September 2017

HORSHAMSOCIETY

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

Newsletter

Piries Place Car Park

In July Baroness Kate Parminter, President of the Friends of ChesworthFarm, officially marked the conclusion of a three year project to create

the Chesworth Farm Wetland Area by unveiling a new interpretation board.The project is the result of a successful partnership between the Friends andHorsham District Council.

(Photo: Tim Thomas)

Horsham Council has announced it is investigating the potential toreplace Piries Place car park with a larger facility on the same site.

The current car park has never been satisfactory, with tight turns and verysmall spaces, so any improvements on this score will be welcomed byusers. However, we have told HDC that the Society would be veryconcerned were it to suggest adding significantly to the current height ofthe car park.

The principal feature of the existing car park is that it is in large part hiddenfrom view by being wrapped around by Burtons Court. This approach wasoriginally recommended to the Council by the Horsham Society after asimilar scheme had been adopted in Canterbury. One only has to comparehow little impact Piries Place car park makes on the street scene comparedwith the Swan Walk car park adjacent to Albion Way to realise howsuccessful the design has been. We are keen that a similar approach shouldbe taken to any replacement.

Apalm tree has appeared in Talbot Lane. Isthis an example of global warming, and can

we expect to see a rash of palms in our town?

Talbot Lane is one of the areas in the town centrelooking very colourful this summer. It is greatwhen residents and businesses brighten our livesin this way and it perfectly complements themore formal displays provided by Horsham inBloom and HDC. Together they make Horshamtown centre a very attractive place to visit andshop.

Keeping Horsham blooming. The Society’sflower planter, opposite the bus station - our

contribution to this year’s Horsham in Bloomdisplay.

Horsham Society Newsletter September 2017

Directory

The Horsham Society is a registered charity (No.268949) and is anindependent body supported by members’ subscriptions

PRESIDENT Dr Annabelle HughesVICE-PRESIDENTS Nigel Friswell, John Steele

CHAIRMAN Malcolm WillisVICE CHAIRMAN Vacant HON TREASURER John Steele

The Executive Committee meets at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of eachmonth in the Manor Room behind the Causeway Barn. Members are welcometo attend as observers but it would be appreciated if the Secretary could be

informed beforehand.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESAnnual Membership: £10 per household

Family Life Membership: £150 per householdPostage is added to the above rates at £7 per annum for out-of-town members

HORSHAMSOCIETY

www.horshamsociety.org

Newsletter correspondence should be sent to the Editor: John Steele,2 Old Denne Gardens, Horsham, RH12 1JA (Tel: 01403 272814, email:newsletter@horshamsociety.org). Other matters should be referred to the HonSecretary. The Newsletter is published monthly except August and opinions init, whether the Editor’s or contributors’, are not necessarily those of the Society.

© Individual contributors 2017. No material may be reproduced, copied or storedin a retrieval system without the prior consent of the relevant contributor, whichshould be sought via the Editor.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERon Bates, Roy Bayliss, Rod Cuming, Mark D’Arcy, Julie Dumbrell,

Oliver Farley, Paul Fletcher, David Griffiths NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION ORGANISERS Chris Spiers and Kathy Gleeson

HON SECRETARYsecretary@horshamsociety.org

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYChris Spiers

37 Irwin DriveHorsham RH12 1NLTel: 01403 255287

membership@horshamsociety.org

From the CommitteeHorsham Park threat

Without any consultation or explanation, at the end ofJune, Horsham Council slipped out a planning

application to turn the area in Horsham Park formerlyoccupied by the children’s day nursery into a permanenthardstanding for use as an entertainment space.

Years ago the Council promised that when the nursery closedthe land would be returned to parkland and this washonoured, although soon afterwards part of the area wascovered by a sand surface for volleyball. The area theCouncil now wants to cover with hardstanding isconsiderably larger than the volleyball court. The applicationwas quite opaque on the need for this permanententertainment space though it suggested relocating theChristmas ice rink, and providing a space and parking areafor events throughout the year.

The Society has long opposed further urbanisation ofHorsham Park and we have objected. The applicationclaimed that the proposed site was in a remote part of thepark, whereas it is one of the busiest. There was no clearvehicular access to the site and the proposed surface finishleft much to be desired. Local residents submitted dozens ofobjections and a picture of them protesting was in the CountyTimes. The application was temporarily halted for further

consultation but will return to the planning committee inSeptember.

