February - The Horsham Society

HORSHAM
SOCIETY
Newstettcln
FOUNDED
MUCK RAK NG
A
s many
Agutter.
ol you will know, a Mr Alan
who runs sex shops in Suney.
Kent and Essex, wants to set up a branch
of his empire in Queen St, next, perhaps
appropriately, to Bottoms Up. Last year,
the Council ratified the decision by the
Environmental Services Committee to
overturn a 1983 regulation prohibiting
such outlets in the area, thus giving Mr
-'rntley the green light. Some local
.-zsidents, including members of our
Society, have been organising resistance to
the siting of the shop in the area, partly on
the grounds that, being near youth clubs,
schools and fast food outlets, it is heavily
used by young people and children.
What is one to make of such an issue? I
must confess to a grave reluctance to ban
things or to restrict people's rights of
expression. The withering (and sometimes
justified) contempt with which my uppersixth speak of teachers who, because of
ideological dogma or political correctness,
forbid free speech to opinions contrary to
their own, shows how counter-productive
it can be to ban or silence that which one
dislikes. Britain has a tradition of robust
liberty, partly based on the fact that many
of us do not actually care what other
'eople think. The dictators tried to control
v/erything and failed: we permit everyone.
from the shaven-headed neanderthals of
the far right to the unwashed wierdoes of
commual counter-culture, to have a say,
and are the stronger for it, because we can
freely grapple with the nonsense they
spout and reject it intelligently.
to see the
similar
issue about political freedom or
Pornographers claim
controversy over their antics as a
;iiill
intellectual liberty. Larry Flynt, publisher
of Hustler magazine, made his name
fighting for the right, under the US
Constitution, to print whatever one likes,
no matter how ghastly. The subject of a
hagiographical film, Flynt, like Hugh
Hefner, Paul Raymond and other smut
peddlers, portrays himself as a cheeky
chappie, sticking up for ordinary folks'
desire to have a bit of naughty fun in the
face of puritan disapproval. So does Mr
Butler, who said last year that his shop
"would help spice up marriages and allow
people to enjoy themselves."
As my readers are respectable people,
often of riper years, I shall spare them the
more sordid details of what Mr Butler
hopes to sell in his Warehouse of Pagan
Sleaze. However, it is possible to
generalise that there are two broad
categories of produce on offer. Firstly,
and this is what Mr Butler is getting at
when he talks of "spicing up marriages",
there are novelty items, such as silly
underwear, which are meant to enhance
one's relationship with that significant
other. How the static-filled, flammable
artificial fibres which this sort of thing is
usually made of will do that has never
been clear, but it is on this side of the
business that the dubious reputation for "a
bit of fun" lies.
Magazines and videos are the other main
sales areas. and it is here that the carnival
of degeneracy moves from risibly tacky to
genuinely unpleasant. One possibility for
HDC's alteration of the regulations is that
they feel times have changed. So has pom.
The magazines. in particular, are not the
mildly smutty art pamphlets which male
readers may remember being passed
furtively around in their school or National
Service days. Even "mainstream" ones and specialist shops such as this will be
going way beyond that realm - promote
revolting, unnatural practices and portray
women in an appalling way. I can't call
myself a feminist (men who do
are
generally post-sixties lotharios who reject
good old-fashioned chivalry as politicallyincorrect and difficult) but I must say that
the image of the fairer sex promoted in
these rags could, if absorbed by young,
impressionable males, lead to cpnsiderable
social problems, not excluding crime. The
thought of this depravity being sold in an
arterial road used by schoolboys is
worrying, to say the least.
On Monday 12th February, HDC will
allow you your say on this issue in a
meeting at 5.30 in the Council Chamber at
Park North, which I would urge objectors
to attend. In the (we hope) unlikely event
that HDC ignores the protests and Mr
Butler sets up shop on Queen St, then
boycotting is one approach, though I
don't suppose the Horsham Society was
exactly bursting with people who were
going to purchase their
weekend
enteftainment there anyway. Those of us
who are in positions of authority might
refuse to write references for anyone
applying to work there. The most
interesting possibility, however, is that the
public siting of the sex shop, the very
thing which concerns local residents, will
be its downfall, for it will be child's play
to identify and humiliate any perverts
making use of the p1ace.
The Editor
;;;';;;;;"';;;;;;;;';;'
iAlL ioFi iowNi 1;;**;;;;;;;;;;;;;
to apply to itself for government terms is a
will, of
,o'"*,""'0,
course, have
planning permission for change of
use.
