some 60 years ago. When the estate was put up for sale villagers and descendants of Cobden joined together in an effort to take back ownership but the YMCA favoured a commercial sale and made little effort to accommodate them. We raised awareness through social media and wrote to various national bodies who might have been potential partners. We also wrote to the Charities Commission suggesting that although the YMCA were acting within the letter of the law they were not acting within the spirit of a charitable organisation. The Commission ruled in their favour, and the YMCA announced they had agreed a sale to an organisation seeking to turn it into a wedding venue and wellness centre. The initial response by SDNPA was not entirely supportive, and Nick Cobden Wright, 3x greatgrandson of Richard Cobden, is still hopeful of a positive outcome. If his campaign fails, that still leaves the problem of the Cobden artefacts.

Ambulance Station, Bepton Road (now demolished)

In 2016 the Ambulance Station was closed and the site in Bepton Road sold for development. We were led to believe that an ambulance would be based at the Fire Station in New Road, but time went by and there was no sign of an ambulance. We were concerned that response times for GU29 (double the targeted time) were putting lives at risk and in March 2019 we raised the matter with South East Coast Ambulance Services (SECAMB). It transpired that a draft agreement had been agreed between SECAMB and the Fire Service but had not been signed. We pushed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the agreement was duly signed. In October 2019 an ambulance bay was marked out at the Fire Station. SECAMB advised us that it might be a response vehicle rather than an ambulance, but we didn't see much evidence of either. In January 2020 we used the Freedom of Information Act to request details. We were told that a response vehicle had used the bay on 9 occasions. More tellingly, perhaps, response times had not improved. The average response target for Category One (emergency) calls was 7 minutes, and a response time of 15 minutes to be achieved 90% of the time. In fact, in only two months of 2019 (January and May) did the average response time fall below 10 minutes; in the other months most averages were between 12 minutes and 20 minutes. Unless a vehicle (with team) is based in Midhurst, this is almost unavoidable, and so we looked for

Mary Magdalene Church, West Lavington

Quite independently of this, we heard that the Church Commissioners had asked SDNPA for advice on the future of Mary Magdalene Church in West Lavington. This is just over a mile from Dunford House, and was closed for worship a number of years ago on safety grounds. Richard Cobden is buried in the graveyard. We wrote to SDNPA suggesting the possibility of converting the church into a museum to house the Cobden artefacts. One successful campaign (for which we can't take credit but which we supported) was the purchase by the community of the Blue Bell pub in Cocking, which opened in December 47

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. is now being considered as the health care centre/hub for the North Chichester Area. We maintain a watching brief. We have expressed the view that Rotherfield Mews, adjacent to the Community Hospital, and which has been empty for many years should be incorporated into the new Hub. It could be suitable for use as consulting rooms or staff accommodation but we have yet to see plans that take this into account. We have urged the appropriate section of the NHS to find a use for it or make it available for other purposes e.g. affordable housing through the Midhurst Community Land Trust.

another way to help save lives.

First Responder in action (library picture)

We had already, in 2019, placed a publicaccess defibrillator in North Street, and a second in the Cowdray Sports Pavilion, so we considered the setting up of a First Responder Group for Midhurst. Under this scheme 999 calls that result in the despatch of an ambulance also trigger a request for a local volunteer. The volunteer, trained to deal with common emergencies, is likely to arrive before the ambulance. We solicited views on Facebook and received expressions of interest from a number of individuals, following which we approached SECAMB. They were very supportive, but not surprisingly there were certain procedures to be followed. However, the chain of events was set in motion and in December the NHS advertised for volunteers in various parts of West Sussex â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including Midhurst. We notified the people who had responded to Facebook; we posted again on Facebook, and put posters up around town. The result was that 6 people from the Midhurst Area volunteered and will be interviewed and (if successful) trained in due course.

Every citizen and every organisation can play a part in reducing the impact of climate change, and we considered what actions we can take. Although The Midhurst Society isn't a consumer, we can influence others, and when appropriate we shared global and national messages on social media. We also joined in a national scheme designed to reduce the single use of plastic bottles: we established Refill Midhurst.

We encourage cafe, restaurant and pub owners to refill water bottles free of charge and provide window stickers advertising the scheme.

Rotherfield Mews (empty for many years)

Staying with the health theme the Bailey Unit at the Community Hospital closed in 2018 because of staffing difficulties. The whole site 48

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. return. The Chairman of Energy4All was invited to present details of the project at our February 2020 public talk.

