The Hurst June/July/August 2023

the Hurst

the Hurst

Welcome to the Summer edition of the Hurst. I’m sure we are all delighted that the weather is (finally) warming up, flowers are in bloom and the sun seems to have remembered to shine!

Talking of flowers and gardens, of which there are many lovely ones in our village, I wonder if we can persuade any of you ‘green-fingered’ residents to provide the rest of us with seasonal tips and ideas. It would be lovely to have a regular gardening column. Anybody interested?

An upcoming highlight of the village is, of course, the fete on 17th June. Following the wonderful event held last year to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, this year’s fete looks just as good and has, quite literally, something for everybody – Morris Dancing by Comedy Capers, a fun Dog Show, a performance by the School Choir and much more. With 27 stalls and activities ranging from Smash the Crockery and Stocks to Tombola and Candy Floss it is bound to be a wonderfully busy day and we hope to see as many people from the village as possible.

In terms of refreshments, whilst everybody is

welcome to bring their own picnic, the fete will have an ice cream van, tea and cakes in the marquee, a bar tent, Mr Chippy and Katies Fizz Bar. Plenty to cater to all tastes.

If the fete gives you a taste of Hurst Green, why not think about joining one of the many groups and clubs that the village runs.There’s walking football, a men’s choir, cricket club, bowls, a knit and natter group and more. Hopefully something for everybody. It would be lovely to see more people involved in these groups. If you’re interested, contact information is within these pages.

On a different note, our feature article this issue looks at the extraordinary life of Jack Fuller (Mad Jack Fuller as he is known) who is buried under a pyramid in Brightling Parish Church – not too far from Hurst Green.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Of course, we would love to hear from you if you have ideas for future content. Just let us know and, in the meantime, have a wonderful Summer.

Francesca Wooldridge

thehurst.hg@gmail.com

Deadline for next copy is 30th July

USEFUL CONTACTS

Allotment Association 01580 860251

Breakfast Club (75+) 01580 860760/860358

Brownies 01580 860742

Comedy Capers 01580 860221

Cricket Club 07796 976809

First Responders 07837 224905

Holy Trinity Church 01580 880282 (Vicar), 01580 860649

Hurst Green C of E School 01580 860375

Nursery School 01580 860375 x211

Parish Clerk 01580 860111

Rother District Council 01424 787000

Short Mat Bowling 01424 773478

Twinning Association 01580 860977

Village Hall Booking Agent 01580 860111/860425

HELPFUL LOCAL SERVICES

Building and Renovations Mark Roby 07586 702809. Pioneeringcarpentry@yahoo.com

Cars Mobile Car Mechanic:

Cliff Mercer 07909 911869

Dogs Holiday and day care: Lorely Watson 01580 880061 / 07796 392653

Pippin’s Pet Sitting and walking: 07717 681972 Sarah.janeheasman@hotmail.co.uk

Eco-friendly products Joanna Girling 07443 411677 girling.joanna@gmail.com

Electricians Gareth Skinner 07929 839309

Tim Russell 07771 687636 trussell.5@btinternet.com

House Portraits Christine Masters Art 07833 342020 www.christinemastersart.wordpress.com

Leather repairs Kay Lloyd,Wealden Saddlery 01580 860860

Pest control Paul Messenger 07940 744411 paul@roecallservices.com

Plastering and tiling Edd Ripley, 07875 494493

Plumbers Aaron Plumbing & Heating LtdAaron Rowsell 01580 230330

Steve Walker 07564 405702

Private car hire and taxi service

Hugo, 01435 883803 Mob. 07931 605057

If you or anyone you know would like to be included in this list please email thehurst.hg@gmail.com This is a free listing.

Design: John Hawkins Print: Wealden Print, Hawkhurst

What an amazing day! Sharing this historic moment with over 50 members of the community, with yummy scones, tea on tap and a toast to the King is something that will stay with me!

VILLAGE HALL HOSTS THE CORONATION

At the heart of our community lies our village hall. For this historic event, the village hall team sprung into action and opened the doors to the community. Serving 100+ scones, endless cups of tea and coffee, cup cakes and a toast to the King… all whilst watching the coronation live on the big screen!

