The TittyWittering Challenge

Points of Interest

along the route

WOOLBEDING COMMON

Woolbeding Common is managed by the National Trust. It was made a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1998 for the heathland habitat which supports some rare birds, such as nightjars, woodlark and the Dartford warbler.

Dartford Warbler - Sylvia undata Nightjar - Caprimulgus europaeus

It is also one of our most threatened habitats with over 80% of the heathland in West lost in the last 200 years. I read somewhere that 5% of all Northern Europe’s heathland is in this part of South East . One of the reasons they are spending nearly £400 million building a road tunnel on the A3 at Hindhead.

Lowland heathland is an ancient habitat that was created thousands of years ago by the activities of man. The original wild wood was cleared during the Bronze Age for timber and grazing livestock. Nutrients then leached from the exposed sandy soil and created conditions suitable for heather and other heathland plants.

Woolbeding is a dangerous place. Look at 2 of its inhabitants !!

Evarcha arcuata Eumenes coarctatus Latreille

STEDHAM HALL

The Hall, north of the church, is a building of stone and timber-framing dating from about the middle of the 16th century but with later alterations, enlargements, and renovations.

The original house was of H-shaped plan facing south-east; the north-east wing was lengthened in the 17th century for a kitchen, now the dining-room, and then or subsequently the space between the wings behind the main block was filled in and the stair-hall added against the kitchen. A wing, with the present kitchen and offices, extends north-eastwards from the former kitchen: the lower two stories of stone are said to be ancient (17th-century?). The top story of timber framing is modern. The detached old brewhouse south-east of this range has been remodelled.

The south-east front of the main house has wings projecting about 5 ft. The lower story is of ashlar, mostly restored but ancient below the chamfered plinth. The middle doorway has a four-centred head with a square label; the windows are mullioned and have transoms. The upper story is of restored timber framing and has mullioned oak windows with wing lights to the upper halves. The windows to the wings project on shaped brackets, and the gable heads are jettied.

The north-east and south-west sides have the old masonry to the lower story and projecting chimney-stacks. The south-west has restored timber-framing to the upper story, but on the other it is replaced by modern brickwork. The upper brickwork of the south-west chimney- stacks is old, but the diagonal shafts have been rebuilt. At the back end is a small modern porch-wing. The north-west end of the south-west wing has a jettied upper story and projecting gable-head, all more or less restored. Several of the fire-places are ancient. That to the middle hall is of brick with moulded jambs and a four-centred arch in a square head. In the back wall of the room is an old stone doorway. The north-east fire-place is of stone, with chamfered jambs and a four-centred arch; the south-western, in the drawing-room, probably the oldest, is also of stone, with moulded jambs having moulded bases and an arched and square head. The dining-room (former kitchen) has a 9 ft.wide fire-place with restored stone jambs and the old stop-chamfered cambered oak bressummer. This room is lined with early- 17th-century panelling. The old ceiling-beams, where exposed, are square.

A dressing-room over the drawing-room is lined with a high dado of panelling, said to be dated 1628 at the back and formerly in the drawing-room. The main staircase may incorporate some late-17th-century material. It has 6-in.-square newels with moulded heads, and 3-in. turned balusters. A stone with the date 1519, brought from elsewhere, is reset in the north-eastern extension. .

MIDHURST

A market town in with a population of around 5,000. An ancient and picturesque town on the River Rother which Country Life Magazine rated the second best place in England to live. Although steeped in history it is home to a thriving business community with many pubs & restaurants, shopping, services and 2 large hotels, within the town boundary, plus a multitude of services and businesses in the vicinity.

Midhurst is a 'crossroads' for the 'east-west' A272 running from East Sussex to Hampshire and the 'north-south' A286 bringing traffic from Guildford and down to and the coast. Both these roads merging into one on North Street before splitting into their respective routes.

There are over 100 listed buildings in the town with many in the older areas around Red Lion street, West street and Duck Lane, which later expanded towards North street, supported on 15th and 16th century wooden frames.

The Angel hotel on North Street was the main posting inn for the mail coaches, here the pilgrim fathers stopped prior to their epic journey. At the far end of North Street is the largest school, up until January 2009 The Midhurst Grammar, founded in 1672. Although referred to as a Grammar School, it had, for many years, been a modern comprehensive. HG Wells attended the school, living and working in the town which is the backdrop to many of his stories. Amid much controversy, the school has now become the Midhurst Rother College and welcomed students on Wednesday 7th January 2009 for the first day of term. The college has united the Grammar, Midhurst Intermediate and Herbert Shiner Schools.