We also responded to the problem of poor air quality in certain parts of town, not just by posting on social media, but by writing to WSCC and CDC asking about the vehicles under their control. WSCC have 405 diesels, 70 petrols, 3 petrol hybrids and 6 electrics. CDC use two electric cars for car park duties, but the other 65 vehicles are all diesel. We suggested that in future air quality might play a bigger part in their procurement policies.

One of our social media posts highlighted some of the problems facing people with mobility issues in Midhurst. Many shops and business premises have steps to navigate at their entrance. We raised the matter with MTC, SDNPA and a major landowner. Discussions are on-going.

Every time we passed over North Mill Bridge we looked at the water flowing freely over the weir. In the past it had powered the machinery at the mill. Would it generate electricity with a micro hydro scheme? We spoke to our old friends at Energy4All, who looked at figures

We were aware of the desire of MTC to provide a 'wow' factor at the northern entrance to town. We approached local sculptor Philip Jackson with the audacious request that he

North Mill Bridge

and confirmed that with landowner consent and planning permission it was possible. But following the withdrawal of the feed-in tariff it might not make commercial sense unless the power was sold to a nearby user. We spoke to Midhurst Rother College, who expressed an interest. But the more we looked at the issues the more difficulties arose. We turned our thoughts to solar power, making use of the (almost) flat roof at the College gymnasium. We invited Energy4All to come down for initial discussions and the idea proved attractive to both sides. Schools Energy, a member of the Energy4All family of co-ops, would supply solar panels at no cost. The panels would generate electricity which the College would buy at a discount to market rates. After 25 years the panels would become the property of the College and all future electricity would be free. The initial cost would be covered by a Schools Energy share offer, giving Midhurst residents an opportunity to support the scheme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and earn a modest

Philip Jackson with one of his sculptures at his home in Cocking

loaned one of his fibreglass models to be displayed on the Stag Garden Roundabout; perhaps rotating them so that visitors would come just to see the latest display. He summoned us to his studio to explain why that wouldn't work (too fragile), and then stunned us by offering to donate a full-size bronze sculpture to the town! He said that he and his wife Jean had lived here for many years and wanted to do something for Midhurst. We liaised with him, MTC and the Midhurst Town Trust and eventually decided that Market 49

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. Square would be a better location. We are now waiting for Philip's design so that we can file a planning application. Meanwhile, MTC are working on a different proposal for a sculpture for the Northern Gateway.

would be more friendly to prams, buggies and wheelchairs. It would be an 'Easy Access' path leading to a picnic area with seats and tables (again, with wheelchair access in mind). If this comes off SDNPA would seek grants and we would provide the balance of up to 50% by drawing on funds from our Mrs Carne legacy. We hope to have more information in our next magazine.

For some time we have been working with SDNPA on a proposal to upgrade the muddy footpath heading west from North Mill Bridge, providing a hard but permeable surface that

One of the solar projects carried out by Schools Energy Co-op

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

On Planning The activity of Planning may well seem at times to be like this idea of team tennis, drawn by William Heath-Robinson in his book Inventions, Duckworth, 1st ed 1937: a book well worth a visit for a load of laughs. Apparently, as that book’s Foreword tells us, H G Wells, an admirer, wrote to him on 31 December, 1914: ‘I have been ill and frightfully bored and the one thing I have wanted is a big album of your absurd beautiful drawings to turn over. You give me a peculiar pleasure of the mind like nothing else in the world’. His first collection, that went to press in 1915, was of anti-German WW1 cartoons. ‘His work has a quality of innocence in his art, mockery without malice,’

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Planning: Looking Back Harvey Tordoff’s overview ‘The introduction in The Midhurst Magazine, Number 1 Volume 1 (Autumn 1988) says: “The Midhurst Society was founded in the 1950s to safeguard the traditional character of the town and its neighbourhood. Over the years it has sought to promote the concept that development should be compatible with the preservation of historic and other buildings of public interest and that adequate amenities should be provided for residents and visitors.” Nowadays we get involved in much more, but we still take our planning role seriously. Although planning regulations are much tighter than when the Society was formed, we still find it necessary to pass comment on the majority of major proposals, now taking into account environmental issues in a way not contemplated in 1960. Furthermore, instant communication with our members and followers means that we can solicit their views before writing to the relevant planning authority.