HURST GREEN VILLAGE HALL

WHAT’S ON WEEKLY

MONDAY 11am Lunch Club (2nd Monday each month, 07798 556999 to book)

2pm Knit & Natter

7pm Short Mat Bowls

TUESDAY 8.45am Pilates (07798 663820)

7pm Jive & Lindy Hop (07766 881045)

8pm Parish Council Meeting (4th Tuesday of each month)

WEDNESDAY 10am Upholstery (termtime) 5.30pm Brownies (termtime)

THURSDAY 8.45am Pilates

1.30pm Short Mat Bowls

8pm Zumba

FRIDAY 10am Breakfast Club (2nd & 4th Friday each month)

Booking agent: Sue Endean 01580 860425, 07718 282605

Charity no. 229672

£10 off when youbring this ad

Letter from the Vicar

There has been a lot in the media recently about Artificial Intelligence or AI. The origins of AI go back at least to 1950, when computer pioneer Alan Turing proposed something he called The Imitation Game, in which a person is communicating (via typed responses) with two partners and has to decide which one is a computer and which a human being. It became known as the Turing Test: if a computer’s responses can’t be distinguished from a human response, then can we call that computer “intelligent”?

So if I ask the question “Did Jesus like chocolate?” and get this answer: “There is no direct evidence to suggest whether or not Jesus liked chocolate, as chocolate was not widely available in the region where he lived during his lifetime. Chocolate was first introduced to Europe after the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century, long after Jesus had lived.Therefore, it is not possible to say for sure whether Jesus liked chocolate or not.” What should I think? It’s easily an answer that a person could have come up with, but actually it was produced by something called ChatGPT.This is a computer program which takes a huge database of example texts and uses a complicated set of rules to produce ‘answers’ to questions. It’s free to use and quite fun to play with, but is it intelligent? Is it thinking?

For now, no: however good ChatGPT’s answers might be, we know that it’s just a big database and a set of rules – there is no self-awareness, no feelings, no ‘interior life’. I know that I am self-aware, and that I have thoughts and feelings. I have an interior life, some of which I express to others, and some of which I don’t. This is part of what it means when the Bible describes humans as ‘in the image of God’. Christians believe that God is Trinity, with an immeasurably complex inner life as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For this reason, I also believe that all humans

have the kind of inner life I experience, and that they are therefore worth all the care and respect that I want others to show to me.This is a basic Christian principle, to treat others as you would want to be treated. Most of us also have a conscience or a moral compass, Christians believe that this also comes from being made in God’s image. Moral choices are not always necessarily logical. Finally, although we do not always choose to, we have the ability to forgive. An imperative for Christians as we believe that we have been forgiven for the wrong things we have done.

Perhaps one day some new version of ChatGPT could be built with the equivalent of feelings and an interior life. It will be interesting to see if the designers will be able to endow it with a conscience. For now though, rather than worrying about artificial intelligence let’s concentrate on looking after the human intelligences we know about – each other!

(With thanks to Steve Day)

God bless, Rev Annette annette@jhbd.co.uk 01580 880282 07900 332791 www.hurstgreenhtc.org

“Christians believe that God is Trinity, with an immeasurably complex inner life”

The Follies of Mad Jack Fuller

Rebecca Ffrench

If you travel to the small village of Brightling (about five miles from Hurst Green) you might notice something rather unusual sitting in the churchyard.

Incongruous to the village’s pretty cottages with gently dipping wisteria so abundant this time of year, the Pyramid is prominent in the cemetery and is the last resting place of Jack Fuller – also known as Mad Jack Fuller, but preferring to be known in his lifetime as Honest Jack Fuller. Yes, he is buried in a structure resembling those great wonders of the world, the Pyramids of Egypt.

Commissioned by the man himself for his future mausoleum, this is just one of the strange and remarkable structures around the Brightling area, all created by Fuller.

Indeed, you can also see, jutting from the surrounding fields and woods, other follies, such as the Sugarloaf (built by Fuller to

win a wager that he could see the spire of Dallington Church from his land – upon realising he could not, he apparently had the Sugarloaf erected in one night); the Rotunda Temple, built in the Grecian style; the Tower; the Needle; and the Observatory – perhaps the only building not to be such a ‘folly’ as it was a fully functioning observatory and is now a private home with stunning views.