It would be hard to imagine a more ineptly managedinitiative. The Council may have a case for creating apermanent entertainment space in the Park but it has made noeffort to explain it, or why this location is the most suitable.As a result it has lost the trust of local residents who will bemost affected by its plans and the many other users of thePark who value its current parkland vistas and tranquil areassuch as this.

!n early August a second application was lodged for the spaceto be used by the ice rink for 102 days from the end ofOctober to the end of January 2017 from 10am to 9pm, sevendays a week, except Christmas Day. Surely a better site wouldbe close to the Bowling Alley, where the fair is held. It wouldbe closer to the town centre and be more likely to providespin-off benefit to local traders.

Meeting with Cllr Ray Dawe

In late June we had one of our regular meetings with RayDawe, Leader of the Council, to exchange views and

thoughts about matters affecting Horsham. Chris Lyons,Director of Planning, Economic Development and Property,was also present. As usual the list of topics was lengthy. Webegan by discussing the Council's published Vision for theTown Centre and learned that residents, including youngerpeople, had responded in large numbers to the publicconsultation. Interestingly proposals to relocate Sainsbury'sand to build houses on the current site had received aconsiderable thumbs down whilst, in general, residentsseemed to rather like the town as it was. The Council expectsto publish the consultation results with analysis andconclusions in the early autumn.

We expressed disappointment that the Council had adopted apiecemeal rather than holistic approach to the Vision. We hadhoped to see a Vision which aimed to create an integratedseries of spaces, bringing common elements to adjoiningspaces, inviting progression from one space to the next. Weexplained that whilst we believed that each space or area, forexample, West Street, Carfax and North Street, shouldcontinue to have and enhance its own distinct character, eachshould also contain elements in common with itsneighbouring spaces. This would create a feeling of flow andconnectivity for residents, visitors and shoppers to enjoy andact as an invitation to explore ever further. Examples oflinking elements were common paving, floral display, streetfurniture and lighting. We referred to this approach as thecreation of ‘Linked Spaces’. The Council reacted verypositively to this idea and asked for further details which havesince been forwarded.

Another of the key topics discussed was the Groundsman'sCottage which has lain derelict for many years in the cornerof our otherwise beautiful cricket ground. The three partieswho have failed to find a solution are the Trustees, theCouncil and the Cricket and Sports Club. The Councilconfirmed that it had taken many unsuccessful initiatives overthe years but there were no current initiatives under way. Weadvised that the Society intended to pick up the case, possiblywith a public campaign. The Council welcomed andencouraged our involvement.

58

Horsham Society Newsletter September 2017

Design and wellbeingJohn Steele

Chesworth Allotments

Chesworth is one of eleven allotment sites in the town andsits on a ten acre site off Arun Way. It comprises 130 full

size plots – that is 10 rods or 2,700 sq ft, once consideredsufficient to supply a family year-round with fruit andvegetables. Nowadays, many plots are sub-divided to createmore manageable units and some are community plotsmanaged by Transition Horsham.

The site is managed by Chesworth Allotment Society on alease from HDC. The committee is responsible for everyaspect including letting plots, collecting rents, maintainingthe secure boundary hedges, mowing the major access paths,providing a water supply throughout the site, and running ashop selling horticultural supplies at wholesale prices formembers.

Allotment holders are a resourceful and practical bunch,prepared to turn their hands to more or less any job that comesalong. This is just as well because when Hepworth Breweryrelocated from the town to its new purpose-built brewery atBrinsbury, managing director Andy Hepworth offered theSociety a steel framed shed to replace the old run-down shop.A team of volunteers (average age 70 something) dismantledit in July 2016 and stored it at the allotments until planningpermission was secured. After preparatory groundwork, themain structure was completed within a week in Novemberand the whole thing was finished by Christmas. Our photoshows the official opening by Andy Hepworth at a party forallotment holders on 11 June.

Having an allotment at Chesworth is much more than hardwork and growing a few vegetables. When you take a plotyou join a community; you can relax after a day in the office,grow fruit, flowers, chat to a neighbour over a cuppa,sunbathe, have a BBQ and even help with maintenance orjoin the committee. It is truly a hobby for all ages. There arecurrently a few vacant plots and for further details see theirwebsite at www.chesworthallotments.site

Information about the other ten allotment sites in the town,and contact details, are available on the HDC website.