By the time you read this, the District
Council should own the brill Hall in Longer term, it is open ro rhe MoD to
Denne Road. Although the Hall was ippty, una". the Districr'il;;r;;;";,
originally built by pubuJ subscription (see
'e3nort History of ttr" p.ltt Halt' rn the
January 2000N-ewsletter);the Ministry of
nlrir;":i;;:
Di;t# ;ffi:i
U" faced wirh,;;;;ttil;
Defence fought for the highest price they "oura
iubstantial difference ,,, ;'h;';"i;;ffi;
'*':*'^"'' "coutd ger, b-ased on its use for housins.
;]:i:iTT;il:i:,':ii.:',*^:
'r;ii;f;i
the Iand or relinquishing it altogether'
For rhe rime being. r..,o*."i.'ir,.
remain in Couniil hands and will be We must not be too sanguine about this.
OUR EON]EERN
NS TKilE
ij,
ii
,n" sire ro be urro"ut"a,o
,nt, is granred, th"
and, in
candidate for new
housing. If the hall and the rest of the site
b" kept for the community we may
_':
marshal our arguments readv for
1i"-"
when the structure plan is examined' In the
the best argument for the Drill
3:,antime,
Hall's retention is to use it and we hope
I
t
that groups and individuals will do that'
We understand that a little work is needed
after l g monrhs of disuse but ir remains a
fine venue for
events.
Nigel Friswell
PAST" PRTSTNT AND FUTURT OF TTTE TO\MN
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
louder than words
Actions speak
"Never
mind the walkers"
We all had lots of warning that the
Swimming Pool would be closed for
nearly 18 months to enable rebuilding
work to take place. Those of us who saw
the plans knew it would cause substantial
disruption to that part of Horsham Park
where the old play area had been. What
we had not been warned about was the
closure at the beginning of January of
to go some other way. In other words he
did not care that an important facility had
been withdrawn without notice. And
notices are the crux of the problem. By
mid-January there are still no notices
warning pedestrians of the closures and
what routes are available to them. The
contractors' "we regret...." notices are not
enough. It has been suggested that, to
long-established footpaths.
minimise inconvenience, the following
Two footpaths are involved. One is the
diversionary notices are needed:
peripheral footpath on the north side of
the Park which passes between the
swimming pool and Hurst Road car park.
This has been closed to give the
contractors free access to the site. Rather
than provide an alternative close to the
site, pedestrians are now expected to
walk to the centre of the park and out
again if they wish to reach the edge of the
park. As this path provided access to the
Hospital and Collyer's School it seems a
.
Station. Also a notice saying that the
route the other way through the Park
to the hospital is long and muddy.
.
long way round for anyone coming
through the North Street subway.
The other footpath which has been closed
is that leading from the old children's
play area, behind the park service
building and out through Hurst Road car
park. This was used by many people for
access to the Royal Mail office, Arun
House, the Youth Centre and the Police
Station.
When quizzed about it, one Council
official said that people would just have
In the Park by the gate to Parkside
Mews. A sign indicating that this
gate should be used for access to the
Royal Mail sorting office, the youth
centre, Arun House and the Police
In the Park by the Scented Garden. A
sign directing pedestrians across the
Park to the hospital in one direction
and the Parkside Mews exit in the
other.
.
In Hurst Road at the Park entrance by
the Hospital. A sign warning that
there is no longer realistic access to
the Station and North Street subwav
through the Park.
. In Hurst Road at now closed car
park.
A
sign directing pedestrians to
Parkside Mews for access to the
Park.
. In Hurst Road at the entrance to
Parkside Mews. A sign showing
where the gate is into the Park to
walk to the town centre or the North
Street subway.
What is really surprising is that the
Council appear to have given no thought
to pedestrians being inconvenienced.
They say that they want to encourage
walking rather than the use of cars and
what can be more pleasant that routing
your walk through Horsham Park? Yet,
with no thought, they cut off some of
those routes, contradicting themselves in
the process.
With proper thought one of
those
footpaths could have been maintained bv
means of a gangway set aside behind
1
Park service building alongside thY
boundary of Lambsbottom Farm. The
other should have had a diversion
constructed close to thetsouthern
periphery of the swimming pool site and
adequate diversionary notices posted to
warn walkers.
We expect our District Council to have
the needs of the residents as a high
priority. It is very disappointing that on
this occasion this does not seem to have
been the case. I am hoping that by the
time you read this something will have
been done to remedy the situation but I
am not holding my breath!