Fuller’s inspiration for building the Observatory allegedly came from famous astronomer Sir William Herschel, known for his discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781. Appointed private astronomer to the king the following year, Herschel subsequently discovered the Uranian satellites Titania and Oberon in 1787 and Mimas and Enceladus, two of the moons of Saturn, in 1789. The Observatory was furnished with expensive equipment including a Camera Obscura and high powered telescope. The Camera Obscura is considered a forefather of the modern portable camera.

Jack Fuller, born in 1757, is remembered in history as both a controversial and eccentric character, depending on who you speak to. Upon inheriting Brightling Park (then called Rose Hill) from an uncle, he also inherited several plantations, and with them around

Inside the Sugarloaf

The Pyramid

“Fuller bought Bodiam Castle to save it from demolition”

250 slaves. The Fuller family fortune was based on the manufacture of iron goods, especially cannons and gunneries for the Royal Navy – plus a substantial income from the sugar produced on their Jamaican slave plantations.

Fuller also became an MP, a patron of the sciences, funding Fullerian Professorships at the Royal Institution, and commissioned Turner to create several paintings of his estate and the view from the Observatory. He bought Bodiam Castle to save it from demolition. Allegedly he used the Rotunda to entertain friends as a place to drink wine and gamble. Several anecdotal pieces of evidence suggest that he commissioned so many of his structures – as well as the vast wall surrounding Brightling Park – to give employment to many of the local people who found themselves without industry. He financed Eastbourne’s first lifeboat; and yet was a staunch supporter of slavery, arguing against abolition in his position in the House of Commons. He was known to claim that slaves in the West Indies had a

better quality of life in England – although there is no evidence that he ever visited Jamaica himself where doubtless he would have been disabused of this falsehood.

The last remaining holder of a Fullerian Professorship has discontinued the use of this title, and the Royal Institution has stopped awarding such positions in recent decades. To visit his follies is to walk through history, to glimpse the history of a man who was recognised as a local benefactor; an eccentric; and as we learn more over time, one whose wealth and influence was accumulated through the horrors of slavery.

Wandering through the bucolic Wealden countryside to find strange and intriguing buildings with no discernible function jutting from fields, unnoticed by the sheep and cows that graze nearby, there are several ‘folly trails’ one can follow – and one can even go inside the Sugarloaf which, as bizarre as it may seem when standing inside it, once housed a family.

Legend has it that Fuller was interred in his Pyramid sitting at a wrought iron table, wearing top hat and tails, with a large meal and full bottle of claret in front of him.

Given his reputation as a well-known drunk, once being removed from Parliament for public disgrace after an incident with the Speaker of the House, the choice of the final imbibement to see him into the afterlife should not come as a surprise.

The Rotunda

Hurst Green 2023 Fete

You are welcome to bring your own picnic, but we also have some amazing stalls for you to get refreshments from:

Live Music throughout the day from the Twang Dang Doodles.

This year’s fete has kindly been supported by the Parish Council and a donation from Woolridge Group

Allan Cheek continues his regular feature in the Hurst describing different walks of varying difficulty. Allan is happy to discuss this and other Hurst Green walks in more detail including the possibility of leading small groups. For information, contact Allan by text/WhatsApp 07803 502972

Head south on A21 and cross with care to footpath stile in a gap in hedge after approx 400m. The path leads to a wooded ravine across a stream and on to Little Iridge turning right on lane till next sharp corner following footpath sign ahead leading to the Stage Field and curious lime green building atop a reservoir. Head to Bodiam Road turning first right then left signed Salehurst. After 600m look for footpath sign and stile on right and follow in SW direction to another stile and straight across track to A21. Cross with care to lane opposite uphill to top and through a deergate turning right into the expanse of the elderflower orchards and great views of

the Rother valley. Exit via bottom deergate crossing stream leading to a track downhill and right across grassy flat fields and railway to the last telegraph pole crossing small bridge and through gate with Bugsell Mill ahead of you. Follow the lane uphill past Bugsell Grove with its bird carvings and on to views of Haremere Hall and its water meadows. At the top with great care cross Haremere Hill to find the steep gap in the trees to the final field keeping left to pop out onto Burgh Hill. Turn right and choose your route back to the start either on road or via Burgh Wood to Holy Trinity Church.