The issue of good urban design, its benefits and what itmeans in practice is a subject often debated in this

Newsletter. This is unsurprising given the Society’s purpose,which includes the promotion of high standards of planningand architecture. Urban design means much more thanbuildings and the Society actively promotes the protection ofour parks and green spaces, views and important streetscapes.It is truly the case in urban design that the whole is more thanthe sum of its parts.

In recent years it has been shown that we can measurepeople’s self-reported happiness (or subjective wellbeing)and compare the results between different places or countries.Further, we can test which characteristics such as income,marital status and health have most impact on our sense ofwellbeing. This has led the Government to make raising thelevel of subjective wellbeing an aim.

A recent study into the links between specific components ofthe built environment and measurable wellbeing, Heart in theRight Street - Beauty, happiness and health in designing themodern city☨, examines evidence from a broad range ofinternational studies to draw a set of generalised conclusionsabout which characteristics are likely to maximise wellbeing.Although Horsham is not a city, many findings of the studyare relevant to any urban area. Among the factors identifiedby the author for ‘perfect’ urban development are:

Greenery. Frequent green spaces inter-weaved into the urbanarea. These can be private or communal but they need to beclose to people’s homes. Parks are important but have adifferent impact. Lots of street trees.

Homes. Children in houses not flats. Buildings at a humanscale with 3-4 storey terraces to achieve high densities whilemaintaining private gardens and personal privacy. Some flatsand sparing use of residential towers (mainly for the rich).Homes close to work.

Connectivity and streets. Well connected, walkable,traditional street pattern with multiple junctions and routechoices. Some pedestrian or cycle only streets, but mostmixed use with generous pavements. Mixed residential,commercial and retail wherever possible.

Beauty, design and ‘scenicness’. A strong sense of place(here - not there, or anywhere); style or materials whichreference a place’s history; variety, and streets that bend andflex with contours of the landscape. No long blank walls -frequent front doors, with gardens, or shop fronts. Some frontdoors should have steps to improve health. Some surprises arenecessary. Beauty really matters to wellbeing.

Much of this supports the approach the Society has taken inrecent years but it is timely to reassess our approach andcomments from members are particularly welcome.☨Heart in the Right Street - Beauty, happiness and health indesigning the modern city, by Nicholas Boys Smith, publishedby CREATE Streets, 2016.

59

Horsham in 1917Gary Cooper continues his anniversary review of local life in the Great War

By 1917 Horsham society hadchanged irreversibly when

compared to that of the relatively self-contained and tranquil market townknown to its citizens in 1913. Inaddition to the dreadful losses sufferedand the maiming of many loved ones,1917 proved to be a particularly bleakyear for the people of Horsham. At alllevels of class, occupation andorganisation, very few families escapedthe direct and indirect effects of war thatinfluenced individual life in the town.

Lloyd George became Prime Ministerof Great Britain in December 1916, andby very early 1917 had quicklyestablished a central Governmentexercising almost dictatorial nationalcontrol necessary for the country towage total war. The powers of theDefence of the Realm Act of 1914(DORA) were considerably increased,and a whole host of new ministriescreated, to take unified control anddirection and to stimulate additionalefforts to meet the demands of war. Thenew ministries administrated andregulated the spheres of food productionand distribution, industrial output,shipping (mercantile) and NationalService. For the people of Horsham thisled to official form filling on a grandscale, with the powers of unprecedentedstate control. Certain types ofemployment were severely restricted,Government exercised complete controlover rail and shipping, and petrol forprivate motoring almost disappeared

entirely. The multitude of DORArestrictions on individual freedom musthave confused the good citizens ofHorsham; it was forbidden to fly kites,talk about military affairs in publicplaces, give bread to dogs, horses orpoultry, spread rumours regardingmilitary matters, light bonfires, trespasson allotments or purchase binoculars.

A profusion of posters and noticesbecame a regular sight adorning thetown’s streets, for by this year localcommittees had been established andbecome quite prolific, with manyfunctions and objectives, all aimed invarious ways to support the war effort.A number of these bodies lacked realauthority but others were able to exertactual control, especially in the sphereof scarce resource distribution. InNovember shoppers were requested bythe Horsham Economic Committee tocarry home purchases less than 7lbs(3.18 kg) in weight. Due to the war,retail outlets were experiencing acutelabour and fuel shortages so goodsdeliveries were drastically reduced.