N C Friswell
87
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 20Ol
THE HORSHAM SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Steele, Mr. I. Wallace, and Mr. M.
Watts. These were proposed by Nigel
The Annual General Meeting of the
Horsham Society was held on Friday
24th March 2000 in the Parkside Suite of
Royal and Sun Alliance.
President Dr. Annabelle Hughes
welcomed a hundred and twenty two
members to the meeting. Dr. Hughes
would like to see more members
volunteering to serve on the committee.
Mr. G. Saunders and Mrs. P. Gledhill
volunteered to serve on the
committee.
9. Appointment of Independent
Examiner. Mr. S. Ritchie was
reappointed as Independent Examiner.
She was also concerned that at present we
have had no volunteers to take on the
The A.G.M. was then declared closed.
editorship of the Newsletter.
O.G.M. MARCH 24T}I2OOO
The Chairman, Nigel Friswell, welcomed
the Chairman of H.D.C., Mr. D.Jenkins
1.
and Mrs. Jenkins and Martin Pearson, the
Chief Executive of H.D.C. to
the
meeting.
1.
--
Apologies were received from Mr.
and Mrs. J. Gorman, Mrs. A.
Hemmings, Mr. Richardson, Mr. and
Mrs. Appleton, Jan Dockreay and
2.
Matters Arising.
2.1 Newsletter Indexes. Mr. R. Bernard
reported that current newsletters are
indexed as we proceed.
Grateful thanks were expressed and a
presentation made to Paula
Lamplough. the reliring secretary in
appreciation of her invaluable work
for the society. Paula thanked the
4.
of time
as secretary but now was looking
forward to having more time to
4.2 Conducted Walks: Causeway Houses
herself.
The Minutes of the 1999 A.G.M.
were approved as a true record.
4. The accounts for 1999
4.
I
1,220.
committee and members warmly.
She had enjoyed her period
3.
Membership Report. Ron Bernard
reported that we have had 45 new
members since the last meeting. At
present the membership consists of 5
schools, 14 businesses , 561 families
and individuals and 640 pensioners.
The present membership stands at
John Steele.
2.
Minutes of the 1999 meeting were
accepted as a true record.
3.
were
approved..
Mr. Futter informed the meeting of
the intended placement of a
memorial seat in memory of Mr. Stan
Parsons and a donation of f100 to
Horsham in Bloom from the Society.
5.
Election of Chairman: Nigel Friswell
was re-elected as Chairman. This was
proposed by Mr. M. Watts and
seconded by Mrs. N. Rathod.
6.
Election of Vice Chairman: Mrs. U.
Rathod M.B.E. was re-elected as
Vice Chairman. This was proposed
by Mr. I. Wallace and seconded by
Mr. 0. Evans Palmer.
7.
Election of Hon. Treasurer: Mr. E.
Futter was re-elected. This was
proposed by Mr. N. Friswell and
seconded by Mrs. Salt.
Election of Hon. Secretary. Nina
Miles was re-elected. This was
proposed by Mr. Dennis Salt and
seconded by Mrs. J. Earl.
Election of Membership Secretary.
Mr. R. Bernard was re-elected.
Committee members who are
prepared to stand again - Mr .1.
Dockreay, Mr.P. Fletcher,
Mr. P. Gardner. Mrs. P. Gorman,
Mrs. Miller, Mr. D. Salt, Mr. J.
Any Other Business.
4.1 Memorial Seat for Stan Parsons will
be placed in Stan's Way.
with Annabelle Hughes.
Town Centre Trail with Annabelle
i llughes.
Riverside Walk with Dennis Salt.
These have been very much
appreciated and are popular with
Friswell and camied.
8.
2OOO
,,.'" "
members. Thanks were expressed to
Annabelle and Denis Salt for
organising these.
4.2.Peggy Gledhill queried if a tally had
been kept on the number of houses
built in this area. The chairman
replied that the society had queried
this with H.D.C. and had
been
informed that there had been an
average of about 3000 houses built
each year in the last seven years.
4.3 Paula Lamplough thanked Malcolm
Watts for his marvellous job
as
Newsletter Editor.
if there was
any more news on the Arts Centre.
Nigel Friswell reported that we had
sent our comments back to Martin
4.4 Margaret Miller asked
Pearson.
