72 the horsham society newsletter october 2011...

October 2011

OUR CONCERN IS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE TOWN

Newsletter

72 The Horsham Society Newsletter October 2011

New membersThanks very much to the following for joining: Medex Scientific(UK) Ltd, Denne Road, Horsham; Mr and Mrs Giles, BrookStreet, Cuckfield; Mr and Mrs Harris, Shortsfield Close,Horsham; Mr and Mrs Jones, Old Millmeads, Horsham.

Hallowe’en Festival

My events programme for the town centre tells me there’s aHallowe’en Festival scheduled for Thursday 27 - Saturday 29October, ‘three days of Half Term funfair and entertainment(sic)’. Maybe just the thing to keep the grandchildren amused,and our pumpkin farmers happy. And it’s free. More details onwww.horshamfestival.co.uk

Spreading the message

I’m pleased to say that Strada’s management has, aspromised, put its framed Award in a really prominent

position in the restaurant. You can’t miss it as you enter –it’s right by the reception desk – and so lots and lots ofhappy diners will get to know about our scheme. Wabi hasdone exactly the same thing, and hopefully HDC will atthe Capitol, although the all-glass Bus Station is a trickierchallenge, and the Old Grain Store is a private premises.One of our objectives was to make a public statement aboutthe importance of good design, and the way in which thewinners have advertised their success (and our name) doesjust that. We are grateful for their co-operation.

Notes from the August minutes

East Street: David Moore attended a meeting of thereference group and there had been almost unanimous

support for full pedestrianisation – it has been agreed toprogress an experimental traffic order with core time streetclosure to be introduced by Christmas this year.Distribution/membership lists: were being looked at.Planning applications: 33 Park Terrace West 10ftconversion objected to because of unsympathetic/inappropriate design; 34 Devonshire Road two-storeyextension objected to because of loss of access to garageand increased pressure on street parking; 19 Burns Closefence re-siting objected to as the Society opposesmovement of property boundaries to include within thecurtilage open space of any description. Town Hall: stillno takers and the marketing of the building continues.Civic Voice: non- membership by the Society reviewedbut decided to stay as is. Membership: total stands at1,281 (3 August), up three from 6 July.

(This new section will normally appear under From The

Committee.)

Just a decent plate of food, please

Eating out in Horsham used to be pretty straightforward. You’ddecide whether you wanted Indian, Chinese or good old-fashioned

fish and chips – and off you went. But it ain’t like that now. The rangeof restaurants on offer around East Street is terrific, and I’m a greatfan; there’s something for everyone. But image is all important thesedays, and apparently it’s not just a matter of hanging up a sign withthe name of the owner and what ethnic fodder he has on offer.

It’s a very different game. Mission statements must be concocted bykeen young folk in marketing departments, names and logos sweatedover, trendy Soho interior designers commissioned and researchprogrammes put under way – all no doubt at vast cost.

And what do you end up with? ‘Concepts’ rather than dining rooms,fronted up by mysterious names such as Giraffe and Ask. It isn’t goodenough to say: ‘Just come in and have a decent plate of food’. Youhave to pitch to the world at large baffling lines such as ‘Positive Eating+ Positive Living’ (Wagamama) and ‘Love Eat Live’ (Giraffe). At leastgood old Strada (and see below) gets to the point with no-nonsense‘Cucina Italiana’.

But in this strange new world, with its spin and polish, it’s comfortingto know that at the end of the day, when all’s said and done, peoplewon’t come back unless the price is OK, the service friendly and thatplate of food just right. And there are plenty of places around Horsham,fancy image or otherwise, which deliver just that.

Strada’s Design Award

In the last issue we reported on the list of buildings which had beenawarded a Design Award or Commendation, with photos of the

presentations. But at that point Strada’s hadn’t been made, and nowthat it has, on 4 August, here’s a record of the happy event. HorshamSociety’s David Moore (centre) is seen with Strada’s operationsdirector Graham Ford and area manager Linda Wellings. There hasalso been full coverage of the scheme in the West Sussex County Times

and a mention in HDC’s publication, free to all households.

Directory

The Horsham Society is an independent body supported by members’subscriptions, a registered charity (No.268949) and affiliated to the

Campaign to Protect Rural England.It is a member of the English Historic Towns Forum.

PRESIDENT: Dr Annabelle Hughes

VICE-PRESIDENTS:

Oliver Palmer, Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP, Nigel Friswell, Roy Worskett

CHAIRMAN David Moore99b Swindon RoadHorsham RH12 6HFTel: (01403) [email protected]

Hon TREASURERRoy Bayliss15 PatchingsHorsham RH13 5HJTel: (01403) 262262

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYPat Gale (Mrs)46 Bedford RoadHorsham RH13 5BJTel: (01403) [email protected]

Horsham Society website: www.horshamsociety.org

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Individuals: £5 per year Single Pensioner: £3.25 per yearFamily Membership: £7.50 per year Family Pensioner: £5 per yearBusinesses: £10 per year Single Life Membership: £100

Family Life Membership: £150£5.00 postage is added to the above rates for out-of-town members.

© Individual contributors 2011. No material may be reproduced, copied or stored in aretrieval system without the prior consent of the relevant contributor, which should besought via the Editor.

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By The Way

Correspondence and other Newsletter matters should be sent to the

Editor, Arun House, Denne Road, Horsham RH12 1JF (Tel: 01403 263870,

email via: [email protected]). Other communications

concerning the Society should go to the Hon Secretary. The Newsletter is

published monthly (except August) and opinions in it, whether the

Editor’s or contributors’, are not necessarily those of the Society.

VICE CHAIRMANIan Dockreay

24 Wimblehurst RoadHorsham RH12 2EDTel: (01403) 241582

Hon SECRETARYRod Cuming

3 White Horse RoadHorsham RH12 4ULTel: (01403) 268444

[email protected]

DISTRIBUTION ORGANISERKathy Gleeson

13 Millthorpe RoadRoffey RH12 4ER

Tel: (01403) 210511

Editor’s note

Following my invitation to local societies to write inand tell us what they are all about, I was pleased to

hear from Theatre 48 and Horsham Geological FieldClub. Something of their stories is told on pages 67 and70, as is notice of an interesting talk HGFC is putting onin October. Professor Chris Stringer is a world authorityon palaeontology (even I have heard of him) and he’scoming to Horsham to speak on The Origin of our

Species. It’s in my diary; why not come along as well?

Copy date for the November issue is 3 October.

Park House by E W Copnall.

Do please write in: letters for publication toBrian Slyfield, Arun House, Denne Road,Horsham RH12 1JF.

Cramp on Cripps

Thank you for another informativeNewsletter. I was particularly inter-

ested in the Evershed and Cripps article(July issue). Ivan Cripps used to sing inthe Trinity Church choir where he met hisattractive wife Eileen. His father Iremember very well as he was often seenon horseback riding around the town. Ilived in the house between the BedfordHotel and Barrington Road. There was apassage at the back of our garden whichled to stables where Mr Cripps kept hishorse.

Incidentally, where would one stand to seethat particular view of Market Square asdrawn by Peter Ward?

Molly Cramp Cedar Close, Borsham

Molly: I haven’t checked with Peter but itlooks as if he took his drawing from theentrance to Market Square, or perhaps forsafety’s sake from the pavement by theKing’s Head. I always think his workreproduces particularly well in our blackand white format. Best wishes. Ed.

Some interesting ideas

Thanks to the committee for all it doesto look after Horsham town and all the

facilities we are offered. I always lookforward to receiving the Newsletter andthe August issue is with me now. Thearticle on Warnham Nature Reserve wasexcellent. It might have been a good ideato mention the entrance fee – I think itused to be ‘free entry’ but I’m not sure.

Pages 58/9 (Design Awards) were verytopical and very worthy of a good mentionand publicity for this scheme. Could wehave an article on the new Park‘offerings’? I am not quite sure what tocall the ‘things’ near the tennis courts –your comments, views and photographswould be useful so we can decide if it allseems worth it!

I am delighted you are doing more talks/lectures and will do my best to keep 6October free for Melanie’s talk. Would itbe possible (hall bookings permitting) toselect other weekday evenings as well?

