Tag Archives: Sussex

South-eastern Sojourn Part 3

by thehistoryinterpreter

Day 5

Having already done the activity planned for today, we decide to drive through Brighton to Shoreham and look at the nature reserve there. We manage to find a very reasonably priced car park and start to walk along the shoreline. This involves ploughing through ankle-threatening shingle, plus it is drizzling  and blowing a gale, so we decide to cut our losses had have a quiet day in the van to regather our energy after three full on days, in preparation for what is to come.

Day 6

It is moving on day. I am responsible for the satnav and I enter the postcode for the site. The itinerary suggested that the journey time might be about two and a half hours, so we leave at an appropriate time to arrive when the new site opens at one. Oddly, the satnav thinks we might arrive considerably earlier than that. We remark that it isn’t taking us the way we might expect, as we drive through Brighton and head north. Perhaps, we think, this is what accounts for the earlier arrival time. After about ten miles, I look at our upcoming itinerary and realise that although I have programmed in A caravan site, it isn’t THE caravan site. I have inadvertently input the detail for the final site of the trip. The blessing is that these two sites are only thirty miles apart, so we haven’t gone too far out of our way. We end up arriving exactly as the site opens and we secure a lovely corner pitch, which has the advantage of a half decent television and Wifi signal.

Day 7

There have been a couple of very loud bangs seemingly coming from the caravan over the past few days. Chris thinks we need a part. Caravan supplies outlet duly identified we set off. Fortunately this isn’t too far away. Said part acquired, we head for Battle Abbey. I have purchased two maps for this stage in our trip but inevitably, I still don’t have one showing the site, which is just off the edge. This becomes an issue when we  encounter a diversion and the satnav just wants us to ‘turn around when possible’. We see Rye from the car on the way.

We arrive at Battle Abbey, just as Robert is starting his tour. This is all very well but we could have done with a ‘comfort stop’ first, especially is it turns out that the tour is nearly two hours long. It is thought that the Benedictine Abbey was sited here as the result of a penance by William I, who agreed to establish a religious foundation to atone for the Christian blood that he had shed during the battle. Its impressive appearance did also make a statement about Norman power and authority.

The battle for England, that took place on 14 October 1066, probably involved about 12,000 men, 7,000 of whom were supporting Harold Godwinson against the Norman invaders. There is something very atmospheric about standing on Senlac Hill. This would have been a heavily wooded site in 1066. The area where the fighting took place may have been cleared deliberately, as the English engineered this as the battle site; alternatively it may have already been cleared for cultivation. Identifying this spot as the location of the battle is based on contemporary chronicles and the fact that this is where William built his abbey. The high altar was allegedly positioned to be at the place where Harold Godwinson fell. We stop by the gatehouse, whose façade would originally have been painted and gilded. What is visible now was built in 1338. The Abbey’s wealth came from its land and also it’s exploitation of the 174 relics that it held. Only the most important guests and pilgrims could view the relics themselves. Others had to make do with paying for a ‘contact relic’, usually a metal disc, that had been touched on the relic.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII gave Battle to  Sir Anthony Browne, his Commander of Horse and the guardian of his daughter, the future Elizabeth I. Browne demolished the abbey church and sold off the stone to pay for a three story mansion in which he intended to care for Princess Elizabeth. Browne died shortly afterwards and the future queen never came to live at Battle. The Abbey was sold to the Webster family in 1721 and then was purchased by the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland. In 1922, Battle Abbey School leased the former abbot’s house.

I know the battle story well. Our guide debates whether Harold Godwinson’s tired men would have marched south after defeating his brother Tostig and Norwegian king Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge. Would they have taken the easier option of travelling by sea? After all, Hardrada had arrived by boat and after the battle, Hardrada’s depleted troops did not need all the vessels to return home.