The 550-page Pre-Submission Document

be acted upon, however, depends on the integrity with which it speaks. A point of view put forward with factual accuracy and a clear indication that it is given in the belief that it will serve the interests of the community as a whole is more likely to find a response than one that is offered, no matter how insistently, in support of limited or personal objectives.” Members of the Committee have come and gone, but keeping an eye on development proposals has always been a priority. Although we generally don't comment on proposals affecting single properties, we spent a considerable amount of time studying the South Downs Local Plan, which provides the framework for all planning applications in the decade to come. In November 2017 we commented at length (8 pages) on the Presubmission Plan, urging the authors to do more on environmental issues. Sadly, our recommendations were not taken up when the Plan was adopted in July 2019, and we are left to raise the subject of climate change mitigation with each and every major proposal. There is hope, however. In January 2020 SDNPA released a consultation document on Sustainable Construction – A Supplementary Planning Document. This is

Even so, we still follow the principles outlined by the 1988 chairman, Mrs D.V.F. JohnsonDavies in that same magazine. “It is clear that the town will change substantially in the coming years and it is, therefore, more important than ever necessary for those people who live and work in it and in the neighbouring villages to make their collective voice heard above the din of conflicting interests. The Midhurst Society is well placed to help in achieving this; working as it does with other amenity societies, it can convey the opinions of members and others to the decision-makers in the expectation that they will be taken into account by the Authorities during their deliberations.” “The extent to which the collective voice will

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. the one surrounded by green hoardings. We

only 57 pages! We will respond in due course. One of the potential development sites identified in the Local Plan was subsequently the subject of further discussions. In July 2019 pre-application advice was sought for 72 homes on the Midhurst Brickworks & WSCC Depot in Bepton Road.

Artists impression: Grange residential care home.

first became involved in July 2017 when we suggested that until such time as a development proposal was accepted the hoardings could be removed and the area grassed over for amenity use. We even offered to pay for some seats. This idea was rejected and in August 1918, following a secret deal between Chichester DC (owner of the land) and Montpelier Estates, pre-planning advice was sought for the development of a residential care home. We posted to Facebook and there was widespread condemnation. We wrote to CDC suggesting that the need for another residential care home hadn't been demonstrated; that the site had not been earmarked for a care home in the Local Plan; that this was not the best use of a prime site in the centre of town; that housing people in need of care next to a busy car park presented health issues; and that care homes should be sited in leafy suburbs. CDC responded by saying they had a legal requirement to accept the highest offer. We countered by pointing out that in certain circumstances this was not the case. A petition with over one thousand signatures was presented to CDC but they were unmoved.

In August 2019 we responded by urging SDNPA to insist that any developer should protect the Common, plant trees, provide renewable energy, adequate parking, and electric charging points. We also pointed out that the recycling centre must be retained, new jobs could be created, and (as always) we banged on about improving infrastructure! In November 2019 a new and comprehensive design brief was lodged by JTP Studios.

We invited the Leader of CDC to come to one of our evening talks (January 2019) for a Questions and Answers session. It cleared the air, but didn't result in either side changing its stance. We resigned ourselves to waiting for the planning application, at which point we would be able to make comment. But time passed and the hoardings remained. An unwanted development site in the centre does not present the town in a good light for visitors and would-be traders.

The old Caravan Site in Holmbush was also included in the Local Plan, with the suggestion that it could accommodate 50 to 70 housing units. We drew attention to the flood risk and inadequate access provisions, but there has been no further movement on this development.

In August 2019 we asked Midhurst Town Council if they would consider requesting Community Asset Status for the site. This would mean that the owner would have to offer the site to the community before

The site that has taxed us the most, however, is the undeveloped site by The Grange Centre; 52

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. accepting an offer from a third party. MTC declined, and so in October 2019 we requested it ourselves. We had to address our request to CDC, and we asked for assurances that a fair decision would be made by the Council as landowner. They were quite affronted, and informed us that the decision would be made independently of the department responsible for the sale of the land. The same legal entity, though.

The other major planning issue we were involved with related to Soft Sand Quarrying.

Perhaps not surprisingly CDC rejected our request on the grounds that for the last four years the site had not been used by or for the benefit of the community. Of course not! The community was locked out! Prior to that the old Grange Centre had been used by the community since the 1970s! When we posted this news on Facebook, several people recalled that residents and local businesses had contributed to the cost of the earlier development, which would seem to suggest that CDC had a moral obligation to consult with the community before making a decision. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we asked CDC for details of the original funding but they were unable to comply.

Pendean: An existing quarry in the SDNP

This was a complex case, but in essence it boiled down to this. When the Local Plan was drawn up SDNPA excluded potential quarrying sites on the basis that they were inappropriate for a National Park. The Government did not accept this argument and appointed an Inspector to reconsider the matter. In January 2018 we commented to SDNPA that the matter should not be reinvestigated and that the Government and/or the building industry had an obligation to source building materials from outside National Parks. Further, any requirement for mineral extraction should be weighed against the national commitment to reduce our carbon footprint. The Inspector ignored this and duly recommended that sites with the National Park should be considered. In March 2019 we objected. (Did you ever doubt it?)