4.5 Nigel also reported on the Drill Hall
which, as a committee, we have been
supporting H.D.C. in their efforts to
buy for community use.
Mr. Fred Home gave a very interesting
talk on Horsham in the i85 I Census.
The chairman expressed his thanks to Mr.
Fred Home for his very informative talk.
The chairman also expressed thanks to
Royal and Sun Alliance for supplying
such a marvellous venue.
The meeting closed at 9.55 p.m.
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
- Jo
ir+7-6
^*-- p;v,4,*2-;----
=t'
-.
H.R. Camplin (Chemists), West Street, Horsham
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
89
Henry Burstow on the Characters of Old Horsham
We have seen how well William Albery,
in his Reminiscences of Horsham, being
the Recollections of Henry Burstow
(l9l 1), captured in print the feel of early
19th century Horsham, seen through the
eyes of that grand old man. Burstow also
told, with relish - and who knows,
perhaps just a touch of fancy as well? of the characters out and about in the then
small market town, particularly those he
remembered from his boyhood. And what
a cavalcade they make, as we will shortly
see. Town criers, beadles, coachmen,
dog-cart drivers, water-men, window
cleaners, truck shovers, rogues and
vagabonds: they are all there. Dickens or
Shakespeare could not have dreamt up a
more vivid cast.
Shopkeepers
in those days generally
,'rade, or had made for them locally, the
.*cds they had to sell - but obviously
speciality items were carted in from
London and elsewhere. West Street was
ill
of the uses to which a crier could be put is
Old Lloyd the carrier was another victim
apparently in the 1840s the price of flour
fell generally by one-and-a-half pence per
1846, at the young age of 41, he 'took
and died, 'twas said of a broken heart'.
of progress. His route to London, via
Dorking, was by four-horse waggon, but
the final blow for him was when
Horsham station was opened in 1848, and
the heavy goods deserted him in favour
of a far more efficient operation.
While on the subject of transporl, passing
mention should be made of the practice
of dog-carting, which held vogue for a
while but was abolished on grounds of
cruelty in 1854. Dogs were harnessed
three-a-breast to small low-built carts,
and were used especially by rural
postmen and travelling fish hawkers. A
man called Whiting apparently owned the
fastest dog team in Horsham, but he was
a cruel man, and, according to Burstow,
was made to apologise to his canine team
by the local magistrate, under pain of
then, as now, the main shopping
prosecution, for driving them too hard.
thoroughfare, and 'old Johnnie Browne',
Burstow also remembers in his youth the
veterans of Waterloo, who on every 18
June, the anniversary of the great battle
of 1815, used to meet up and parade
around the town. There were upwards of
20 of these old soldiers, such as 'Old
whose draper's establishment was at
number 16, was one of the most gogetting traders around. He was the first to
latch onto the new trend for ready-made
boots (up until then all footwear was
made locally to order, by Henry Burstow
among others, as we have already seen),
and apparently he was always quick to
spot a new fashion. His shop sign was by
far the largest in the street, and at every
move he took care to make sure he was
ahead of the game. Today he would be
running a supermarket chain.
Then there was 'little Bob Whittle', the
local coachman, who was 'a thorough
ist in the box, the prettiest driver and
Vtrlp, and altogether the smartest
coachman that drove into London'. It was
said that he could whip a fly off one of
the leading horses' nose without touching
the animal, but sadly such superhuman
skills were not enough to stave off the
march of progress. His regular run, since
1833, was from the old Swan Inn in West
Street, leaving at lam, to the Old Bell in
Holborn, arriving at ll.45am; then back
to Horsham at 3.15pm, arriving at the
Swan at Spm - day in, day out through
the year, Sundays excepted. But with the
advent
of the railway
everything
changed, and travellers began to forsake
the turnpike for faster and cheaper
transport. Traps began to run from
Horsham to the newly-opened Three
gallon, but the Horsham millers got
together and decided on a reduction of
only a half penny per gallon. In what
would now be called a 'name and shame'
operation a group of locals hired Dolly for
three days on the trot to announce to all
and sundry the fact that the local reduction
was well below the national average.
Burstow reckons that this particular job
would have given Dolly particular
satisfaction in that his father had been a
local miller in his time, and had been
famed for his honesty and fair dealing.