Although Godwinson’s troops did a great job of defending the hill with their shield wall, the Normans were better trained and their huge advantage was the cavalry. They probably had about 500 warhorses, who had recovered from the sea crossing having spent two weeks in Pevensey, where the Normans had erected what GCSE students usually refer to as ‘flat-pack’ castles. Sir Walter Gifford and three others were sent out from the Norman lines, to particularly target Godwinson. Was he shot through the eye? This too is up for debate. Chronicles suggest that his end was rather more gruesome. To be blinded was the normal punishment for perjury which Godwinson was considered to have committed, as he reneged on his holy oath to support William’s claim to the throne. The depiction of the arrow in the eye on the Bayeux Tapestry could therefore be symbolic.

Today’s cake of choice is a particularly yummy passionfruit and lime. We drive home through Winchelsea and are at least on an available map when we encounter yet another diversion.

South-eastern Sojourn Part 2

by thehistoryinterpreter

Day 3

We arrive at Nymans in time for a tour by garden guide Rob. We’ve learned that tours are a good thing if you want additional information. Rob does not disappoint, although the tour does eat into rather more of our time available than was ideal. The estate itself dates back to at least the fourteenth century and the attraction of the area was probably the iron mining potential. Early owner, Philip Nynian, gave his name to the estate. For three centuries it was owned by the Gatland family and then several nineteenth century owners added to the estate, extensively adapting the medieval house in 1839. The major changes came under the ownership of German-born Ludwig Messel, who paid £20,000 for Nymans in the 1870s. He remodelled the house using plans drawn up by his brother, who was an architect and the finished house had a Germanic style. Ludwig was a collector of exotic plants and exploited the good growing soil at Nymans to house many rare plants and trees from across the world. James Comber served as head gardener for fifty eight years from 1895.

Ludwig’s son, Leonard, inherited in 1915 and his wife, Maud, prompted a remodelling of the house, so that the Germanic influences, unpopular in the wake of the First World War, were eradicated. The work was carried out in the 1920s and at Maud’s request, the result resembled a medieval manor house, with ecclesiastical influences.

The Pinetum is impressive and despite losing 400 trees in the 1987 storm, the estate has approaching 100 ‘Champion Trees’, those that are the tallest, or have the greatest girth for their species. As we tour round the grounds near the house itself, a blackcap is singing loudly (thanks again Merlin).

Nymans ranks eighth for footfall amongst National Trust properties; the numbers are swelled today as entrance is free for Heritage Weekend. I am surprised to find that the house itself is quite small and is partly in ruins. It was destroyed by fire in the big freeze of 1947 when they tried to unfreeze the pipes in the roof using a blow torch. A stray spark caused the fire, exacerbated by the oil that had been put on the timbers to deter woodworm. Leonard’s children included Oliver Messel, a notable costume designer; his work is celebrated at Nymans. Leonard’s daughter. Ann, was mother of Lord Snowdon and she lived in the partly restored Nymans until 1992. As we have a guide with us, we are able to view the ruins, which have been repurposed as an outdoor garden.

There is just time for a refreshment break before we head to Lewes to collect a friend from my college days; we haven’t met for about twenty five years. Together, we tour Monk’s House, the country retreat of Virginia and Leonard Woolf, who bought Monk’s House in 1919 for £700. The seventeenth century property was once three separate workers’ cottages, home at various times to the Cleere, Glazebrook and Verrall families. When the Woolf’s London property was bombed, they made Monk’s House their permanent home. It became a centre for the Bloomesbury Set and there were several paintings by Virginia’s sister, Vanessa Bell. We viewed the extension, built so that Virginia could have her own space and we see her writing lodge in the attractive gardens.