Like many people in Horsham I have aregular evening out, in my case it isThursday. I shall be happy to forego this tohear Melanie’s talk, but as I say a rota ofevenings could be beneficial to some.

Also could we perhaps have a monthlybrief summary of what the committee hastalked about? Way back when I was HonSec we had a piece each month, From the

Secretary’s Notebook, and fortunately Ihad my husband to proof read (and correctspellings!) and dear John Buchanan wasalways very kind to me. I regularly see hiswidow, Margaret, and it would be nice tobe able to give a ‘bouquet’ of thanks to herand John for all their contributions in thepast.

I love my home town dearly. We came toHorsham when I was six and so I haveseen many changes. I always argue againstthe supposition that Horsham has beenspoilt. Not so. We still have the Causeway(untouched), our twittens and our ‘greenand pleasant town’, as I once wrote. Alasour cycle routes are still a completeshambles in the way they are set out. Tocycle from west to east is a nightmare. Iknow, I do it regularly.

Thanks to you all, and keep up the goodwork.

Paula LamploughIrwin Drive, Horsham

Paula: Thanks for making a number ofinteresting points. For those who mayhave joined the Society relatively recently,I should explain that John Buchanan wasonce editor – one of the best – of ourNewsletter, and I would entirely supportPaula in recognising the very importantcontribution he and his widow Margarethave made over the years. Regarding acouple of her other points, I do have it inmind to review the new ‘offering’ in thePark, as she calls it, and am also consciousthat more input is needed about committeework. Let’s see what we can do. Ed.

Something to worry about

If we can put on such an excellent ItalianFestival and Market each Spring, why

can’t we do the same with the FrenchMarket? This is a question that’s beenworrying me all through the summer.Answers on a postcard, please.

Back in July we had just got back from ashort break in Aix-en-Provence. Eurostar

and then the French TGV rocket yousouthwards in no time. An early start at StPancras and tea (or something stronger) inthe heart of Provence by 3.30 pm.Amazing. Returning to Horsham wewaxed lyrical to our taxi driver about thewonderful Provencal street markets, witha variety and quality of fruit and veg thelike of which we rarely see here, when hepromptly pointed out that our very ownFrench Market was on in Horsham. Sowho needs Provence?

The next day I walked up and took a look.I found signs proclaiming ‘BangersGalore’, ‘Sussex Cheese’, ‘Cup Cakes’and ‘Vintage Music’, but precious little inthe way of good, tasty French food – oreven atmosphere. I did come across acouple of chaps dressed in berets andstriped jumpers, but they were chattingaway in a distinctly Horsham patois, andan accordion and fiddle knocked outNellie the Elephant from the bandstand.HDC made its presence felt, as only itcould do, with an ‘Event Control Point’.The trouble was, there weren’t manyevents to control.

No-one expects the glories of France to bemagicked suddenly to the south ofEngland, but surely we can do better thanthis? Until that happens, we still needProvence. Hop on the TGV.

Big Nibble, big success

But having said that, it was really goodto see how successful was the Big

Nibble Saturday market on 3 September.There were excellent local produce stalls,such as Auntie Val’s jams and chutneysfrom Pulborough, offerings of SussexCharmer cheese on toast, lamb burgersfrom Shipley and that splendidly namedregular, the Old Rudgwick Cider Society.My favourite? Difficult to choose, but ifpressed I might well go for the charminglady selling delicious chocolates she hadcreated in her back kitchen in Wimble-hurst Road. You can’t get more local thanthat.

So, well done to all the organisers, and fullmarks for a celebration of truly home-made fare. What a shame it was so wet thefollowing day, but at least the rain did easeoff later in the afternoon.

PS And another thing – East Street, withall traffic banned and tables and chairseverywhere, was a revelation and a delight.That’s just how it should be. BS

66 The Horsham Society Newsletter October 2011 The Horsham Society Newsletter October 2011 71

Letters Etc.From the committee

Realistic assessment of newplanning reforms

The recent controversy over new hous-ing in Southwater and Billingshurst is

only the start of a wider debate as theGovernment’s proposed reforms of theplanning system begin to impact. There isno doubt that the country needs morehousing. The population is rising, we areliving longer, expectations are growingand everyone deserves to live in a decenthome. The south-east, including Horsham,must play its part.

That means planning ahead and takingdifficult decisions, and doing so quicklybecause the Government’s plans create anew sense of urgency. The new draftNational Planning Policy Frameworksweeps away almost all current nationalguidance, reducing it from 1,000 pages to52. It creates a presumption in favour ofsustainable development. Local councilswill be required to plan positively forgrowth and approve all individual propo-sals wherever possible. Planning must notoperate as an impediment to growth.

The Local Development Framework withits complex interconnecting documentswill be replaced by new Local Plans whichmust be consistent with the NationalFramework. In the absence of a Local Plan,or where it is silent on an issue, authoritieswill be expected to grant permission.

Plans will have to be approved by a plan-ning inspector and this is the way theGovernment will prevent local authoritiesfrom including unnecessary impedimentsto development. Neighbourhoods candevelop their own plans but these must beconsistent with the Local Plan, so willonly be able to promote more develop-ments, not less.

So what does this mean for Horsham?Well, development will still be plan-led,so we are fortunate that Horsham DistrictCouncil already has a Local DevelopmentFramework. This would have given ussome protection against inappropriatedevelopment while a new Local Plan iscreated, but for the decision to drop theInterim Statement.

This was designed to solve the require-ment that councils must be able todemonstrate that there is always fiveyears’ worth of specific developable landavailable to meet its housing target, a

situation which has been compromised bythe slow build-out of the west of Horshamdevelopment. The National Frameworkraises that threshold to 120 per cent ofdefined need.

Southwater will almost certainly get itsnew housing – planning inspectors havebeen told the draft National Frameworkmay be cited as a material considerationat appeal – and the whole of the district isnow at risk from opportunistic developers.

HDC has said that it will press ahead withits new plan as quickly as possible,starting with a review of housing need,and there are some new opportunities tobe considered, including a Local GreenSpace designation. But the impact of theFramework as a whole will not becomefully clear until the first Local Plans areconsidered by inspectors, perhaps in 2013.

Meanwhile we must keep our fingerscrossed, and stop putting our heads in thesand. There will be more housing. Eitherwe can decide where it should go or thedevelopers will.

John Steele (This article has also appeared in the WSCT)

Friends of Chesworth

With the purpose of protecting thebest interests of Chesworth Farm

and its surroundings, a Friends’ Group hasbeen formed, and a public meeting washeld on 22 August to move things forward.The Society is well represented via itschairman, David Moore, and 73 peopleturned out on the night – an excellentnumber given it was in the middle of theholiday season.

A constitution was approved and acommittee selected. Steve Delahunt, headwarden, reviewed recent sightings at thefarm, which included some unusualdragonflies, the Bright Emerald andScarce Chaser. He also confirmed thatthere was a pair of nesting skylarks atMuggeridge Field, which WSCC wants tosell as a prime building site. A smallworking group has already placed usefulinformation notices on the site andattention will now turn to the funding andprovision of more permanent signs forvisitors. A page has also been set up onFacebook. Additionally, the committeewill now prepare a wish list of some of thebeneficial work that should be started onthe site.

Skylark protected

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act(1981) the Skylark is a Schedule 1

protected species. This means that, amongother things, it is against the law to disturban active nest.

Promoting the arts

At the July committee John Steelereported that a meeting had been held

with Jonathan Chowen, HDC’s cabinetmember for arts, heritage and leisure, inorder to put forward the Society’s ideasfor promoting the arts in Horsham.Discussions centred around the creation ofan annual arts festival and, longer term,the planning of a new art gallery. Emphasiswas placed on the need for visible anddemonstrable support from HDC, althoughnot necessarily in the form of directfunding. Mr Chowen responded positivelybut said that he would need to consult withothers. He also noted the importance of acommercial benefit. The Society’s viewswill be set out more fully in a subsequentissue.