Horsham's last two night watchmen were
Jack Sayers and Isaac Aldridge. ' 'Tis past
twelve o'clock, and a stormy night' was a
typical nocturnal cry heard by the young
Burstow. Jack was a chaff-cutter by trade,
hence his nickname 'Jack Chaff'. He was
a 'comical, happy kind of c.ustomer,
always singing or whistling', and often in
hot water. Like many in this profile of
Horsham's past, he was well acquainted
with the pot-houses of the town, and a
typical scrape was his ejection from
Sunday service in the Parish Church by
the uniformed beadle for being drunk and
Shoubridge', some with wooden legs and
other marks of battle, and after a hearty
incapable. A man not best qualified to
guard the town's interests at night, one
dinner sponsored by the Broadwood
family of Lyne, the old comrades usually
ended up at the Lamb in the centre of
town, where Burstow dryly observes
'they drank a lot more liquor than they
would have thought.
had shed blood at the Battle of Waterloo'.
Let us move on. Dan Roberts, who died
about 1825, was Horsham's last beadle
and town crier. As befitting his station, he
was a fine figure of a man, resplendent in
'blue cloth coat with red collar and large
gilt buttons, broad brimmed pot hat with
gold band, plush breeches, yellow silk
stockings and low shoes with silver
buckles', and he was also distinctive
of his trademark prominent nose.
great frequenter of the local taverns,
which no doubt helped to burnish the said
trademark, Dan could be seen from time to
time in the Anchor in the company of his
master, the Duke of Norfolk, when that
distinguished personage visited the town.
because
A
Henry Burstow also recollects two other
town criers, a man called Mills, who was
a shoemaker, and Dolly Wood, again a
Horsham, thus scooping up more of his
customers. While many old-timers vowed
never to step into a train, eventually
Bob's livelihood dwindled away, and in
An interesting and mischevious example
from Pulborough to Three Bridges via
anecdote:
King Cole, Cobbler Will, and Jim
shoemaker, born in 1800. The latter had a
particularly fine ringing voice, and a
vivid recollection of Burstow's was to
hear old Dolly declaiming in West Street,
when he, Henry was down along the
Arun, by the Mill Bay - and presumably
Bridges station, and thence to London by
steam train, and further competition was
offered by a 'pair horse bus' which ran
given in the following
when the wind was in the right direction.
Isaac was a carpenter by trade, and also
held other positions in the town. Up until
about 1840, when things were put on a
more regular footing, he was Horsham's
only fireman, and as Burstow, in
Albery's words, engagingly puts it 'he
had sole charge of the small squirting
apparatus that we boys admiringly called
an engine'. This apparatus was probably
the one presented to the town back in
1780 by old Lady Irwin, and was capable,
we are told, of throwing an astonishing
120 gallons of water a minute. But the
big snag was that it took 'old Ike', as he
was known, about three-quarters of an
hour to assemble the machine each time it
was needed.
Ike was also the organ blower and a bell
ringer at the Parish Church, and acted as
the resident steeplejack, replacing old
shingles with new when required. Not
content with this range of duties, he
played a central part in the town band, and
after a glass or two for inspiration. was in
the habit of entertaining the local lads with
splendid drumstick flourishes and
a
rousing accompaniment to tunes such as
Rory O'Moore and The Brighton Camp
on his big bass drum. Splendid flourishes
from a seemingly splendid man!
Ned Potter and Tim Scott were beggarpookers. Their role in life was to keep the
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
town clear of'sturdy beggars, experts at
poaching and promiscuous foraging' presumably by giving them a good poke.
Before the advent of a structured police
force, it was the duty of the parish
constable to take care of this allpervasive menace, and he delegated it to
the likes of Potter and Scott. Apparently
the former was a capable officer, adept in
the wielding of a 6 foot pole, and feared
and respected by the gentlemen of the
road, but as for Scott - well, he was not
really up to scratch, and 'had
the
with him one day. At a fete at the old
cricket ground in North Parade a group of
the victims' friends surrounded him and
with broken chair legs gave him the
pains was the flutter of a bonnet waved
about by his so-called friends, and a dose
soundest of drubbings.
the wall.
At the other extreme was Poor BillY
There are many more such tales. Why not
handyman. Ever ready to please, he came
yourself and explore further the colourful
Claytor, none too bright, and the town
into a windfall of f450 in middle life, and
promptly fell into the clutches of a
London lady. Maniage quickly followed,
as did his ruination and her departure,
and he returned to boot and window
cleaning 'in a chastened
character of a malingerer'.