The local authority had empowered theFood Control Committee to overseerationing and distribution of certainbasic foods. Central Governmentintroduced national rationing of fats andmeat the following year, eroding someof the local Committee’s power. InOctober coal was allocated by thenumber of rooms per dwelling, but byDecember, a particularly severe month,

the Local CoalCommittee, via HorshamUrban Council, gavenotice that coal would berestricted to twohundredweight (50.8 kg)or less per week for alldomestic consumerssupplied through sixcouncil approvedHorsham coalmerchants.

On the war front the yearstarted badly asGermany announced apolicy of unrestricted U-boat warfare from 9thJanuary, threateningGreat Britain’s overseasshortage of home food

and materials. The Governmentintroduced a voluntary rationingscheme on 1st February in an effort toreduce the consumption of foodstuffsalready in short supply. Anotherscheme’s objective was to teacheconomical ways of cooking, andteachers in elementary schools wereprovided with guidelines to givecookery lessons. There is little evidencethat this proved an overwhelmingsuccess despite articles with advice foreconomic domestic food preparationand recipes published in the nationaland local newspapers.

Many food items were no longeraffordable or available for workingclass and many lower middle-classfamilies. Failure of the potato crop inScotland affected the whole country andfood prices generally rose rapidly.Wealthier people could still afford manyof the scarcer foods but for the lessfortunate the signs of insufficientnutrition were becoming apparent.Military forces automatically receivedfirst priority with food allocation, butbeginning in December 1917 stateorganised compulsory rationing for thedomestic population was introduced instages.

After almost three years of attritionHorsham had been largely reduced to atown principally of elderly men, womenand children, with a continuallychanging khaki-clad population stayingbriefly on home leave, and all too soondeparting, as did most militarypersonnel stationed at Roffey Campnorth of the town.

Compulsory conscription came intoeffect in March 1916; following theenormous army losses suffered that yearthere was a desperate need to swell thefighting divisions again to meet theGerman and Turkish threats. Additionalmanpower was obtained from April1917 by conscripting men fromprotected industries, and also acceptinga number of those previously rejected asunfit for military service.

In 1917 the chronic manpower shortagewas of grave concern to the armedforces, especially the army following itsdisastrous losses on the Western Frontin the previous year. As the warPosters and notices became a common sight.

Horsham Society Newsletter September 201760

continued unabated it becameimperative to refill the ranks of thefallen speedily. Those liable forconscription into the armed forces andseeking exemption were required to gobefore the Horsham-based West SussexCounty Tribunal, granted power andauthority to reject or accept suchapplications. Conditions for exemptionbecame more stringent as much of thelocal youth had already disappeared intothe cauldron of war. The Tribunal, underpressure to meet the manpower demand,often dismissed appeals by middle-agedmen with individual businesses,families to support, or of veryquestionable fitness to withstand theharsh rigour of trench warfare. Someexemptions were granted, normallylimited to three months, before theapplicant had to present his case yetagain. Also seated on the Committeeboard was a senior army officer, nodoubt keen to swell the ranks.

Horsham’s servicemen who had beendecorated, received awards or grantedmedals were featured in the West SussexCounty Times. On 18th OctoberBombardier Thomas Burchell of theRoyal Field Artillery was one such hero,presented with the Military Medal forbravery by the garrison commander ofRoffey Camp. The colourful ceremonytook place at the Bandstand in theCarfax and the bombardier was cheeredby a large excited crowd. Suchoccasions were of great importance tothe townspeople and its servicemenalike; the band, patriotic flag-wavingand pomp were a welcome interludefrom the harsh dreariness of Horsham inearly wartime winter. The value of suchevents not only showed recognition andreward for effort but proof that sufferinghad not been all in vain, and, far moreimportantly, these occasions raisedmorale among individuals attending,aware they were within a group boundin a common cause.

A fundamental change apparent inHorsham society was the new role ofwomen as they were integrated intooccupations previously the solepreserve of men. It addition to nursingvolunteers, many were accepted forcertain duties within the armed forcessuch as Women’s Army AuxiliaryCorps. Women also played a verysignificant part in commercial,industrial and retail trades, releasingmen for military service.