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A walk of approximately 5.5 miles which should be achieved in around 2.5 hours

The Jolly Boys Choir – a working title…

The inaugural meeting of the choir took place last month with thirteen blokes turning-up at the Burwash Common Pavilion one Thursday afternoon to sing their hearts out for an hour or so.

Knowing we were all men ‘of-a-certain-age’ I got out the teas and coffees ready to wet some whistles but was a bit taken aback when there were requests for 13 beers – perhaps some Dutch Courage was needed?

We were soon into the swing of it with The Drunken Sailor to be followed by Little Eyes. Some preferred to stay in the chorus but others came forward to sing some solo bits and harmonies and for a first effort it wasn’t bad.

Johnny Nash once said) over where we were headed in the future so our next meeting was planned as more of a social event where we could decide some important aspects like: Do we want to be a ‘choir’, a singing group or just singers? Do we want a name?

“There were more questions than answers (as Johnny Nash once said) over where we were headed in the future”

In fact it was so successful that we decided to do it all again two weeks later. But as the pavilion was in use for local elections we met at the Church Room in Ticehurst where although our numbers had dropped slightly our voices had improved a bit.

At Ticehurst we had a go at Sloop John B and then what could be our ‘encore number’ –Heigh Ho! from Snow White. A right old mix of musical styles!

There were more questions than answers (as

How often do we want to meet and where? What songs do we want to sing and what musical direction do we want to take? This meeting will have taken place at the end of May (so too late for this month’s edition) hopefully at The Lakedown Brewery Taproom so I apologise in advance if the sight and sound of us put you off your beer, scared the fish or annoyed the anglers but I’m sure we will have had a good time and resolved a few pressing questions! What has become obvious is that we need someone to pick up the baton and lead from the front. If you have any musical knowledge, can tell your baritone from your soprano or can at least stamp out a beat then you may be the ‘Gareth Malone’ we are looking for. Although we are enjoying it, it is obvious that we won’t progress from week one without a bit of musical input.

Contact Laurence on 07714 935915 or hlworton@btinternet.com

A new season for Hurst Green Cricket Club

There are three things you can do in a cricket game: you can win, you can lose, or it can rain!

We had a lot of rain over the winter and particularly early spring. Anyone walking their dogs around the cricket pitch will have seen the mud. Early attempts to cut the grass under the oak trees were doomed to failure. I never thought I’d get a four-wheel drive tractor to wheel spin but that’s what I did, churning up chunks of the field.

As a result, the ground just wasn’t ready for our first game of the season in midMay. The wicket was very soft and wouldn’t have lasted much more than a few overs before tearing up.

Wadhurst Bowls

Summer is upon us according to the weathermen although as I type this in early May the ground is still water-logged, the leaves on the trees still stubbornly refuse to unfurl and the thermometer seems stuck at 11 degrees. But why be miserable when the bowls season is underway?

I can report on our early Horam League games against Rotherfield (played at Wadhurst as their green was waterlogged). We won 91-50, lost to Cross in Hand 61-63, and away to Hailsham we won again 97-60. Not great but it’s early days and ‘it’s a marathon not a sprint’.

That’s not to say we didn’t have a good pre-season. A couple of very generous donations allowed us to purchase some nets so we can now practice on our own ground instead of trekking down to Robertsbridge to use their nets. Along with the new nets, we’ve attracted a few new players as well, so keep an eye on our facebook page (facebook. com/hurstgreencricketclub) for news of their debuts as part of our match reports. Our first match proper, against the Robertsbridge Development XI, was very close but ultimately we came up just short. Fingers crossed for more dry weather and sunshine for the rest of the summer.

2023 Fixtures

25th June – Clive Vale Home

16th July – Fellbridge and Sunnyside Home

23rd July –Wadhurst Away

20th August – Catsfield Home

3rd September – Pakenham XI Home

Your local club since 1934

Matches come thick and fast at this time of year, and on Sunday 4th June, Wadhurst hosted the Sussex County Two Wood single competition starting at 9am.