Ned Hall was the town's waterman,
supplying Arun water from his pony cart
and barrel to households whose own well
supplies were often scanty, and when rain
water, particularly in summer, was in short
supply. Hopefully for washing rather than
drinking, it sold for a halfpenny a bucket,
and he also watered the streets from a
wooden trough behind his barrel. His
charge for this service was a penny a time
for dousing the road in front of a house.
He billed his clients weekly, with a golden
rule: no money, no water.
Then we have 'Lawyer Feist', Horsham's
most hated man, who was self-educated
in the law. A big fat fellow 'with a red
face and whiskers, hard heart, loud voice,
determined manner and unscrupulous
character', in his role of 'bum bailiff' he
was an object of terror to all classes of
society. He was ruthless in the pursuit of
bad debts, but his particularly cruel
treatment of a poor labourer and his
family from Two Mile Ash caught uP
and
philosophical mind'.
Harry Lambert was another ill-blessed by
Mother Nature. He grew uP in a 'rude
and unfinished state physically and
mentally', and 'his low brow, thick black
hair and ragged whiskers. squint eyes.
hollow cheeks, lantern jaws - from which
proceeded a voice that would silence a
factory hooter - and his carbuncle close
to his nose. all combined to make a face
that would turn bankruPt even the
beautifying powers of the late Madam
Rachel'. Can anyone, in passing, throw
any light on Madam Rachel? Not
surprisingly, in matters of love Harry's
grasp was lower than his reach, and he
was forever the butt of practical jokes.
Foolishly he trusted two friends to
of flue cleaner from the nearby Arun
Steam Mill pitched over him from behind
seek out Albery's Reminiscences for
world of early eighteenth century
Horsham? If only half of what HenrY
Burstow had to tell was true, the town
would still appear a lot livelier then than
now. Or do these things grow in the
telling, and does memory, tinged with a
dash
of imagination, add an extra
dimension? Do we, at this very moment,
harbour a Dolly Wood, an Ike Aldridge,
or a Harry Lambert in our midst, fairly
ordinary chaps but perhaps with a whiff
of eccentricity, who in the
accentuated
memory of the next generation or so will
assume larger than life proportions much as the characters remembered fro^
Henry Burstow's youth might well
hr-
done?
Brian Slyfield
The Editor notes: With regard to Brian's
question about Madam Rachel, I looked
her up through an academic site on the
internet and found one possibility; a
beautiful French actress who gave
the unsuspecting and unknowing lady. He
impressive performances of Ph6dre and
Roxanne to nineteenth century London
audiences. The other "Madam Rachel"
on the internet works for a New Jersey
hoped to meet her under the Normandy
wall one dark night, but all he got for his
escort agency, the least said about which,
the better.
irlrange a tryst with his latest impossible
dream, and they repaid his trust bY
sending him a set of false signals from
LE TTERS TO TKiltr EDTTOR
JOHN BUCHANAN
Dear Sir.
After all the much appreciated
obituaries and personal
tributes that have been paid to
John, it might seem churlish
of me to write to ask you to
print a correction. However, I
trust
I
may be forgiven
if I
point out that, in his otherwise
admirable tribute, Nigel refers
to John "becoming a sub-
editor with the
Express
whole lay-out and production
Brian Slyfield related a story
was commented on in the
of the paper.
about Henry Burstow playing
"thank you" notes to Stan. For
I know
that this was a most
unfortunate and unintentional
slip of Nigel's pen, but I felt I
could not let it go
uncorrected.
Yours sincerely,
MARGARET BUCHANAN,
Cricket Field Road. Horsham
STAN PARSONS
group".
Dear Editor
So he did way back in 1951,
but a sub-editor is only the first
In the January Newsletter
rung on the ladder of
interesting article about HenrY
newspaper production. And
John went on to be appointed
Editor of the northern Daily
Burstow and Annabelle
Hughes wrote about the new
development in East Street,
Express, Features Editor on the
Sunday Express and, finally,
Managing Editor of the Sunday
Express responsible for the
Brian Slyfield wrote a most
mentioning in particular Stan
Parsons, the founder of the
Horsham Society. I think I
can link the two together.
during a storm in 1836. Stan
and a couple of friends had
over an hour he kept the
children enthralled with his
stories of Horsham in the-
also been using the church for
early 1900s.
entertainment some 75 years
Stan was a remarkable man
and I am so glad that he will
around the Parish Church
later.