When the dust had settled on the General Election, we wrote to our MP Gillian Keegan. We did not expect her to take our side against CDC but we suggested that the law should be changed to prevent landowners from making decisions on Community Asset Status requests. We did not receive a response. There is still no planning application for us to consider.

Sand Quarrying Sites Subject to Review

Artist's Impression: Residential Care Home, Old Grange Site

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. Unrestricted parking led to vehicles regularly being left on grass verges. An additional 40 or so vehicles would exacerbate an already unsatisfactory situation. The developers argued that 29 new dwellings would not result in more vehicle movements than would have been experienced had the demolished building remained in use. West Sussex Highways did not acknowledge a problem and both applications were accepted.

A campaign was launched for the protection of the Severals site, but to us this seemed unnecessarily confrontational. Instead we based our objection on the protection that the whole of the South Downs National Park needs and deserves. We drew attention to Government policy and to numerous statements that have been made by the Government and by several of its ministers. In January 2020 it was announced that The Severals (East and West) and Minsted West should be ruled out of further consideration. Two other sites within the National Park were not ruled out, so it was only a partial victory.

We also lent our support to the proposal for an extension of the cycle track known as Centurion Way as far as Cocking Hill. Ultimately it is hoped to continue the track through Midhurst and in front of Cowdray Ruins to the A272 by the Cowdray Farm Shop, providing a long-distance safe option for cyclists.

Less controversial but also important, planning letters were written on the proposal for 20 dwellings in Lamberts Lane and a further 9 dwellings on an adjacent site (Lamberts Lane/Park Crescent).

We did not, however, take a stance on the development proposal for 6 housing units on the site currently occupied by the Bowls Club. This would enable the Club to relocate across June Lane and build a new club house. We felt compromised in having two officers of the Bowls Club on our Committee, and we restricted ourselves to general comments. In September 2019 the SDNPA published a consultation paper on Affordable Housing. We responded in October 2019, expressing

approval but suggesting an additional proposal: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a number of vacant properties in the Park (including Midhurst) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some of which have been unoccupied for a number of years. There might be very good reasons why this is so, but we feel that the property

Lamberts Lane: January 2019

owners should be given an incentive to return them to active use. Lamberts Lane: September 2019

One way would be to enable a Community Land Trust, in certain circumstances, to bid for such a property, in which case the owner would have to accept. Assuming he wanted to avoid such an outcome, he might be more motivated to act in a timely

Our concern here was not with the building of much-needed homes but with the impact on parking and traffic flow in Lamberts Lane which is extremely narrow at both ends and forms dangerous junctions with North Street. 54

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Stedham Sawmill and three sites in Easebourne.

manner! Perhaps the circumstances could be along the lines of: â&#x20AC;˘ If a domestic property is unoccupied for a period in excess of five years a Community Land Trust shall be entitled to make a bid for such property, such bid to benefit from a discount of 50% of the market value.â&#x20AC;? We are nothing if not controversial!

We no longer have the same number of members that The Midhurst Society enjoyed in the days of Mrs JohnsonDavies, but thanks to the changing shape of society we now have well over 700 followers on Facebook. Seeking views before taking action ensures that we represent a large cross-section of Midhurst residents.

We also commented on the redevelopment of Dundee House (formerly Frazer Nash),

Artist's Impression: Bowls Club Redevelopment, June Lane

Artist's Impression: Dundee House, Bepton Road 55

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

From the Chair: Dear Readers, As the Society’s 60th year began, we heard a short news bulletin about something called Corona Virus in a distant town in China that nobody had heard of….and we moved on; no panic! We decided to mark our 60th anniversary with something special for existing members and new members alike - a bumper edition; 60 pages-of the new format magazine and a summer garden party - as you can see here our Editors, Peter Sydenham and Harvey Tordoff with increasing help from Thomas McGlashan, have achieved our first goal, the second depends on how our negotiations progress.

Issue 30

In recent weeks we have been assisted with planning matters by Keith Tregunna, who comes with a great deal of experience, but your Committee still has two vacancies -Treasurer and the new post of Activities Organiser. If you would like to know more But campaigns and Facebook do not wait for a virus - Richard Cobden’s House, the Rother Pathway to name but two campaigns of outstanding merit.