Day 4

Another day and yes, another National Trust property, this time Batemans, the former home of Rudyard Kipling and his American wife, Caroline. Like Nymans, the attraction of the area was the iron mining, which was centred in Sussex before the industrial revolution. The property itself dates from 1634 and the Kiplings aimed to enhance its seventeenth century heritage after they purchased it and thirty surrounding acres in 1902, for £9200. Items of note include wall coverings made from calves’ leather, which was made in the early eighteenth century and purchased by the Kiplings for 100 guineas. There was also a clock dating from the 1630s, an Eddison cylinder phonograph, whose volume control is the origin of the phrase ‘put a sock in it’. Also on display were some modern Jungle Book illustrations by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler. Other things that caught my eye were a Tiffany inkwell, a botanical crockery set, some tiles, miniature globes made in 1756, a paper model of Batemans, created out of pages covered in Kipling’s tiny handwriting and an alphabet necklace, based on Kipling’s Just So Story How the Alphabet was Made.

We look round the gardens and the overshot water mill, Park Mill, built in 1750; although there has been milling here since the thirteenth century. This visit was enhanced by meeting my friend and also my second cousin, who by a chain of co-incidence know each other and we spend ages chatting in the café.

South-eastern Sojourn Part 1

by thehistoryinterpreter

Yes, we’ve been away again, this time to Sussex and Kent. These are both counties I’ve visited before but extended visits were in childhood, so it was time for a return as part of the ‘Let’s visit every county in England’ campaign, to which I’ve now added and visit at least one National Trust property and one English Heritage property in each, meaning that I may just have to revisit one or two. You’ve had to wait for me to be back in the land of decentish WiFi for me to post this, so, as ever, these are not real time adventures.

Day 1

Having already cut two days off our holiday to accommodate the fitting of a smart meter at the home of the fisherman of my acquaintance, we knew that we were unable to leave as early as we might have liked. This smart meter has been somewhat of a bone of contention. Having been pestered to have one and refusing for many years, this has now become a necessity in order to benefit from the feed-in tariff from his newly installed solar panels. He’s been trying to get an appointment since April. Having muttered the word Ombudsman, an appointment  was finally arranged for what should have been two days into our latest trip. Fortunately, it was the sort of trip where two days fewer was a possibility and as the appointment was for ‘between 8 and 12’, we could get to our destination afterwards, or so we thought. They also promised to message half an hour before arrival. At 11.45, with no sign of said message, we ring to be told that they are unable to guarantee that they will come at all today.

After a great deal of gnashing of teeth, we set off at 1.45pm, with still not a meter man in sight. By this time, it is touch and go whether we will arrive at our chosen site in time to get a pitch before they close at 8pm. Fortunately, this is a site where there is an area where late night arrivals can pitch but this might mean we can’t get onsite until 1pm tomorrow, which would impact on going out for the day. As we leave, the sat-nav, which knows we are towing a caravan, thus limiting our speed on motorways to 60mph, reads 7.22 as an arrival time. The route means encountering the car park known as the M25 at rush hour. There is also the issue of whether we can do a five and a half hour journey without a comfort stop. A 7.22 arrival was always going to be a big ask.

Given the nature of the journey, we do well. There are some sections where we can make up time, which compensate for the parts where we are delayed. The last few miles, through the centre of Brighton, take a disproportionately long time; there are an awful lot of traffic lights in Brighton. We managed to avoid stopping for fuel or comfort and arrive at 7.25. Very hungry and in need of said comfort but in time.

Our site at East Brighton Park is, as the name suggests, on the eastern edge of Brighton and nestled in the shadow of the South Downs. It must be popular as we are allocated the last vacant pitch, fortunately, it seems to have a WiFi signal, so I am happy.

Day 2

We are blessed with a lovely sunny day and set off for Petworth House, today’s National Trust property of choice. I follow along on the map as usual, as we enjoy the views over the downs and travel up the Adur Valley. Here, we are close to the ancestral villages of Steyning and Henfield but I’ve visited before, so have put family history to one side for this holiday.