This is a prestigious event and it’s a great honour for the club to be selected amongst all the possible venues across East and West Sussex.

Two Wood Singles is a very fast paced game and with each player bowling only two woods per end you need to be accurate from the first to the last wood bowled. Being a marker or a scorer is equally frenetic! Why not come over and have a look? Some of the best singles bowlers in the county will be playing.

17th September – Zambuca Tigers Home

So if you’re at a loose end on a Sunday, you’d be welcome to come and watch us play.

If you’d like to sponsor Hurst Green Cricket Club please email hurstgreencc@gmail.com

My Knee! My Knee! My Knee!

Written by Madeleine Janes. Best sung to the tune of Abba’s Money! Money! Money!

I groan all night; I groan all day the pain I have won’t go away.

Ain’t it sad?

And still there never seems to be a single minute’s respite for me

That’s too bad.

In my dreams they make it stop

By giving me a decisive op

I’d never have to limp again; never more would I be in pain.

My knee, my knee, my knee

It’s not funny

In an arthritics world

My knee, my knee, my knee

Never sunny

In an arthritics world

OW OW-W-W

All the things I could do

If I didn’t have arthritis

What a wretched life!

At the end of the month we have our ‘Tate Evening’ where our main sponsors Tate Fencing turn up for an evening of ‘us against them’ bowls and an ‘all-night-raffle’!

We have two teams competing in Division 1 of the Tunbridge Wells Triples League which is played on a Thursday evening and kicked-off during the last week of May. Division 1 is like the Premier League in football so for Wadhurst to have two teams is like the Premier league having two Arsenals or two Manchester Cities (think of that –two Erling Haalands!) of course it could be like having two Southamptons…

For all things bowls related and to arrange your free taster session call Laurence now on 07714 935915 or email hlworton@btinternet.com www.wadhurstbc.com

A day pain free is hard to find but I can’t get it off my mind

Ain’t it sad?

And if they developed a cure, it wouldn’t be for me I’m sure

That’s too bad

Maybe I’ll win the Lottery

Then I’ll get a replacement knee

No longer will I be so lame; my life will never be the same.

My knee, my knee, my knee

It’s not funny

In an arthritics world

My knee, my knee, my knee

Never sunny

In an arthritics world

OW OW-W-W

All the things I could do

If I didn’t have arthritis

What a wretched life!

Hurst Green School and Nursery

Hurst Green School & Nursery are gearing up for the last term of another school year.

Our Nursery children enjoyed a visit from Zoolab last term and watched caterpillars transform into butterflies. The whole school enjoyed a street party on the playground to celebrate the King’s Coronation. Each child received a medal as a gift from the Parish Council. Our Y6 children did their SATs and are now busy preparing for their end of year play The Wizard of Oz.

The Churchyard

More than a footpath from the A21 to the woods.

Thanks to a great team of volunteers on Bank Holiday

Monday 8th May, a whole lot of work was done to tidy up the graveyard. Throughout the summer months there will be more opportunities to keep the grass and hedges cut, so if you are free and able to help, just come along on the following dates: Sat 10th June, Sat

8th July, Sat 12th August and Sat

9th September from 10.30am.

At the moment we are leaving areas for the wildflowers to bloom

Our gardening club have been preparing and planting up the school grounds which is really starting to take shape.

The school fundraising committee are getting ready for stalls at the upcoming Village Fete on Saturday 17th June. Please come along and support us.

We look forward to welcoming all the new children who will be joining us in September but will be sad to say goodbye to our Y6 children who will be making their journey to secondary school.

and by the time you read this there should be some sheep grazing!

Another initiative which was started back before Covid was the Adopt a Grave project. If you feel so inclined to spruce up a grave or two, please give us a call!

Our lovely village church has a very extensive graveyard with in excess of 250 headstones dating back to the mid nineteenth century. Many of these are neglected and forlorn and could use a bit of TLC. Here is an opportunity for you to get involved, Adopt a Grave and transform it to its former glory!

Discover the names, dates and history of our predecessors.

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY!

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thefloralboutiqueltd@gmail.com

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