Melanie Wakefieldon gemstones

Just to remind you that MelanieWakefield will be giving a Society talk

on gemstones at 7.30 pm on Thursday 6October in the Causeway Barn, so ifyou’re looking for a bit of autumn sparkle,that must be the place to be. Tea andcoffee will be available from 7 pm.

Distributors needed

We need a couple of distributors, bothfor small, compact rounds. The first

is for the Springfield Park complex, wheresomeone is needed to deliver to nineaddresses at the house and its surroundings,and the second is for just six addresses inSalisbury Road and Tower Hill. Do pleaseget in touch if you can help with either ofthese rounds. Many thanks. BS

The Horsham Dramatic Societyas it was known in 1948 was

founded by Miss Margery Lee, thedeputy head of Collyer’s School.who took a drama class at theEvening Institute. Encouraged byher adult students she formed acommittee which included MollyCramp and Vera Honey, who arestill members today. A small sub-scription was paid and the ParishRoom was hired for play readingsand rehearsals. In the early yearsplays were performed at various

locations in the town including the Parish Room, the TheatreRoyal (no longer in existence), Collyer’s School, the Albion Hall(also gone) The old Capitol Theatre and the Parish Church. Playsperformed included The Magistrate, The Ghost Train and Doctor

Faustus.

These plays were produced under difficulties, as there were noworkshops in which to make and paint scenery and on manyoccasions the work was carried out under the shelter by the sideof the Capitol. Costumes were frequently made from curtainsand bedspreads as money was short, like today. Molly Cramp canremember making wings for the Insect Play from beige curtainswith brown and orange blobs. This play was probably the firstone performed by the society at the old Capitol Theatre.

In 1972 the name was changed to Theatre 48 and a permanenthome was found at Broadbridge Heath in the officers’ mess ofthe Bomb Disposal Squad. It was named Centre 48 andcomprised rehearsal space, kitchen and bar, storage space forscenery, costumes and props. Cold it may have been butnumerous social events were held there and members remembermany happy times. Plays performed at this time included Pride

and Prejudice, The Canterbury Tales and 1066 And All That. Forthe latter play good use was made of knitted and sprayed woolfor chain mail and lavatory chains for decoration.

In 1983 the old Capitol was demolished to make room for theSwan Walk shopping centre and worried that there would be notheatre, members of Theatre 48 organised a protest march. Theymarched around the Carfax with banners to the strains of‘There’s no Business like Showbusiness’. The council agreed to

renovate the old Ritz cinema in North Street to include a theatre.Theatre 48 continued to produce plays mainly at Centre 48including The Golden Pathway Annual and Suddenly Last

Summer, two challenging and successful plays.

In 1985 the Ritz cinema opened as the Horsham Arts Centre andthe society used both the main theatre and the studio. A widevariety of work by playwrights such as Alan Ayckbourn, AlanBennett, Agatha Christie and George Orwell were performed atthis time. Also in 1985 Tesco stores bought the BroadbridgeHeath site from the council and Theatre 48 was offeredtemporary accommodation at Langhurst Wood; rehearsalscontinued in sometimes chilly conditions and plays performedincluded Witness for the Prosecution, Hay Fever, and Everyman

with God played by Canon Derek Tansill.

In 1988 Theatre 48 moved to purpose-built premises atBroadbridge Heath leisure centre with a spacious rehearsalroom, storage for props, scenery and costumes, also a kitchenand bar. Plays performed then were Charley’s Aunt, Ten Times

Table and Murder on the Nile. This was the last play performedby Theatre 48 before the Capitol closed for refurbishment in2002.

By 1992, the society needed to cut their costs and moved to theOld Town Hall where there was a big rehearsal room, kitchenand storage in the old cells which proved too creepy for somemembers. The workshop at Broadbridge Heath was retained formaking and storing scenery. In 1993 the society had theopportunity to perform in Horsham Park and chose several shortscenes from Shakespeare plays complete with costumes andmusic.

During the years when the Capitol was closed Theatre 48performed in several local halls and also took a play on tour. Thiswas Time to Kill by Leslie Darbon and over two weekendsCowfold, Mannings Heath, Warnham and Southwater werevisited. Once the Capitol re-opened in 2003 Rebecca and Pride

and Prejudice were staged in the main theatre and Salt of the

Earth in the Studio.

In 2005 a playwriting competition, ‘Who Writes Wins!’, washeld with the four winning plays being performed in the Studio.It is hoped to hold another competition soon.

Finances prompted yet another move in 2006 and the societymoved to Kingslea School and was made most welcome. TheStudio proved to be more suitable for our productions and Move

over Mrs Markham and My Mother Said I Never Should wereperformed there. The group was also able to join with thechildren from the school in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

and Peter Pan the Panto. Another play is planned for thisDecember. This co-operation has proved rewarding for bothadults and children.

Theatre 48 is a group which welcomes all ages, giving them achance to take part in its activities, e.g acting, play reading andsocial events. Why not come along and meet us?

If you have any memories of Theatre 48 we would like to hearfrom you. Contact Jean Hammonds on 01403 265072.


All about Theatre 48by Jean Hammonds

Horsham Geological Field Club

The club was founded in 1977 following a series of lecturesgiven under the auspices of the W.E.A. on Geology and

Fossils by Dr. Ellis Owen, a resident of Horsham for over 50years and palaeontologist with the Natural History Museum.Originally they met in members’ homes but for the last 25 yearsthey have held meetings at the Forest Community School,Comptons Lane. They maintain a membership of around 50.

The club holds monthly lecture meetings, which cover a widerange of topics on geological and related subjects at 7.00 for 7.30pm, with refreshments available. Anyone interested is invited toattend. A full field trip programme is also organised each year.These trips encompass visits to quarries and coastal sites as wellas to geological collections in museums and walks of geologicalinterest in the Wealden area.

For further information phone the secretary, Gill Woodhatch, on01403 250371 email: [email protected]. Web site:http://hgfc.club.officelive.com/default.aspx. Subscription is£14.00 per annum.

Q&AQ: East Street is pedestrianised for shoppers. Can you cycle alongit? A: Yes. Q: West Street is pedestrianised for shoppers. Can you cycle alongit? A: No. Q: Why not? A: Don’t know - but people do anyway.

The National Trust

The North Sussex Centre of The National Trust began its seriesof autumn and winter lectures in September, and the next is on

6 October and thereafter on the 2nd Thursday of each month untilApril 2012. All meetings are at the Wesley Hall, London Road,Horsham, and for further details ring 01403 264599 or 01403730162.

Would you believe it?

It is, of course, a truism that machines (and computers) aretaking over, or maybe have taken over, our lives, and are

steadily eroding our ability to think or act for ourselves. But nonethe less I continue to be bewildered by what’s going on. My cartakes its own decision when it’s dark enough to put the headlampson - I have no say in the matter - and it also takes a view as towhat rate the windscreen wipers should operate at. I also hear thatthe latest models reverse themselves into narrow spots, so let’sforget about the driver. And don’t get me started on sat nav, surelya curse and an abomination, turning the deeply satisfying businessof route planning and map reading, with its triumphs and, yes,failures, into a lost art.

But visiting an old friend recently (once a TV star of long-lostclassics such as Robin Hood and Emergency Ward 10) withanother Society member, I was rendered speechless by his latestbit of whizz-kiddery (and I kid you not) - a self-operating lawnmower. All its owner has to do is sit in the shade of a convenienttree, glass of white burgundy to hand, and just watch and wait. Atthe appointed hour his machine kicks into life and – all by itself –sets off on the business of cutting the grass, to a plan heldsomewhere deep in its works. A system of wires threaded aroundthe borders tells it not to go mad with the lupins, and the businessdone, it trundles off back to the shed. Would you believe it? BS

Trinity Church Players

Trinity Church Players have been performing shows at HolyTrinity in Rushams Road since 1982. They still retain close

links with the church, but in recent years have had an openmembership policy, so anyone over the age of 15 can join, regard-less of their religious beliefs. Their pantomime rehearsals havealready started (Robinson Crusoe, to be staged on 27-28 January),but a person or small team of people is needed, to be responsiblefor making a props list, sourcing the small props and building thebigger ones, all to a tight budget. If you would like to help out, orsupport the group in any other way, do get in touch with JaneO’Sullivan on 01403 265649 or Lynn Andrews on 01403 256474.