It is difficult to describe my reaction to  Petworth House. It is still a private residence and the portion that is open to the public was built as a Baroque show-home in 1688, designed to impress visitors and house an extensive art collection, rather than to be lived in. Impressive yes, overwhelming yes and definitely over the top. It was interesting but I am not especially fascinated by works of art, even though these include those by Lely, Van Dyke, Turner, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Titan. There are also nearly a hundred marble sculptures, most of which are huge. We also see a temporary exhibition ‘Expressions in Blue’ with more massive, mostly blue, modern pieces, by English artist Felicity Aylieff, inspired by Petworth but made in Chinese porcelain factories. These include two in the grounds that are about five metres tall. Petworth’s incredibly high ceilings, almost all of which are undecorated, help to accommodate all the large-scale artwork. My preference is for more homely properties. So in summary, yes I’m glad we went but it wouldn’t be high on my list for a revisit; others will feel differently of course.

As the focus is on the art collection, trying to find out more about the history of the building itself and its owners is quite difficult. The site has 900 years of history and the current building replaced a fortified manor house. There are traces of earlier building, notably the fourteenth century chapel, with heraldry abounding. The estate was given to Joscelin of Louvain in the twelfth century by his sister Adeliza, consort of Henry I. Louvain married a Percy heiress and took her name. They were the progenitors of the Earls of Northumberland, who held Petworth as their seat in the south for centuries. The Percy family’s Catholicism was unpopular during the Reformation and its aftermath. The 7th Earl, Thomas Percy, did not exactly endear himself to Elizabeth I when he sided with Mary Queen of Scots and led the Northern Rebellion, which aimed to replace Elizabeth with her Catholic cousin Mary. Understandably, Thomas was executed, although Elizabeth I agreed that his brother, Henry, could inherit as long as he stayed in the south at Petworth, where she could keep an eye on him.

In 1670, the 11th Earl, Josceline Percy, died without a male heir, so the estate passed to his daughter, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, although only sixteen, had already been widowed twice and her third husband was Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset. It was they who built the current house in 1688, although there were some alterations in the 1870s, overseen by the architect Salvin.  In 1750, the estate passed to the Wyndham family.

As ever, it is the quirky bits that catch my eye, so pottery dating from 420BCE; what is thought to be the earliest English terrestrial globe, made by Molyneaux in 1592 and believed to have been given to Henry Percy by Walter Raleigh; an ornate screen; Grinling Gibbons carvings; a portrait of Ralph Hopton, prominent in the Battle of Torrington story; a whole row of (probably replica) fire backs; some unusual chairs; an organ set in a door and some seventeenth century door handles, which I neglect to photograph. We also look at the kitchen block, , which is more to my taste, where there is an eighteenth century fridge and some incredibly heavy copper pans.

The 700 acre estate and deer park were landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. We investigate the deer park. We see no deer but there are large numbers of Canada Geese and a few Egyptian Geese by a lake. The grounds also include many enormous sweet chestnut trees, an Ionic rotunda and a Doric temple but no Corinthian anything.

We had planned to visit Pulborough Brooks RSPB Nature Reserve on a different day but we had passed this on the way to Petworth, so it seemed sensible to call in on this day, as we had time, rather than come this way again. This is a good decision as we have plenty of time to see all that Pulborough has to offer. Unfortunately, they have run out of maps and I am never very good at working with photographed options. There is a distinct lack of signage and we could do with maps at strategic points but no. Nonetheless, we manage to find our way to the hide overlooking the not so wetlands. It is our usual kiss of death wildlife wise, not helped by some very loud chain-sawing in the vicinity. We see great tits, wood pigeons, many Canada Geese and a single heron and hear a wren (thank you Merlin app). Here though are the fallow deer that were conspicuous by their absence at Petworth. Some of these are the more unusual melanistic deer, with black coats. Recently re-introduced white-tailed eagles have been seen in the area and I do spot a couple of birds of prey that may or may not have been white-tailed eagles. Then it is back to the van via a fuel and shop stop at Brighton Marina, where we see the many windfarms out to sea.