About twenty years ago wherr
I was at St Robert Southwell
school in Roffey, I asked Stan
to come and talk to the
children about his childhood
in Horsham. and one of the
stories he told was about a
time when he was a new pupil
at Collyer's. He and his pals
got into the tower of St
Mary's and later found
themselves locked in the
church. Needless to say, this
story related by an elderly
gentleman of the adventures
of naughty schoolboys
appealed to the children and
be remembered by "Stan's
way".
Yours sincerely
SHELAGH DUTTON,
Warnham
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
SUBSCRIPTION NEWS
NOT A GOOD START
The gremlins have been at
work, I'm afraid. Regretfully,
due to their playing about* a
few items that were scheduled
to appear in the January
Newsletter failed to make it.
This was rather a shame,
particularly so in the case of
one which covered a recent
new innovation- GIFT AID
DECLARATTONS [cAD].
However, on the basis 'Better
late than never' the article is
THE NEW MILLENNIUM?''
Oh well, never mind! Many
thanks to all who have
already sent in their pennies.
and if you haven't....
the stamp and Bob's your
uncle it is all done!!
Many thanks, and a very
belated Happy New Year.
Ron. B.
For those of you who may
wish to help The Society in
PS You also missed number
this way but have already sent
in their sub. renewals, pay by
banker's order or have paid in
interesting little known facts:
ie: DID YOU KNOW that if
r-lvance, there is another
. ^D form inside.
Still, if you look there is
usually a silver lining in these
things, and the gremlins'
shenanigans have at least
spared you my annual
subscription renewal pleas.
This year's 8376 word piece
was entitled "IS 2001 THE
TRUE FIRST YEAR OF
THAN 5,2.50 A YEAR
INCOME TAX?
If
you are, and that probably
means most of us, you now have
Act today, act now! Fill in the
form! Get the cheque book
out! Write the cheque!
Find an envelope! Pop it in!
Write the address! Stick on
printed below. Please do read it.
ARE YOU PAYING MORE
343 of my collection of
a great opportunity to help
YOUR SOCIETY financially
without it costing you even a
PENNY! In April 2000 the
government replaced the old
cumbersome Deed of Covenant
legislation with a new, very
simple one-off "GIFT AID
DECLARATTON" IcAD]
which allows charities to reclaim
from the Inland Revenue, the tax
element that the payee
already paid, from
has
any
subscriptions or donations.
that is required and
if you
can
get the form back to us
quickly enough, we might
also still be able to claim on
your lasl year's subscriptions
and donations.
You may cancel
the
Declaration at any time, and
should you cease to be a
member of the Society the
Declaration is automatically
cancelled. You are not
restricted to just one but may
support as many charities
as
you wish. However, please
DO NOT sign if you DO
NOT pay any income or
capital gains tax - and you
should remember to notify the
charity should your circum-
Simply by one signature, you
can allow us to receive an
extra benefit which currently
stands at 28p for every pound
equal to that which will be
reclaimed on your sub-
would have an extra 86.5
you give.
scription and/or donations.
members!
This would mean that our
f3.25 single pensioner rate
We hope that this
only 257o of our
single
memberships had partners
who joined the Society, we
*Ron is too kind.
It was in fact
the Editor who completely
forgot to put the subscription
information into the January
would be worth f4.23, f5.00
tums into f6.40 and the family
rate of f7.50 becomes f9.60
stances change and you no
longer pay an amount of tax
new
simplified regulation, requiring
only your signature and
address, will remove any past
reservations associated with
Deeds of Covenant. and that
Newsletter and is accordingly
Filling in the form on the
reverse of this year's
you will seriously consider
helping The Horsham Society
fe e lin g s omew hat emb atas
subscription reminder is all
in this way. Thank you.
s e d.
x----
HORSHAM SOCIETY GIFT AID DECLARATION
I hereby declare that I wish The Horsham Society (Registered Charity No: 268949) to treat any subscription payments or donations
that I have made since 6 April, 2000 and any such payments that I may make in the future as Gift Aid donations and I wish the
l"i"ty
to reclaim the Tax I have paid on all such donations accordingly.
I confirm that I will pay
an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax you reclaim on my donations in
any fiscal year unless at any stage I advise you to the contrary. I am aware that I may cancel this Declaration at any time.