Sussex Artists

The Association of Sussex Artists’ annual exhibition ran from11-20 August, and what a good one it was. If anyone needs

persuading of the potential for even more arts activity in Horsham(see earlier note), they should have been at the opening view,which was packed out. Not many activities locally get suchsupport. And what talent we have around here. It’s a county-wideshow, but a good number of the artists who qualified came fromthe Horsham area, and the attainment level was high. What’smore, many were Society members.

There was a terrific portrait of Boris (you know who), looking asdishevelled as ever, with feet up on a table and the soles of hisshoes badly in need of repair. It was a quirky and characterfullikeness, and humorous to boot. If I were Boris, I’d snap it up. Sofull marks to president John Davies and his team for the hard workthey put in, and the talent they assemble. But as ever they needmore support, so do look out for next year’s exhibition, which willmark the Association’s 100th anniversary, and make sure to comealong. We’ll promote it in the Newsletter, of course, and I’m surethe event will be something special. Even better, why not buy apicture or a piece of pottery. Prices start at a reasonable level, andisn’t it far better to have something original in the house than justanother copy of something?

Canterbury Tales 1978

The Origin of our Species by Professor Chris Stringer

Occasionally HGFC holds a public lecture and is doing so thisyear on Wednesday 12 October, in the Business and EnterpriseCentre at the rear of Forest School, Comptons Lane, 7.00 for7.30 pm. Entry £2.

The internationally renowned palaeontologist, Professor ChrisStringer, will talk on The Origin of our Species. Chris Stringerhas worked at the Natural History Museum, London, since1973, and is now Research Leader in Human Origins and aFellow of the Royal Society. His early research was on therelationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans inEurope, but through his work on the ‘Out of Africa’ theory ofmodern human origins, he now collaborates with archaeologists,dating specialists and geneticists in attempting to reconstructthe evolution of modern humans globally. He has excavated atsites in Britain and abroad, and is currently leading the AncientHuman Occupation of Britain project in its third phase(AHOB3). He has published over 200 scientific papers, and hisrecent books include The Complete World of Human Evolution

(2005, with Peter Andrews), the award-winning Homo

Britannicus (2006), and The Origin of Our Species (2011).

Harwood Road, that undistinguished stretch that runs from whatwe knew as Agate’s Corner up to Roffey Corner, is named

after a house that once stood off King’s Road, and it now cutsthrough its old grounds, at least at the southern end. The pondssystem, for example, which today’s road bisects, was once part ofthe Harwood property, which stretched right up to Compton’s Laneand included the old brick fields run by the Nightingales.

The house was yet another to be demolished in the 1960s, in thiscase around 1965, and Harwood Road itself was up and running in1968. But let’s tum the clock back to 1876, for it was about then thatthe Lyons first came to Horsham. For the first twelve months theylived at The Firs, at the top end of King’s Road and later the homeof Robert Blatchford, the campaigning journalist (see May 2010issue), before moving to their new home. There is also a record ofThomas Marchant Moon of ‘Bellevue and Harwood House’ in1874, and the latter was built for him. Moon was a well-knownHorsham name at the time, with another address in East Parade,and he had a range of occupations: tanner, leather merchant andfarmer (John Moon was another family member, who four yearslater specialised in iron – as an ironmonger, iron and brass founder,engineer and agricultural agent, with an East Street foundry;Moon’s Lane is off Brighton Road).

The executors of Thomas Moon sold Harwood House to the Lyonson the former’s death in March 1877 for £5,066. Major (as he wasthen) Frederick Lee Hopkinson Lyon, of the Royal Artillery, andhis family lived there in some style, as we will shortly see. He wasborn in Middlesex in 1833, and the move here was made shortlyafter his marriage in 1874. His wife Rosabelle, born in Beckenham,Kent, was six years younger than him, and all three of theirchildren, two girls and a boy, were born in Horsham – Marianne(‘May’) Constance Emmeline in 1877, Geraldine/Rosabelle in 1879and Alick William Wittit in 1880. But the Lyons, before then, werefrom a village called Miserden near Stroud, and Frederick was theyoungest son of James Wittit Lyon of Miserden Park. James Lyonhad bought the estate in 1839 from the Rev Edward Reed (as agentfor his father-in-law Sir Edwin Bayntun-Sandys, an undischargedbankrupt), but it was sold on in 1862, and left the family.

Going back a little further, James’ father was a London surgeonnamed Benjamin Lyon, and James himself had been a seniorpartner in a solicitors there until 1860.

Frederick Lyon had been a career soldier, who had seen action inmany of the centres of conflict of the time. As a young soldier in histwenties he had been presentat the siege and capture ofLucknow in 1858, and hadserved during the IndianMutiny. Four years earlier, in1854, he had also been at theseige of Sevastapol, in theCrimea campaign. Presumablyhe retired from the Army at arelatively young age, a movewhich was perhaps connectedwith his marriage at the age of41. But he gained one morepromotion, from major tolieutenant colonel, in the late1870s, which indicates that he

still had an Army involvement – atleast during his early days in Horsham.

At Harwood House during the 1880sthey also had William and MariannePeters, Rosabelle’s parents, living withthem. He was a retired banker fromAshfold, in nearby Handcross (whichmay have prompted the Lyons’ move to Horsham), and by 1881the couple had both reached the goodly age of 84. The family as awhole took some looking after, and the census return for that yearrecords no less than thirteen servants – a generous but not untypicalfamily/ staff ratio for the times: two ladies’ maids, a nurse andnursery maid, a cook and house maid, an under-house maid andkitchen maid, a butler, footman, coachman and one farm servant. Inaddition to the main house, there were two others on the smallestate, and the extra accommodation was clearly needed.

During his life in Horsham Lieutenant Colonel Lyon, as he became,played an active part in its affairs. Along with others of similarstatus, characters such as Rigg of Wallhurst Manor, Lucas ofWarnham Park and St John from Slinfold, he served on the Bench –in his case for a period of about 18 years. He was held to have been‘of an outspoken nature’, and whether because of that fact ordespite it, he was ‘much esteemed locally’. He was also a leadinglight in the Primrose League, a right wing association named inhonour of Disraeli and his favourite wild flower. In fact he was itslocal Ruling Councillor, and was to be found presiding over one ofits regular ‘entertainments’ at the King’s Head in January 1905,with his two daughters in tow. They were clearly enthusiasts aswell, and just three months later were to be seen at the League’sannual ball at the same venue. Lyon was also a long-standingmember of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt.

He died on 25 March 1906, after a ten month illness, while he wasstaying in Hove. His wife’s health had also been poor for the last sixyears, and because of this they had been in the habit of spendingwinters abroad – but in the end she outlived him. His body wasbrought back to Harwood House, and then taken on toGloucestershire, where he was buried alongside other members ofthe family in Miserden churchyard.

His son Alick took over the family property in 1905, and continuedto live in the house with his two sisters. He had been at Wellington,an Army school, and seemed a chip off the old block. He served inthe Sussex Militia Artillery for five years before joining the Sussex

Yeomanry at the time of itsformation, as a lieutenant, andthen as a major in The Blues.His way of life was typical ofa man in his position – whilenot soldiering he was eitherplaying polo, shooting birds orchasing foxes; he was also amember of both the Crawleyand Horsham Hunt and LordLeconfield’s Hounds.

1905 was certainly a busyyear socially for the youngerLyons, and the King’s Headsaw a good deal of them. In


January they were out in force at the local hunt ball in the AssemblyRooms, along with the cream of Horsham society: a clutch ofHendersons together with the Countess of Leitrim (she was aHenderson daughter) from Sedgwick Park, assorted Hursts,Lucases and Aldridges, and three Scarletts (Lady Abinger and acouple of Honourables) from Arun House. There were as many as300 guests, a great time was had by all, and dancing went on until4am to the strains of the Red Imperial Band. But despite theirsocialising the two Lyon girls never seemed to find the right man,and both were to remain unmarried. Marianne lived on at HarwoodHouse until her death in 1962, while her sister (called Gwen bythose who knew her, and remembered as a bit of a tyrant) movedto Broughton in Hampshire). Their brother died locally, of bloodpoisoning, on 19 August 1934, aged 55.