Opposite the 'Grammar' along a causeway is the 'Cowdray ruins' built around 1520 and destroyed by fire in 1793. This area recently underwent large scale restoration.

The History of Cowdray House

Cowdray House was once a magnificent Tudor mansion of great social, political, historical and archaeological significance. It was home to the Viscounts Montague, great men of the Courts of Henry VIII and Queen , both of whom stayed there.

The Montague family were prominent Catholics and their connection with Guy Fawkes, who was employed within the household in his youth, resulted in a heavy fine and 40 weeks’ imprisonment in the for the 2nd Viscount Montague after the discovery of the Gunpowder plot in 1605.

In the late 18th century Cowdray Park was landscaped by Capability Brown.

During the civil war, Cowdray House was sequestrated by the Parliamentarians and converted into a barrack for the Roundheads. It remained in the possession of the family, however, until its destruction and the fabled fulfilment of the Cowdray Curse in 1793.

The Montagues owed their wealth to the Dissolution of the Monasteries and, according to legend, one of the monks banished from prophesised that, 'By fire and water thy line shall come to an end, and it shall perish out of the land.'

The 8th Viscount Montague drowned in the Rhine in 1793, the same year the house was destroyed by an accidental fire. The last two sons of the Montague dynasty were drowned in a boating accident in 1815 and the house was never rebuilt.

THE TRUNDLE - ST. ROCHE'S HILL

From Tryndel (Old English circle)

Notes: The Trundle is the name of the hillfort crowning the hill, though its name, meaning a circle, is actually a misnomer as the fort is built of several straight sections.

Introduction

St. Roche's hill in West Sussex is a lone hill that rises to 206 feet and commands an excellent view all round. The hill is famous for the Iron-Age hillfort on its summit, called the Trundle, which has also caused the hill itself to be named 'Trundle Hill'. The history of the hill can be traced back to the Paleolithic, as will be seen from the section on archaeology, but successive generations have built on the hill for one reason or another. Before the hillfort was a Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure, whilst following the construction of the Iron-Age hillfort, the hill was occupied, probably into the Romano-British period. More modern buildings include a chapel and a windmill, both now gone, leaving a pair of radio masts to take advantage of the height of the hill. It is not known whether the hillfort was used defensively at the time it was built, but the hill was used by the Clubmen in the 17th century and as a beacon site to warn against attack by the French, which was lit in 1745, causing much alarm in the surrounding countryside.

The parish boundary of Lavant and Singleton heads East-West past the camp, heading around the south side of the rampart before heading off on its previous course. There is good evidence that this boundary goes back to at least 725CE, when it is mentioned in a charter where Nunna, King of Sussex grants land to the Bishop of

The Clubmen

In 1645, a large number of the political movement known as 'The Clubmen' used the hill as a military base. The clubmen used commoners weapons and fought both the Royalists and the Parlimentarians when they came to plunder the lands of the common people. It is recorded that there was "divers outrageous proceedings of 1000 Clubmen at Rowkeshill", though they dispersed back to their homes after

they heard that the Hampshire Clubmen had been defeated near Winchester by the Parlimentarians).

The Chapel

St. Roche's Hill takes its name from the chapel dedicated to the saint that used to stand on the summit of the hill. It was around 11 feet by 14 feet and would have been mostly destroyed during the reformation, the drawing below showing what was left in 1723. St. Roche was a 14th century French saint, meaning the chapel had to have been built sometime after that date. The chapel was already a ruin in 1570

A View of the Chapel Ruins, 1723

The Windmill

A windmill once took advantage of the height of St. Roche's Hill to get a good wind. It is not known when it was built, but in 1773, the windmill burnt down in a storm, along with a windmill on Ports-Down. It is generally assumed that this was caused by lightning, but this is not mentioned in the account of the fire. Whilst it is possible that both windmills were struck by lightning, it is more likely that friction internal to the windmill caused the fire, especially as the account mentions a 'storm of wind'. Such an end was common for windmills. The windmill apparently occupied the site of both the Beacon and the Chapel of St. Roche

The Masons

Though it is no longer in existence, there was once a Masonic Lodge on the Trundle. The Duke of Richmond set up the lodge there on his land in 1730, though other records claim the lodge was "Constituted in the reign of Julius Caesar", further stating that the members "met once a year Tuesday in Easter Week"

The Paleolithic

Back in the Paleolithic, the sea came to near the bottom of the hill, but as the ice sheets pressed down on the north of Britain, the south was pushed into the air, leaving old beaches high and dry. These 'raised beaches', when the sea was still there, were often frequented by Paleolithic peoples, the most famous case in

Sussex being at , just to the South-East, where a human bone a half a million years old was found along with crude flint implements. Flint finds from the Paleolithic have also been found in "Raised Beach Deposits" at or near "the foot of Trundle Hill". The fifty artefacts found were mostly handaxes

The Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure

Within the confines of the Iron-Age hillfort on St. Roche's hill, and partly overlain by it, is a Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure. These monuments are the first enclosures built in England and seem to have provided a range of functions from the sacred to secular. They are constructed by digging sections of ditches, usually in concentric circles, with small causeways in between, throwing the earth inwards to form a low bank.