Signature
(BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE)
Name in
full
Address
Horsham Society Membership Number
The Horsham Society Newsletter February 2001
92
EY TTilE WAW
HORSHAM MUSEUM SOCIETY:
Our 'studio' talk for February is by John
Vigar MA, FRSA, the broadcaster and
author on Kent history. However, in recent
years he has diversified and has become a
most popular commentator and guide on
English history through the different fields
of Architecture and Social History and has
extended his research into the county of
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Sussex. Join us as he takes us on an
illustrated journey through 'The Churches
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The talk
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reeGoTY
The Horsham Society is an independent body supported by members'
subscriptions, a registered charity (No: 268949), affiliated to the Council
for the Proteciion of Rural England and registered with the Civic Trust.
PRESIDENT: Dr Annabelle Hughes
VICE-PRESIDENTS
CHAIRMAN
Mr N C Friswell
19 Clarence Road
Horsham RH13 sSJ
Tel: (01403) 261905
Francis Maude
r
I
'Flapper' dress, green glazed sunflower
HORSHAM
SOCIETY
Evans-Palmer
Currently, in the Museum the Craft and Art
lifj Gallery is showing some of the items within
,.r$.1 its collection connected with the worlC
UtiI;l
.i
j,il
I
flowers, from visiting card cases,Y
.:
Wimble Cottage by John M. BraY
Mr O
will be held at The Studio,
Horsham Arts Centre on Friday 16 February
at 7.30pm. Members of HMS and HS f2.50,
and the general public f4.00.
I
MP
CHAIRMAN
MBE
Corsletts Farm, Church St
Broadbridge Heath
RH12 3LD
Canon Derek Tansill
VICE
HON SECRETARY
Mrs U Rathod
Mrs Nina Miles
9 Tanbridge Place
Horsham RH12 1RY
Tel: (01403) 264704
Hon TREASURER
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Mr Vince Mitchell
Mr Ron Bernard
78 Guildford Road
24 Longfield Road
Horsham RH12 1LO
Tel: (01403) 266457
Horsham RH12 1LY
Tel: (01403) 260544
plates and beautiful watercolours of spring
and summer flowers being dmong the
exhibits. Something, in fact to cheer the soul in what is, at the
moment a 'raw' January. The main exhibition gallery is
currently being prepared to house the first major exhibition of
2001 'A Flock of Sparrows' a collection of the works of Dr.
Geoffrey Sparrow. This will launch the Society's fund raising
task for the next two years as the Museum has the opportunity
to purchase a unique collection of his work, together, with
letters and small carvings of animals. Many of you will have
known Dr. Sparrow and his love of the countryside and his
great skill with the pen and brush and the Society feels that its
purchase will be a wonderful addition to the Museum and its
role in gathering the history of Horsham under one roof. So
please do support the Museum and us, by coming to view the
Exhibition which will be, as ever free, and watch out for fund
raising events during the year.
Dates for your diary: 'studio Talk' March 16 on The Heriti
Trail by Dr. Annabelle Hughes and the Annual Book Fair'-ar
Christ's Hospital School, March 31 and April l.
For more details on any of the above, and information about
membership, please contact the Honorary Secretary. Horsham
Museum Society, on 01403 263158.
INDEX
2OOO:
An index has now been produced for last year's Newsletters. If
any member would like a copy, please send a stamped selfaddressed envelope to the Cl,rairm4n (address on this page).
PUBLICATIONS
REPRESENTATIVE
NEWSLEfiER DISTRIBUTION
ORGANISER
Mrs Mia Arbuthnot
'Winstons' Fieldgate Close
Mr Roger Champion
74 Smithbarn Horsham
Monks Gate RH13 6RS
Tel: (01403) 891209
RH13 6DU
Tel: (01403) 261731
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
lndividuals f5 a year;
Family Membership: f7.50 a year
Single Pension er f3.25 a Year;
Family Pensioner f5 a Year;
Single Life MembershiP f100.
Businesses f10 a year;
Family Life MembershiP f 150
f2.50 postage is added to the above rates for out-of-town members
THANKS:
Thanks again from the Editor to John Bray for his excellent
illustrations. This month we have a drawing of Camplin's, the
much-loved local chemist and William Peter's Interiors both of
which recently closed, and Wimble Cottage, a charming house
off North Parade which was sadly demolished in the mid1990s. Thanks also to Brian Slyfield for his latest account of
old Horsham, and particularly to Nigel Friswell for all the
Society information. Keep the material coming, please:
everything considered that's fit to print.
NEW MEMBERS:
To our first of 2001, Mrs E.J. Bickle of Mannings Heath, Mr &
Mrs Watson of Kerves Lane, and Mrs Pulley-Blank of
Springfield Park, "Hello and Welcome".