Marianne was known to all and sundry as ‘Miss Lyon’, and severalpeople have memories of her. John Snelling, for example (seeNovember 2005 issue), tells of how she was berated by an angryleft wing protestor at a political meeting in the Drill Hall. MissLyon and other up-market supporters of Earl Winterton were firmlyensconced in the front row, when things all became too much for aLabour lady relegated to a seat well back in the hall, and shestormed down the aisle, her target Miss Lyon and her weapon afurled umbrella. Happily bloodshed was avoided by the timelyintervention of a policeman, who quickly appeared from nowhere.

Miss Lyon had a mass of fine red hair that she wore piled high onher head, and in the family tradition, she was passionate abouthorses. She was a regular attender at the annual Boxing Day Meetin the Carfax – a scene memorably recorded by local doctor, artistand hunting enthusiast John Sparrow – and held that side -saddlewas the only way a lady should be seated.But whatever her skill with horses, shehad a reputation locally for being a terribledriver, and it was said that she once droveinto her garage, failed to stop and ploughedstraight on though the back wall.

I came across further evidence of herdriving abilities in a court report in thelocal paper for 22 November 1940, whenshe was summoned for both careless driv-ing and not having a licence. It seemedthat she had been proceeding down StaneStreet towards Billingshurst a weekearlier ‘in a small Austin car’ when shetook it upon herself to stop ‘dead in thecentre of the road’ at its junction withOakhurst Road (a side turning), havingmade a very late hand signal. The carbehind had to brake sharply, the Army lorry behind that bumpedinto it and ended up in a hedge, and Miss Lyon declared ‘she hearda crash but did not take much notice of it’. Despite a number ofconvincing prosecution witnesses she was cleared (Nellie VestaLaughton was one of the magistrates and local solicitor PG Eagerdefended). But the lack of a current licence cost her 5s.

The gardens of Harwood House were also made available for GirlGuide camps, a cause she was keen on, and she may have been aGuide Commissioner, as was her neighbour Miss Godman fromSouth Lodge. At any rate one Horsham lady remembers attendinga day camp at the house back in the 1950s, and has memories of thestable block - and also an impression that the whole place was a bitrun down.

But the great love of her life was the Arab thoroughbred, some-thing she had in common with her close friends the Blunts ofNewbuildings and Crabbet Park. Lady Anne Blunt, wife of WilliamScawen Blunt, was held responsible for rescuing the breed from

extinction, and the family’s stud at Crabbet, where her daughterBaroness Wentworth presided, was world famous; in 1957 it couldboast to have bred nineteen champion horses. Marianne Lyon wasclose to Baroness Wentworth and Lady Anne Lytton, a grand-daughter of William Scawen and Anne Blunt, and the familyconnection went back to her father’s time, when in 1895 he boughtHowa, a bay Arab mare, at the 8th Crabbet Park bi-annual sales.

These sales were famous in their time, and were preceded by asplendid lunch – no doubt to get bidders in the right frame of mind.All the big names in the horse world were there, and no less aperson than Somerville Tattersall (Tattersalls is, of course, stillgoing strong) conducted the auctions. Colonel Lyon’s purchase wasa grand-daughter of a mare called Hagaar, which had beenimmortalized in the writings of Lady Anne Blunt as the horse thathad run away with her in the desert for a good twelve miles.Descendants of Hagaar’s granddaughter were still held at Harwood;in 1957 the oldest was 22 years and the youngest eight months, andin their owner’s words, ‘all alike as two peas’.

Testimony to the close relationship between Marianne Lyon andthe Blunts was that the latter allowed her free use of the Crabbetstallions, and so her own stud of 35 horses all had a Crabbet bloodline. She was also proud to boast that her Arab stud was the secondoldest in the country, after Crabbet Park itself.

Marianne Lyon also spent time in Ireland, where she had anotherstud at Rostrevor, County Down, a stunning location on the shoresof Carlingford Bay at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. It washere, rather than at Horsham, that she died, unreported in our localpress. Her brother Alick had inherited Rostrevor House in 1916,

and she inherited after his death. It wasdemolished about 1980.

Horsham’s Harwood Stud, including theRostrevor horses, was taken over byRobert and Monica Calvert, who lived atPicts House by the Fox and Hounds (now,for no good reason, re-named the Boar’sHead), and was transferred to DenneHill’s Hop Oast Farm, where it remaineduntil the death of Monica Calvert inFebruary 2007, when it was transferredagain by her daughter Georgie Moore toDorset. The council had long wanted toget its hands on the original Harwoodland, close to the centre of town, but MissLyon had always fought back, claimingsuccessfully that ‘the sale of her horses toPoland and elsewhere was essential to the

export drive’. But with her gone, the construction of Harwood Roadand other developments, including the destruction of her old home,could take place unopposed.

It is commonly held that the Lyon family was related to the QueenMother’s, and although I have not seen proof of a connectionbetween Lyon and Bowes-Lyon, there is no reason to doubt theymay be cousins of some degree. I am told, for example, by thosewho knew Miss Lyon that she made regular twice-yearly visits tothe Palace, and each time a car was sent down to collect her. Butwhile I have not yet managed to unravel the complex aristocraticweb of Lyons, Bowes-Lyons (and even Lyons-Bowes), I have comeup with a link between the Lyons and the family of the Duke ofBeaufort; apparently the Hon Juliana Somerset married HenryWittit Lyon in 1852. At least that’s something to be going on with.

My thanks to Dan Lyon, John Snelling and Hugh Casement (who has a family

connection with Miserden Park), all of whom have provided much useful

information, and to John Steele for picture research.

The Lyons of Harwood Houseby Brian Slyfield

The Lyon property at Rostrevor.

May Lyon on Howa.

Alick Lyon.

The Horsham Dramatic Societyas it was known in 1948 was

founded by Miss Margery Lee, thedeputy head of Collyer’s School.who took a drama class at theEvening Institute. Encouraged byher adult students she formed acommittee which included MollyCramp and Vera Honey, who arestill members today. A small sub-scription was paid and the ParishRoom was hired for play readingsand rehearsals. In the early yearsplays were performed at various

locations in the town including the Parish Room, the TheatreRoyal (no longer in existence), Collyer’s School, the Albion Hall(also gone) The old Capitol Theatre and the Parish Church. Playsperformed included The Magistrate, The Ghost Train and Doctor

Faustus.

These plays were produced under difficulties, as there were noworkshops in which to make and paint scenery and on manyoccasions the work was carried out under the shelter by the sideof the Capitol. Costumes were frequently made from curtainsand bedspreads as money was short, like today. Molly Cramp canremember making wings for the Insect Play from beige curtainswith brown and orange blobs. This play was probably the firstone performed by the society at the old Capitol Theatre.

In 1972 the name was changed to Theatre 48 and a permanenthome was found at Broadbridge Heath in the officers’ mess ofthe Bomb Disposal Squad. It was named Centre 48 andcomprised rehearsal space, kitchen and bar, storage space forscenery, costumes and props. Cold it may have been butnumerous social events were held there and members remembermany happy times. Plays performed at this time included Pride

and Prejudice, The Canterbury Tales and 1066 And All That. Forthe latter play good use was made of knitted and sprayed woolfor chain mail and lavatory chains for decoration.

In 1983 the old Capitol was demolished to make room for theSwan Walk shopping centre and worried that there would be notheatre, members of Theatre 48 organised a protest march. Theymarched around the Carfax with banners to the strains of‘There’s no Business like Showbusiness’. The council agreed to

renovate the old Ritz cinema in North Street to include a theatre.Theatre 48 continued to produce plays mainly at Centre 48including The Golden Pathway Annual and Suddenly Last

Summer, two challenging and successful plays.