The Neolithic causewayed enclosure on the summit of St. Roche's Hill was discovered by OGS Crawford in 1925 when he saw the enclosure on arial photographs. He informed Curwen who dug for two seasons excavating several ditch segments on the western side of the enclosure, as well as a single ditch segment on the outside of the Iron-Age rampart to the north, where the enclosure met the rampart. A small excavation was also carried out on a neolithic ditch section in 1980 by Bedwin & Aldsworth.

The enclosure itself is quite large for Sussex, with only Whitehawk being a comparable size. The picture is however rather confused by the layout of the enclosure. The inner enclosure has a more continuous bank than the other sections, but just as many separate ditches and causeways. The inner enclosure has also survived the best to the present day, and can be traced on the ground as a low bank. From here on in, things are not quite as clear. Curwen's original plan, shown below, suggests a single spiral ditch, which winds its way outwards, and this is the interpretation that has been accepted until recently. The recent survey of the hill by the RCHME, now a part of English Heritage, has shown that this interpretation is complicated by additional enclosure sections not noticed before.

Firstly, there appears to be a second almost concentric enclosure around the first, which is what you would expect from a normal causewayed enclosure, but there are several non-concentric enclosure sections that appear to spring from, or join to, this second enclosure, some of which cross each other on their eccentric orbits around the central enclosure. There is also one, and possibly two sections outside of the Iron-Age hillfort. The first being an arc on the north side, which exits from under the rampart and disappears under it again.

The second possible section is in fields on the west side, where a soil mark could possibly represent an extension of a section of the enclosure, though it could also be come sort of linear earthwork used as a land boundary

The Centurion Way

You get onto this having descended from the Trundle and it follows the line of a disused railway

The railway from Chichester to Midhurst was a relative latecomer, only opening in 1881. It was the third line to reach Midhurst, others opening from Petersfield in the west in 1864 and from Pulborough in the east in 1866. It was an expensive line to build, needing three tunnels to pass through the South Downs, but it was never a success, despite a four-platform station having been built at Singleton to handle the traffic to Goodwood Racecourse. Passenger services were withdrawn as early as 1935.

Goods trains continued through to Midhurst – with a brief interlude during World War II when the tunnels found a use for storing ammunition trains, safe from the attentions of the Luftwaffe – until 1952, when floods washed away a section of the line just south of Midhurst and a goods train fell into the gap! As a result the top end of the line beyond Cocking was abandoned.

In 1957 the line was cut back even further, to Lavant, which had become the railhead for loading sugar beet from farms all over the area but when this traffic ceased in 1970 the line was mothballed. However, it was revived two

years later when a new gravel pit was opened The Lavant area from the 1904 Ordnance Survey map just south of Lavant station. Over half a showing the railway lines from Midhurst to Petersfield million tons a year, in trainloads of up to (top left), Midhurst to Pulborough (top right), and 1,000 tons a time (30 lorry loads), were taken Midhurst to Chichester (centre) to Drayton, on the east side of Chichester. When this traffic came to an end in 1991 the line finally closed for good, and the rails were removed two years later. West Sussex County Council bought the line, to which was added part already owned by Council, and the construction of The Centurion Way cycle path began. It opened in 1995, with an extension to West Dean in 2001-2. The name was put forward by a local schoolboy based on the fact that the Roman road from Chichester to Silchester crosses the path near Lavant. Sculptures commemorating aspects of local history have been provided as points of interest along the way in association with the South East Arts Board

CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL

Most of this is about architecture and history. But if you’re more into birds of prey, then you maybe interested to learn that a pair of peregrine falcons (the fastest animal on the planet) have successfully reared their young here for the last 9 years and if you turn up at the right time of the year you can watch them !!

http://www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/sites/chichester/index.asp. You go to the Cloister’s cafe and watch the nestcam, at the right time of the year and if they fledged you go to the Paradise Gardens

This is what they look like and if you want to show off to your mates down the pub it’s a Falco peregrines

And now for the academic bit......