Certainly one of their most effectivelocal direct contributions was in the

agricultural industry. To offset thechronic shortage of agricultural labourthe central authority introduced theWomen’s Land Army to replaceservicemen who had already left theiroccupations on the land early in the war;but the situation was further aggravatedthe previous year with the introductionof compulsory conscription. CentralGovernment propaganda also sought toencourage people to grow their ownfood, and many were already carryingthis out by utilising formal gardens andallotments in an attempt to compensatefor the effects of serious inflationcoupled with shortages and absence ofmany imported commodities.

Although by the year’s end significantterritorial gains had been securedmilitarily, this was little consolation tothe numerous families who had lostloved ones in achieving such victories.Due to a mix of Governmentpropaganda and censorship the averagetownsperson lacked any awareness orauthentic news of the German Army’strue condition, nor of its hungry civilianpopulation already in dire straits withacute food, material shortages, andgrowing political unrest.

There was a significant rise in, oftenhasty, local marriages, many generatedby fear of the unknown and possibledeath. Often these resulted in a shorthoneymoon, snatched in a few days’leave, and the young couples wereparted, a number tragically with wivesbecoming widows as the town warmemorial bears mute testimony. In

addition to the increasing number ofmen killed, the effect of all the horrorsof war were brought home to thetownsfolk by the number of maimedand wounded soldiers on Horsham’sstreets. Others suffered the effects ofgas poisoning, often leading to an earlydeath in the immediate post-war years.

Entertainment was provided by thecinema and the relatively new craze ofregular public dances, extremelypopular and available to all as a briefinterlude from their restricted life withthe blackout and rationing. What stoodout significantly, above all the trials andtribulations endured by Horsham’scitizens during 1917, was their ability torise above personal loss and organisewell supported and attended charityevents, lighting up a rather drabexistence. This strength to support thewar effort was demonstrated in theextreme generosity shown by so many,including the working classes and thoseliving on limited means. No weekpassed without an appeal in one form oranother to raise funds to support the warand bring benefit to the servicemen.People contributed material goods,money and time in organising partiesfor servicemen’s children, and the poorand needy.

Vitally important activities centred onletters, newspapers, food and clothingparcelled to the armed forces, especiallythose on active service. Delivery ofparcels and exchange of lettersreinforced the strong bond between theservicemen and people of Horsham.Local providers had the satisfaction ofhelping their men at war and reassuredthose in trenches, or on the high seas,that their sacrifices were greatlyappreciated by loved ones, friends andthe general public in their home town.

Christian religious faith was particularlystrong and Horsham churches of variousdenominations were always wellattended, with congregation membersdrawing comfort from their convictionseven during their darkest hours. Thesteadfast and determined attitude of“Fight to the finish” still largelydominated public opinion but, althoughmorale remained relatively high, by theend of 1917 with a particularly bleakwinter, people were almost exhaustedby the restrictions and control placedupon their normal way of life, andhaving to continue to endure the anxietyof the war’s uncertain outcome as itground monotonously on and casualtynumbers continued to mount.

Members of the Women’s Land Army.

Horsham Society Newsletter September 2017 61

On midsummer day, and the hottestone for forty years, your Chairman

Malcolm Willis and I travelled up toChrist’s Hospital. This short journeywas the culmination of a long processwhich had started over a year ago. Theidea of Horsham having a festival of itsown was slowly taking shape andvarious people were being invited toparticipate in arranging events, musicaland otherwise, to make up theprogramme. The range of talent wassurprising and the festival committeewas driven forward by its energeticchairman Paul Bellringer.

The initiative did not come from theHorsham Society though we watchedwith interest as concepts unfolded. Oneof our members, Dr Gillibrand, wrote tothe Society suggesting we sponsor apoetry competition to be run by theschools in the area and that we award asmall prize to encourage interest. Othersuggestions were made while weinvestigated the possibility of theliterary notion, and the main concernwas that we produced somethinginstantly recognisable as belonging toHorsham. As a result of numerousdiscussions, we were persuaded that theacademic pressures on schools and theiroverfilled schedules were unlikely toyield much chance of a widelysupported poetry competition.