In 1985 the Ritz cinema opened as the Horsham Arts Centre andthe society used both the main theatre and the studio. A widevariety of work by playwrights such as Alan Ayckbourn, AlanBennett, Agatha Christie and George Orwell were performed atthis time. Also in 1985 Tesco stores bought the BroadbridgeHeath site from the council and Theatre 48 was offeredtemporary accommodation at Langhurst Wood; rehearsalscontinued in sometimes chilly conditions and plays performedincluded Witness for the Prosecution, Hay Fever, and Everyman

with God played by Canon Derek Tansill.

In 1988 Theatre 48 moved to purpose-built premises atBroadbridge Heath leisure centre with a spacious rehearsalroom, storage for props, scenery and costumes, also a kitchenand bar. Plays performed then were Charley’s Aunt, Ten Times

Table and Murder on the Nile. This was the last play performedby Theatre 48 before the Capitol closed for refurbishment in2002.

By 1992, the society needed to cut their costs and moved to theOld Town Hall where there was a big rehearsal room, kitchenand storage in the old cells which proved too creepy for somemembers. The workshop at Broadbridge Heath was retained formaking and storing scenery. In 1993 the society had theopportunity to perform in Horsham Park and chose several shortscenes from Shakespeare plays complete with costumes andmusic.

During the years when the Capitol was closed Theatre 48performed in several local halls and also took a play on tour. Thiswas Time to Kill by Leslie Darbon and over two weekendsCowfold, Mannings Heath, Warnham and Southwater werevisited. Once the Capitol re-opened in 2003 Rebecca and Pride

and Prejudice were staged in the main theatre and Salt of the

Earth in the Studio.

In 2005 a playwriting competition, ‘Who Writes Wins!’, washeld with the four winning plays being performed in the Studio.It is hoped to hold another competition soon.

Finances prompted yet another move in 2006 and the societymoved to Kingslea School and was made most welcome. TheStudio proved to be more suitable for our productions and Move

over Mrs Markham and My Mother Said I Never Should wereperformed there. The group was also able to join with thechildren from the school in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

and Peter Pan the Panto. Another play is planned for thisDecember. This co-operation has proved rewarding for bothadults and children.

Theatre 48 is a group which welcomes all ages, giving them achance to take part in its activities, e.g acting, play reading andsocial events. Why not come along and meet us?

If you have any memories of Theatre 48 we would like to hearfrom you. Contact Jean Hammonds on 01403 265072.


All about Theatre 48by Jean Hammonds

Horsham Geological Field Club

The club was founded in 1977 following a series of lecturesgiven under the auspices of the W.E.A. on Geology and

Fossils by Dr. Ellis Owen, a resident of Horsham for over 50years and palaeontologist with the Natural History Museum.Originally they met in members’ homes but for the last 25 yearsthey have held meetings at the Forest Community School,Comptons Lane. They maintain a membership of around 50.

The club holds monthly lecture meetings, which cover a widerange of topics on geological and related subjects at 7.00 for 7.30pm, with refreshments available. Anyone interested is invited toattend. A full field trip programme is also organised each year.These trips encompass visits to quarries and coastal sites as wellas to geological collections in museums and walks of geologicalinterest in the Wealden area.

For further information phone the secretary, Gill Woodhatch, on01403 250371 email: [email protected]. Web site:http://hgfc.club.officelive.com/default.aspx. Subscription is£14.00 per annum.

Q&AQ: East Street is pedestrianised for shoppers. Can you cycle alongit? A: Yes. Q: West Street is pedestrianised for shoppers. Can you cycle alongit? A: No. Q: Why not? A: Don’t know - but people do anyway.

The National Trust

The North Sussex Centre of The National Trust began its seriesof autumn and winter lectures in September, and the next is on

6 October and thereafter on the 2nd Thursday of each month untilApril 2012. All meetings are at the Wesley Hall, London Road,Horsham, and for further details ring 01403 264599 or 01403730162.

Would you believe it?

It is, of course, a truism that machines (and computers) aretaking over, or maybe have taken over, our lives, and are

steadily eroding our ability to think or act for ourselves. But nonethe less I continue to be bewildered by what’s going on. My cartakes its own decision when it’s dark enough to put the headlampson - I have no say in the matter - and it also takes a view as towhat rate the windscreen wipers should operate at. I also hear thatthe latest models reverse themselves into narrow spots, so let’sforget about the driver. And don’t get me started on sat nav, surelya curse and an abomination, turning the deeply satisfying businessof route planning and map reading, with its triumphs and, yes,failures, into a lost art.

But visiting an old friend recently (once a TV star of long-lostclassics such as Robin Hood and Emergency Ward 10) withanother Society member, I was rendered speechless by his latestbit of whizz-kiddery (and I kid you not) - a self-operating lawnmower. All its owner has to do is sit in the shade of a convenienttree, glass of white burgundy to hand, and just watch and wait. Atthe appointed hour his machine kicks into life and – all by itself –sets off on the business of cutting the grass, to a plan heldsomewhere deep in its works. A system of wires threaded aroundthe borders tells it not to go mad with the lupins, and the businessdone, it trundles off back to the shed. Would you believe it? BS

Trinity Church Players

Trinity Church Players have been performing shows at HolyTrinity in Rushams Road since 1982. They still retain close

links with the church, but in recent years have had an openmembership policy, so anyone over the age of 15 can join, regard-less of their religious beliefs. Their pantomime rehearsals havealready started (Robinson Crusoe, to be staged on 27-28 January),but a person or small team of people is needed, to be responsiblefor making a props list, sourcing the small props and building thebigger ones, all to a tight budget. If you would like to help out, orsupport the group in any other way, do get in touch with JaneO’Sullivan on 01403 265649 or Lynn Andrews on 01403 256474.

Sussex Artists

The Association of Sussex Artists’ annual exhibition ran from11-20 August, and what a good one it was. If anyone needs

persuading of the potential for even more arts activity in Horsham(see earlier note), they should have been at the opening view,which was packed out. Not many activities locally get suchsupport. And what talent we have around here. It’s a county-wideshow, but a good number of the artists who qualified came fromthe Horsham area, and the attainment level was high. What’smore, many were Society members.

There was a terrific portrait of Boris (you know who), looking asdishevelled as ever, with feet up on a table and the soles of hisshoes badly in need of repair. It was a quirky and characterfullikeness, and humorous to boot. If I were Boris, I’d snap it up. Sofull marks to president John Davies and his team for the hard workthey put in, and the talent they assemble. But as ever they needmore support, so do look out for next year’s exhibition, which willmark the Association’s 100th anniversary, and make sure to comealong. We’ll promote it in the Newsletter, of course, and I’m surethe event will be something special. Even better, why not buy apicture or a piece of pottery. Prices start at a reasonable level, andisn’t it far better to have something original in the house than justanother copy of something?

Canterbury Tales 1978

The Origin of our Species by Professor Chris Stringer

Occasionally HGFC holds a public lecture and is doing so thisyear on Wednesday 12 October, in the Business and EnterpriseCentre at the rear of Forest School, Comptons Lane, 7.00 for7.30 pm. Entry £2.

The internationally renowned palaeontologist, Professor ChrisStringer, will talk on The Origin of our Species. Chris Stringerhas worked at the Natural History Museum, London, since1973, and is now Research Leader in Human Origins and aFellow of the Royal Society. His early research was on therelationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans inEurope, but through his work on the ‘Out of Africa’ theory ofmodern human origins, he now collaborates with archaeologists,dating specialists and geneticists in attempting to reconstructthe evolution of modern humans globally. He has excavated atsites in Britain and abroad, and is currently leading the AncientHuman Occupation of Britain project in its third phase(AHOB3). He has published over 200 scientific papers, and hisrecent books include The Complete World of Human Evolution

(2005, with Peter Andrews), the award-winning Homo

Britannicus (2006), and The Origin of Our Species (2011).

Do please write in: letters for publication toBrian Slyfield, Arun House, Denne Road,Horsham RH12 1JF.

Cramp on Cripps

Thank you for another informativeNewsletter. I was particularly inter-

ested in the Evershed and Cripps article(July issue). Ivan Cripps used to sing inthe Trinity Church choir where he met hisattractive wife Eileen. His father Iremember very well as he was often seenon horseback riding around the town. Ilived in the house between the BedfordHotel and Barrington Road. There was apassage at the back of our garden whichled to stables where Mr Cripps kept hishorse.