The history of Chichester Cathedral begins in 681 when Saint brought Christianity to Sussex and established a Cathedral in Selsey, a small community south of Chichester.

After 1066 the Norman policy was that cathedrals should be moved from small communities to larger centres of population. In 1075 the Council of London established the See of Chichester and the building of the new cathedral, in the centre of the Roman former town, began in around 1076 under Bishop Stigand who had been the last Bishop of Selsey. Construction continued into the twelfth century, and by 1108 Bishop Ralph Luffa was able to dedicate the building. Following a fire in 1114, Bishop Luffa restored the building and extended it westwards. A further fire in 1187, completely destroyed the timber roof and caused extensive damage to the arcade stonework.

Restoration included the introduction of stone vaulting, supported on the inside by stone shafts from floor to ceiling and the addition of Purbeck marble shafts at ground and clerestory level: externally, flying buttresses were added. At this time, the retro-choir was completely restyled, squaring off the previously apsidal east end, and introducing the use of pointed arches into the triforium and clerestory. Also in the retro-choir, composite columns of Purbeck marble were substituted for the Norman stone piers.

During the thirteenth century, chapels were added to the nave aisles forming an unusual architectural feature, and making Chichester one of the widest English cathedrals. One of the most important events in the cathedral's history took place in 1262 when Bishop Richard, who had died only nine years earlier a was canonized by Pope Urban lV. This event was followed in 1276 by the translation of his body from its original burial place in the chapel of St Thomas and St Edmund, to a shrine in the retro-choir, which became an important centre for pilgrimage right up to the Reformation. The fourteenth century saw the completion of the

extension of the Lady Chapel containing windows in the 'decorated' style. In 1315, Bishop John Langton completely rebuilt the south wall of the south transept creating a large seven light window with elaborate tracery around a curvilinear triangle. The Canon's vestry was also built around this time, and the Song School was added immediately overhead, about one hundred years later.

During the fifteenth century, important features were added to the cathedral which greatly altered its external appearance: the cloisters, enclosing the south transept; the detached bell- tower, the only one of its kind remaining in England and, which today houses a peel of eight bells; and the spire, so greatly admired by Pesvner - the 'spire and countryside form an equation or a symbol experienced by millions of people every year, which cannot be given a value purely in terms of landscape or architecture'. Bishop Robert Sherburne was an important influence on Chichester in the early years of the sixteenth century. He introduced measures to improve the effectiveness of the clergy and the ability of the choir to perform the daily offices. He also carried out extensive building work in the Close and adorned the cathedral with the paintings of Lambert Barnard.

The Reformation brought considerable destruction to the cathedral. Brasses were removed from memorials and many stone figures and carvings defaced. The shrine of St Richard was totally destroyed and it was probably at this time that Chichester lost its medieval stained glass. Further damage to the cathedral and its contents, notably the library, took place at the hands of Parliamentary troops when they took possession of the city at the end of 1642. Following what must be described as many years of neglect, the restoration of the cathedral was started in earnest by Dean George Chandler during the 1840s. His successor, Dean Walter Farquar Hook, had to deal with a major set back to the restoration programme when the spire collapsed in 1861: the spire we see today is Sir George Gilbert Scott's restoration.

The City of Chichester

Chichester is situated in the south of the modern English county of West Sussex. The City is built on the site of the ancient Roman town of Noviamagus Reginorum. The city is believed to have been one of the first points of attack during the Roman invasion of 43AD. The town was captured in the late 5th century by the Anglo and was then renamed "Cissa". It was at this time that the city became the chief city in the Kingdom of Sussex (what would later be known as Sussex County).

Much of the original Roman and Anglo-Saxon architecture and town planning still exists throughout the city. All of the streets radiate out from a single cross centralized by the medieval market cross. The cross now forms the North, South, East and West Streets.

The Chichester Cross was built by the bishop of Chichester, Edward Story, in the late 15th Century. The cross was built to enable poor people to trade and sell their wares. Apart from a few maintenance modifications, the cross still stands at the centre of the city. The cross was used as the main market place until the early 19th Century, when a larger market was erected on the north street to cater for the increased population. The cross was destined for demolition until local spirit, along with the aid of a few corporation members, deemed it a landmark and the heart of the city.

Most of the original city walls are still standing and have been opened to the public for tours and site-seeing.

In the late 19th century, Chichester was connected to , and Selsey by a new Railway. This enabled the city to grow and helped bring more wealth within its walls.

Chichester was subjected to three bombing raids during the Second World War which destroyed much of the original architecture. An amphitheatre site, (which was built in 80 AD) was almost destroyed by the crash landing of an American plane which had been attacked over France.