Treasurer

Harvey Tordoff’s daily Facebook Posts attract more Likes and Followers every week and similarly, our magazine gathers more subscribers and sales via various outlets.

Activities

about these positions, or would just like an informal chat please ‘buttonhole’ any committee member. Will you be next to help put our aims into practice?

The editorial team of Peter (who lives in Adelaide!) and Harvey have enticed many a contributor over the last year so please do read the 2019 issues if you have not yet done so you’re in for a treat.

In 2020 we have welcomed even more new members than last year, due in part to increased involvement by your committee in the affairs of Midhurst. and in particular our marketing effort driven by Committee member Thomas McGlashan,

Issue 29

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition. opening of the Blue Bell complex in Cocking, and the Keep Stedham Primary School actions.

who designs our monthly mailers and posters and introduced our e-mail list management system.

All this we believe shows us to be an active society with something to say about what goes on in our town and villages.

Since the last issue your Society (in the person of Harvey Tordoff) has also presented to the local branch of the Round Table, attended formative sessions of Midhurst Vision, applied (unsuccessfully) for Community Asset Status for the Grange development site, corresponded with the ‘powers that be’ concerning West Lavington Church, the

It is always being said!

Michael Balmforth Chairman

Cover of No1 of Midhurst Heritage, started up in Spring 2004 – 16 years ago.

The beauty of Midhurst has been expressed numerous times over the past centuries; by many famous personalities who have experienced it. This was said inside the cover of that issue: ‘Midhurst is a very special place, set amid outstanding natural beauty interspersed with picture postcard villages that still retain a vibrant life and culture. The town itself is an architectural delight: old houses nudge those that are even older, twisting lanes and high walls conceal enchanted gardens, and the higgled y-piggled y roofscape reveals buildings that have squeezed themselves in to any available space. A town planner's nightmare, but a visual joy. Wherever you go, history is waiting around the corner.’

Answers to Pictorial Quiz.

1. Middle (clearing) in wooded hills

between Midhurst and Easebourne

2. Whip Hill

Anya Seton

3. Duck Lane

In 2006

4. The Crown

10. A leaping deer and the Cowdray Ruins

5. Orion Cinema

11. The Wharf

6. St Margaret's, or Sisters of Mercy

12. To link two railway stations

7. Clasped hands representing friendship Correction for Issue 30 Sorry, but our proof-reading slipped a bit. In Issue 30, page 13, the last line should read:

From (Inkygirl.com. Daily Diversion for Writers. Debbie Redpath, Ohio.)

Uncle John Allin.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

Society Talks: 2020

Then in February, continuing our environmental theme, community energy provider Energy4All whose CEO Mike Smythe is an early pioneer of Green Energy. He showed us how communities can harness local renewable sources of energy and most of all solar power.

Venue: The South Downs Memorial Hall, North Street, Midhurst, GU29 9DH Date and Time: Usually the 3rd Thursday in the month at 7pm - see www.midhurstsociety.org.uk/events/

March As the Covid-19 cloud overshadows the fabric of civilisation, we hoped to turn to a light-hearted and inspiring presentation from Ian Gledhill and Operettas. Sadly, it was not to be, and we cancelled at short notice.

Stop Press: We had arranged an

Since our last issue your Society’s Talks Programme has hosted Nick Farrier of Jackson-Stopps with his experience in ‘out of the ordinary’ property sales in around the town.

exciting programme of talks and events for 2020, but as we go to print, we are unsure of the immediate future. We will have to cancel everything for the next few months, including our AGM. Our Constitution obligates us to hold an AGM in the Spring of each year, so we will need to take advice on that.

In January 2020 we invited Southern Water as part of our 2020 environment theme, their presentation included involving and at times shocking aspects of the work they routinely undertake to maintain a clean water supply and safe beaches.

Although public gatherings have been hit we will, of course, continue to push forward in our various other activities as we strive to make Midhurst a better place to live, work and enjoy. The majority of these articles were written before the full social impact of Covid-19 was felt. References to future events should now be treated with caution and checked with the organisers.

Midhurst Magazine. Issue 31, Spring, April 2020. The 60th year edition.

The Midhurst Magazine - Spring 2020 (issue 31)

Articles inside

Planning

Talks

Projects and Campaigns

Michael Foot’s visit

Downs walks Local stoolball story

Picture quiz

Life got better

Yarn Bombers

Garden club

Society founders

Bridget’s meanderings

Cars of the Future

Symonds

A life time in Midhurst

Book review: South

Kingley Vale: a poem

Kingley Vale: a walk