Incidentally, where would one stand to seethat particular view of Market Square asdrawn by Peter Ward?

Molly Cramp Cedar Close, Borsham

Molly: I haven’t checked with Peter but itlooks as if he took his drawing from theentrance to Market Square, or perhaps forsafety’s sake from the pavement by theKing’s Head. I always think his workreproduces particularly well in our blackand white format. Best wishes. Ed.

Some interesting ideas

Thanks to the committee for all it doesto look after Horsham town and all the

facilities we are offered. I always lookforward to receiving the Newsletter andthe August issue is with me now. Thearticle on Warnham Nature Reserve wasexcellent. It might have been a good ideato mention the entrance fee – I think itused to be ‘free entry’ but I’m not sure.

Pages 58/9 (Design Awards) were verytopical and very worthy of a good mentionand publicity for this scheme. Could wehave an article on the new Park‘offerings’? I am not quite sure what tocall the ‘things’ near the tennis courts –your comments, views and photographswould be useful so we can decide if it allseems worth it!

I am delighted you are doing more talks/lectures and will do my best to keep 6October free for Melanie’s talk. Would itbe possible (hall bookings permitting) toselect other weekday evenings as well?

Like many people in Horsham I have aregular evening out, in my case it isThursday. I shall be happy to forego this tohear Melanie’s talk, but as I say a rota ofevenings could be beneficial to some.

Also could we perhaps have a monthlybrief summary of what the committee hastalked about? Way back when I was HonSec we had a piece each month, From the

Secretary’s Notebook, and fortunately Ihad my husband to proof read (and correctspellings!) and dear John Buchanan wasalways very kind to me. I regularly see hiswidow, Margaret, and it would be nice tobe able to give a ‘bouquet’ of thanks to herand John for all their contributions in thepast.

I love my home town dearly. We came toHorsham when I was six and so I haveseen many changes. I always argue againstthe supposition that Horsham has beenspoilt. Not so. We still have the Causeway(untouched), our twittens and our ‘greenand pleasant town’, as I once wrote. Alasour cycle routes are still a completeshambles in the way they are set out. Tocycle from west to east is a nightmare. Iknow, I do it regularly.

Thanks to you all, and keep up the goodwork.

Paula LamploughIrwin Drive, Horsham

Paula: Thanks for making a number ofinteresting points. For those who mayhave joined the Society relatively recently,I should explain that John Buchanan wasonce editor – one of the best – of ourNewsletter, and I would entirely supportPaula in recognising the very importantcontribution he and his widow Margarethave made over the years. Regarding acouple of her other points, I do have it inmind to review the new ‘offering’ in thePark, as she calls it, and am also consciousthat more input is needed about committeework. Let’s see what we can do. Ed.

Something to worry about

If we can put on such an excellent ItalianFestival and Market each Spring, why

can’t we do the same with the FrenchMarket? This is a question that’s beenworrying me all through the summer.Answers on a postcard, please.

Back in July we had just got back from ashort break in Aix-en-Provence. Eurostar

and then the French TGV rocket yousouthwards in no time. An early start at StPancras and tea (or something stronger) inthe heart of Provence by 3.30 pm.Amazing. Returning to Horsham wewaxed lyrical to our taxi driver about thewonderful Provencal street markets, witha variety and quality of fruit and veg thelike of which we rarely see here, when hepromptly pointed out that our very ownFrench Market was on in Horsham. Sowho needs Provence?

The next day I walked up and took a look.I found signs proclaiming ‘BangersGalore’, ‘Sussex Cheese’, ‘Cup Cakes’and ‘Vintage Music’, but precious little inthe way of good, tasty French food – oreven atmosphere. I did come across acouple of chaps dressed in berets andstriped jumpers, but they were chattingaway in a distinctly Horsham patois, andan accordion and fiddle knocked outNellie the Elephant from the bandstand.HDC made its presence felt, as only itcould do, with an ‘Event Control Point’.The trouble was, there weren’t manyevents to control.

No-one expects the glories of France to bemagicked suddenly to the south ofEngland, but surely we can do better thanthis? Until that happens, we still needProvence. Hop on the TGV.

Big Nibble, big success

But having said that, it was really goodto see how successful was the Big

Nibble Saturday market on 3 September.There were excellent local produce stalls,such as Auntie Val’s jams and chutneysfrom Pulborough, offerings of SussexCharmer cheese on toast, lamb burgersfrom Shipley and that splendidly namedregular, the Old Rudgwick Cider Society.My favourite? Difficult to choose, but ifpressed I might well go for the charminglady selling delicious chocolates she hadcreated in her back kitchen in Wimble-hurst Road. You can’t get more local thanthat.

So, well done to all the organisers, and fullmarks for a celebration of truly home-made fare. What a shame it was so wet thefollowing day, but at least the rain did easeoff later in the afternoon.

PS And another thing – East Street, withall traffic banned and tables and chairseverywhere, was a revelation and a delight.That’s just how it should be. BS


Letters Etc.From the committee

Realistic assessment of newplanning reforms

The recent controversy over new hous-ing in Southwater and Billingshurst is

only the start of a wider debate as theGovernment’s proposed reforms of theplanning system begin to impact. There isno doubt that the country needs morehousing. The population is rising, we areliving longer, expectations are growingand everyone deserves to live in a decenthome. The south-east, including Horsham,must play its part.

That means planning ahead and takingdifficult decisions, and doing so quicklybecause the Government’s plans create anew sense of urgency. The new draftNational Planning Policy Frameworksweeps away almost all current nationalguidance, reducing it from 1,000 pages to52. It creates a presumption in favour ofsustainable development. Local councilswill be required to plan positively forgrowth and approve all individual propo-sals wherever possible. Planning must notoperate as an impediment to growth.

The Local Development Framework withits complex interconnecting documentswill be replaced by new Local Plans whichmust be consistent with the NationalFramework. In the absence of a Local Plan,or where it is silent on an issue, authoritieswill be expected to grant permission.

Plans will have to be approved by a plan-ning inspector and this is the way theGovernment will prevent local authoritiesfrom including unnecessary impedimentsto development. Neighbourhoods candevelop their own plans but these must beconsistent with the Local Plan, so willonly be able to promote more develop-ments, not less.

So what does this mean for Horsham?Well, development will still be plan-led,so we are fortunate that Horsham DistrictCouncil already has a Local DevelopmentFramework. This would have given ussome protection against inappropriatedevelopment while a new Local Plan iscreated, but for the decision to drop theInterim Statement.

This was designed to solve the require-ment that councils must be able todemonstrate that there is always fiveyears’ worth of specific developable landavailable to meet its housing target, a

situation which has been compromised bythe slow build-out of the west of Horshamdevelopment. The National Frameworkraises that threshold to 120 per cent ofdefined need.

Southwater will almost certainly get itsnew housing – planning inspectors havebeen told the draft National Frameworkmay be cited as a material considerationat appeal – and the whole of the district isnow at risk from opportunistic developers.

HDC has said that it will press ahead withits new plan as quickly as possible,starting with a review of housing need,and there are some new opportunities tobe considered, including a Local GreenSpace designation. But the impact of theFramework as a whole will not becomefully clear until the first Local Plans areconsidered by inspectors, perhaps in 2013.

Meanwhile we must keep our fingerscrossed, and stop putting our heads in thesand. There will be more housing. Eitherwe can decide where it should go or thedevelopers will.

John Steele (This article has also appeared in the WSCT)

Friends of Chesworth

With the purpose of protecting thebest interests of Chesworth Farm

and its surroundings, a Friends’ Group hasbeen formed, and a public meeting washeld on 22 August to move things forward.The Society is well represented via itschairman, David Moore, and 73 peopleturned out on the night – an excellentnumber given it was in the middle of theholiday season.