Itchenor

Itchenor takes its name from the Saxon chieftain Icca who first resettled the district after the collapse of . The parish is still officially called , despite the fact that the village of East Itchenor disappeared in the 15th century.

Around 1175 the then lord of Itchenor built a chapel on the manor which developed into a parish church by the end of the century. The church is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of seamen and has its own graveyard. Although only 546 acres, the parish was three small settlements: one by the church, one at Shipton Green and a later development by the shore.

During the 18th century there was a considerable amount of ship building which lasted until the end of the Napoleonic wars. A small boat building presence is recorded throughout the years but permanent boat-building and repairs re-started with Haines' yard in 1912.

In the late 18th century the 3rd Duke of Richmond built Itchenor Lodge as his yachting lodge and also a salt-water bath on the shore near where the Conservancy office now stands. His sloop the Goodwood was used to bring stone from various places for both the building of Itchenor House and Goodwood House.

A ferry has been run to Bosham since the early 19th century. Originally this was run by the Rogers family who lived in Ferryside (now the Harbour Office) and later through marriage passed to George Haines, whose family ran it until it closed in the 1950s. George Haines was the virtual harbourmaster, pilot and collector of tolls until the Chichester Corporation took over the running of the Harbour in the 1930s.

By 1927 the yachtsmen and dinghy sailors of Itchenor started their own sailing club. They acquired four small 17th century cottages which were converted to form their club house. The original buildings have since been enlarged and improved. During the last war the club was requisitioned, first by the Army and then by the Navy, when preparing for the D-Day landings.

Today

Today many of the inhabitants of Itchenor have moved to the village for sailing. Midweek and during the winter the village is quiet, the only activity taking place around the boatyards, Harbour Office and pub. However, at weekends and during the summer holidays the village comes alive with visiting sailors and tourists.

Things to do – Walk to or stay in the Ship and ask someone to come and collect you

Harbour Story

Itchenor had, and still has, a tradition of shipbuilding. Small ships were built in Tudor times, which were paid for by the merchants of Chichester. The biggest ship ever built was 140ft (50m) long, which carried 44 cannons. She was launched in 1785.

There is a legend that when the Vikings came into the Harbour, they rowed up to Bosham under the cover of fog. They raided the village, set fire to the wattle and daub houses and stole the church bell. When the fog lifted, the men of Itchenor saw what had happened and were waiting for the long boat when it came down the creek. In the fight, the bell sank to the bottom. Afterwards they dredged the mud, but each time the grapnel brought the bell to the surface, the rope broke and the bell sank into the mud again. What were they to do?

The bell had been consecrated, and the parson said that they must use a consecrated rope woven of hair from the tails of white oxen. All this was done and the new rope and grapnel were blessed in Bosham's now bell-less church.

They tried again. They dredged again and found the bell, but as it broke the surface of the water, the rope broke. Why? They examined the broken end of the rope to find one black devil's hair among the white. So, the bell lies forever in the Bell Hole and if you listen on a quiet evening you might hear it ring...

West Wittering Recent History

In 1917 Henry Royce moved to Elmstead House, bringing with him a team of design engineers. The Merlin engine, as used in Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters, was designed in the Studio and several roads in the village are named after him. During World War II houses on the Strands were requisitioned by the military authorities. The Hoy was opened by the local WVS in 1940, serving over 290,000 meals in the five years it was open. The practice of bringing landing craft ashore for Operation Overlord (1944) was undertaken all along Bracklesham Bay in preparation for D-Day.

In 1948 Mrs Dent, of the well-known publishing family, gave an area of open farmland to the Parish, and this is now the recreation ground in Rookwood Road.

In 1951 the Church Commissioners gifted Snowhill Green to the Parish Council to remain an open space in perpetuity. At the same time they began to sell environmentally valuable land. With the preservation of the rural and undeveloped nature of the property and its surroundings in mind, a small group of local residents formed the ‘West Wittering Preservation Trust’ (now known as West Wittering Estate Plc.). In 1952 they purchased 167 acres of land, including coastal farmland to East Head, together with foreshore to the mean low water mark to prevent the development of a holiday complex. This land is now within an AONB and SSSI and is protected from any form of development which might disturb its rural nature.

In 1964 East Head was gifted to the County Council and then to the National Trust, which still retains ownership of this fragile area of natural beauty.

Within the same ethos private companies namely Cakeham Manor Estate Ltd and Webbs Land Ltd have purchased agricultural land to prevent commercial development, thus protecting the strategic gap and ensuring preservation for future generations