However, we didn’t let go of DrGillibrand’s original idea butconsidered how to combine a schoolcompetition of some description with

the festival. The most obvious elementthe public associate with Horsham is ofcourse the fine school of Christ’sHospital and its well-known marchingband in particular. We asked the Festivalchairman had they a web site, to whichhe said yes, and we decided to sponsora new fanfare to be written by a pupil atthe school. The fanfare would be playedby the band and filmed. The web sitewould then open with the colourfulband marching across the top playingour very own march, composed for theoccasion.

After so long it was a relief when allwent to plan. It was midsummer’s day,near the end of term, the currentheadmaster is about to move on and thestar pupil from the music departmenthad written a fine piece. We assembledin the warmth, the band strode out andthe music resounded from the quads

corridors. It had to last a fair time asChrist’s now boasts around 900 pupilsand they all march in to lunch, house byhouse.

The band played on, the school marchedin and we gathered in the empty quadwith Tom Walker the youthfulcomposer. He graciously received hischeque in the presence of the musicmaster and the head, and we understandhe’s inclined to study music withperhaps a professional interest. Wecongratulated him and his masters,feeling that we had done somethingconcrete to put Horsham more securelyon the map for public entertainment.For as long into the future as we run afestival, Tom’s music will be associatedwith it, and we can all take a happypride in a youthful achievement andencouragement for us all to contributeto our town’s public life.

HorshamFestival Fanfare

Oliver Farley

Song for Horsham? Horsham Museum Exhibitions

Sticking with a musical theme, a while ago someone on theMemories of Horsham Facebook page asked “which song

best describes our beautiful town of Horsham?"

Suggestions included Mary Hopkin’s Those were the days;Pete Seeger’s Little boxes (“made of ticky tacky”); and Peter,Paul and Mary’s Where have all the flowers gone? Morepositive were It’s a fine life from Lionel Bart’s Oliver; andSimply the best by Tina Turner.

Do you have a favourite song for Horsham?

There is still time to see Horsham Museum’s exhibition,Flutterby Butterful: Prints by Julia White, open until 16

September. It promises a “bewitching array” of botanicaletchings and digital studies of bugs, butterflies and mini-beasts, inspired by the Victorian Arthur Rackham, Sussexillustrator of the fantastical and otherworldly.

Transitions: Photography by Greg Turner, open until 23September, explores the transitioning from youth toadolescence and into adulthood with a series of formalportraits of youngsters taken at the skate park in Horsham.

Horsham Society Chairman, Malcolm Willis, presents Tom Walker with a cheque,flanked by Terry Whittingham, Christ’s Hospital Band Master, on the left and OliverFarley on the right of the picture. (Toby Phillips Photography)

Horsham Society Newsletter September 201762

Tom Charman:artist, entertainer and fairy seeker

David Haynes

The 2016 Henry Burstow exhibitionin Horsham Museum dwelt mainly

on Henry himself and William Albery.Another contributor, about whom muchless has been documented, was TomCharman (above). Reminiscences ofHorsham (1911) incorporates twoillustrations (facing pages 59 and 72)signed by Tom Charman and his name ison the list of subscribers at the end ofthe book where his address is given asNew Forest. Two further subscribers,Miss E Charman and Mrs W E Hallswere Tom’s sisters. It is, therefore,probably reasonable to assume that thefamily were closely associated withAlbery and/or Burstow.

Tom was born on 14 March 1863 andlived in Horsham until about the timethat Reminiscences was published. Hisparents (my great grandparents) wereMichael and Sarah Charman who weregrocers in St Leonard’s Road (nowKaren’s Beauty Rooms). He appears tohave been a skilled artist and a numberof unsigned sketches attributed to himstill exist, plus a signed drawing dated1904 in my possession of a house in St.Leonard’s Road which appears to belittle changed. It is believed that he triedto make a living out of his artistry butseems not to have been particularlysuccessful.

Tom’s other talents are listed on a fourpage flyer of his dated ‘Season 1900’:Mr Tom Charman’s Entertainments,Ventriloquial, Humourous, andCharacter Sketches. In it he ‘has much

pleasure in again solicitingEngagements for his Refined Artistic,and Popular Entertainments, consistingof Mimicry, Ventriloquism, CharacterSketches, &c. as given by him withgreat success before large andappreciative audiences. Vide PressNotices. T.C. either undertakes theentire evening’s entertainment or to fillin a series of numbers in a variedprogramme.’