A constitution was approved and acommittee selected. Steve Delahunt, headwarden, reviewed recent sightings at thefarm, which included some unusualdragonflies, the Bright Emerald andScarce Chaser. He also confirmed thatthere was a pair of nesting skylarks atMuggeridge Field, which WSCC wants tosell as a prime building site. A smallworking group has already placed usefulinformation notices on the site andattention will now turn to the funding andprovision of more permanent signs forvisitors. A page has also been set up onFacebook. Additionally, the committeewill now prepare a wish list of some of thebeneficial work that should be started onthe site.

Skylark protected

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act(1981) the Skylark is a Schedule 1

protected species. This means that, amongother things, it is against the law to disturban active nest.

Promoting the arts

At the July committee John Steelereported that a meeting had been held

with Jonathan Chowen, HDC’s cabinetmember for arts, heritage and leisure, inorder to put forward the Society’s ideasfor promoting the arts in Horsham.Discussions centred around the creation ofan annual arts festival and, longer term,the planning of a new art gallery. Emphasiswas placed on the need for visible anddemonstrable support from HDC, althoughnot necessarily in the form of directfunding. Mr Chowen responded positivelybut said that he would need to consult withothers. He also noted the importance of acommercial benefit. The Society’s viewswill be set out more fully in a subsequentissue.

Melanie Wakefieldon gemstones

Just to remind you that MelanieWakefield will be giving a Society talk

on gemstones at 7.30 pm on Thursday 6October in the Causeway Barn, so ifyou’re looking for a bit of autumn sparkle,that must be the place to be. Tea andcoffee will be available from 7 pm.

Distributors needed

We need a couple of distributors, bothfor small, compact rounds. The first

is for the Springfield Park complex, wheresomeone is needed to deliver to nineaddresses at the house and its surroundings,and the second is for just six addresses inSalisbury Road and Tower Hill. Do pleaseget in touch if you can help with either ofthese rounds. Many thanks. BS

October 2011

OUR CONCERN IS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE TOWN

Newsletter

72 The Horsham Society Newsletter October 2011

New membersThanks very much to the following for joining: Medex Scientific(UK) Ltd, Denne Road, Horsham; Mr and Mrs Giles, BrookStreet, Cuckfield; Mr and Mrs Harris, Shortsfield Close,Horsham; Mr and Mrs Jones, Old Millmeads, Horsham.

Hallowe’en Festival

My events programme for the town centre tells me there’s aHallowe’en Festival scheduled for Thursday 27 - Saturday 29October, ‘three days of Half Term funfair and entertainment(sic)’. Maybe just the thing to keep the grandchildren amused,and our pumpkin farmers happy. And it’s free. More details onwww.horshamfestival.co.uk

Spreading the message

I’m pleased to say that Strada’s management has, aspromised, put its framed Award in a really prominent

position in the restaurant. You can’t miss it as you enter –it’s right by the reception desk – and so lots and lots ofhappy diners will get to know about our scheme. Wabi hasdone exactly the same thing, and hopefully HDC will atthe Capitol, although the all-glass Bus Station is a trickierchallenge, and the Old Grain Store is a private premises.One of our objectives was to make a public statement aboutthe importance of good design, and the way in which thewinners have advertised their success (and our name) doesjust that. We are grateful for their co-operation.

Notes from the August minutes

East Street: David Moore attended a meeting of thereference group and there had been almost unanimous

support for full pedestrianisation – it has been agreed toprogress an experimental traffic order with core time streetclosure to be introduced by Christmas this year.Distribution/membership lists: were being looked at.Planning applications: 33 Park Terrace West 10ftconversion objected to because of unsympathetic/inappropriate design; 34 Devonshire Road two-storeyextension objected to because of loss of access to garageand increased pressure on street parking; 19 Burns Closefence re-siting objected to as the Society opposesmovement of property boundaries to include within thecurtilage open space of any description. Town Hall: stillno takers and the marketing of the building continues.Civic Voice: non- membership by the Society reviewedbut decided to stay as is. Membership: total stands at1,281 (3 August), up three from 6 July.

(This new section will normally appear under From The

Committee.)

Just a decent plate of food, please

Eating out in Horsham used to be pretty straightforward. You’ddecide whether you wanted Indian, Chinese or good old-fashioned

fish and chips – and off you went. But it ain’t like that now. The rangeof restaurants on offer around East Street is terrific, and I’m a greatfan; there’s something for everyone. But image is all important thesedays, and apparently it’s not just a matter of hanging up a sign withthe name of the owner and what ethnic fodder he has on offer.

It’s a very different game. Mission statements must be concocted bykeen young folk in marketing departments, names and logos sweatedover, trendy Soho interior designers commissioned and researchprogrammes put under way – all no doubt at vast cost.

And what do you end up with? ‘Concepts’ rather than dining rooms,fronted up by mysterious names such as Giraffe and Ask. It isn’t goodenough to say: ‘Just come in and have a decent plate of food’. Youhave to pitch to the world at large baffling lines such as ‘Positive Eating+ Positive Living’ (Wagamama) and ‘Love Eat Live’ (Giraffe). At leastgood old Strada (and see below) gets to the point with no-nonsense‘Cucina Italiana’.

But in this strange new world, with its spin and polish, it’s comfortingto know that at the end of the day, when all’s said and done, peoplewon’t come back unless the price is OK, the service friendly and thatplate of food just right. And there are plenty of places around Horsham,fancy image or otherwise, which deliver just that.

Strada’s Design Award

In the last issue we reported on the list of buildings which had beenawarded a Design Award or Commendation, with photos of the

presentations. But at that point Strada’s hadn’t been made, and nowthat it has, on 4 August, here’s a record of the happy event. HorshamSociety’s David Moore (centre) is seen with Strada’s operationsdirector Graham Ford and area manager Linda Wellings. There hasalso been full coverage of the scheme in the West Sussex County Times

and a mention in HDC’s publication, free to all households.

Directory

The Horsham Society is an independent body supported by members’subscriptions, a registered charity (No.268949) and affiliated to the

Campaign to Protect Rural England.It is a member of the English Historic Towns Forum.

PRESIDENT: Dr Annabelle Hughes

VICE-PRESIDENTS:

Oliver Palmer, Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP, Nigel Friswell, Roy Worskett

CHAIRMAN David Moore99b Swindon RoadHorsham RH12 6HFTel: (01403) [email protected]

Hon TREASURERRoy Bayliss15 PatchingsHorsham RH13 5HJTel: (01403) 262262

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYPat Gale (Mrs)46 Bedford RoadHorsham RH13 5BJTel: (01403) [email protected]

Horsham Society website: www.horshamsociety.org

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Individuals: £5 per year Single Pensioner: £3.25 per yearFamily Membership: £7.50 per year Family Pensioner: £5 per yearBusinesses: £10 per year Single Life Membership: £100

Family Life Membership: £150£5.00 postage is added to the above rates for out-of-town members.

© Individual contributors 2011. No material may be reproduced, copied or stored in aretrieval system without the prior consent of the relevant contributor, which should besought via the Editor.

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By The Way

Correspondence and other Newsletter matters should be sent to the

Editor, Arun House, Denne Road, Horsham RH12 1JF (Tel: 01403 263870,

email via: [email protected]). Other communications

concerning the Society should go to the Hon Secretary. The Newsletter is

published monthly (except August) and opinions in it, whether the

Editor’s or contributors’, are not necessarily those of the Society.

VICE CHAIRMANIan Dockreay

24 Wimblehurst RoadHorsham RH12 2EDTel: (01403) 241582

Hon SECRETARYRod Cuming

3 White Horse RoadHorsham RH12 4ULTel: (01403) 268444

[email protected]

DISTRIBUTION ORGANISERKathy Gleeson

13 Millthorpe RoadRoffey RH12 4ER

Tel: (01403) 210511

Editor’s note

Following my invitation to local societies to write inand tell us what they are all about, I was pleased to

hear from Theatre 48 and Horsham Geological FieldClub. Something of their stories is told on pages 67 and70, as is notice of an interesting talk HGFC is putting onin October. Professor Chris Stringer is a world authorityon palaeontology (even I have heard of him) and he’scoming to Horsham to speak on The Origin of our

Species. It’s in my diary; why not come along as well?

Copy date for the November issue is 3 October.

Park House by E W Copnall.

72 the horsham society newsletter october 2011...

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