He gives his address as 4 St. LeonardsRoad. The notices to which he drawsour attention include: Torquay Times,Dorking Observer, The Era, and TheStage. Tom was obviously a talentedand well-travelled entertainer. For sometime (particularly at some of the largervenues) he worked as a double act witha gentleman named Pain. His son looksupon them as the Morecambe & Wise oftheir time.

His close association with Horshamended in the early 1900s when hemoved to the New Forest apparently toassist his sister, Sarah, and her husband,who had some serious health issues, intheir Bramshaw, Nomansland, groceryand bakery business. There, hecontinued his artistic pursuits and alsofollowed his other skill as a fairyobserver!

It seems he professed to having seen hisfirst fairy in his Horsham bedroom atthe age of seven. This ‘creature’ wasriding on the back of an animal whichhe took to be a brown rat. However, itseems that he lost the skill but regainedit later in life whilst living in the NewForest. The magazine Occult Review(March 1917) devotes twelve pages tohis story and includes some of hisdrawings - one of which is uncannilysimilar to one he drew in a sketch bookgiven to my mother and now in mypossession. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,who became a devotee of the occult andlived nearby at Minstead for someyears, knew Tom well and wrote of himin the Strand Magazine (March 1921p203) and the Conan DoyleEncyclopaedia (7 July 1930).

Tom entered into a relationship withMargaret Westlake, 32 years his junior,the daughter of Ernest Westlake. Ernestowned the estate that is now SandyBalls camping and caravanning site inthe New Forest at Godshill about 5miles from Nomansland.

At the age of 70 Tom became father to ason, Christopher, who is still active inthe New Forest as an accomplishedpotter and smallholder - two generationsspanning over 154 years! Christopher’swife, Kate, is a talented artist. A year ortwo later a daughter, Danae, was born.Tom died on 11 January 1939 inFareham Hospital.

I am greatly indebted to ChristopherCharman and his wife Kate for readingthrough and permitting me to publishthis short article.

HUNTING FOR FAIRIES INTHE NEW FOREST

Another gentleman who claimsto have this most remarkable giftis Mr. Tom Charman, who buildsfor himself a shelter in the NewForest and hunts for fairies as anetymologist would for butterflies.In answer to my inquiries, he tellsme that the power of vision cameto him in childhood, but left himfor many years, varying inproportion with his own nearnessto Nature. According to this seer,the creatures are of many sizes,varying from a few inches toseveral feet. They are male,female, and children. He has notheard them utter sounds, butbelieves that they do so, of finerquality than we can hear. Theyare visible by night as well as byday, and show small lights aboutthe same size as glow-worms.They dress in all sorts of ways.Such is Mr. Charman’s account.

(Conan Doyle)

Horsham Society Newsletter September 2017 63

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Improving access to Waitrose

The article in the July issue of the Newsletter does indeedjustify the Society's original warnings about access to the

new store from the town centre. Also, crossing to the storefrom Currys/Staples is tricky for pedestrians.

The other failure of the development is that the opportunitywas not taken to provide pedestrian access from the Bishopricalongside the service road opposite the King's Arms. Thiswould have made visiting the store far more attractive forthose walking into the town from the Guildford Road. Theaccompanying photograph shows that there is still amplespace for this.

Richard ReedMerryfield Drive

Ayshe Court lakes

As usual, the July issue made interesting reading. Myattention was drawn to two articles in particular - the lead

which dealt with the registration of green spaces in Horsham- also Oliver Farley’s piece on the attraction of ponds.

I note that Kingslea Pond and Green located off HarwoodRoad have been accepted for registration by HDC. Here itshould be noted that both are an integral part of two muchlarger lakes or ponds which flow between Stirling Way andAyshe Court Drive, off Depot Road - eventually joining theRiver Arun. But mention these two water courses to anydistrict councillor or council official and a glazed look comesover their face. They would rather not know!

The fact is that ownership of both lakes has never beenestablished - having formed part of the extensive grounds ofa sizeable Edwardian house named Ayshe Court which wasdemolished in around 1965 to make way for a development ofhouses and two apartment blocks - Bourns Court and LyonCourt. The latter should of course have been named BowesCourt referring to the Bowes-Lyon sisters who ran a stud farmon a site that now forms part of Harwood Road.

Following a meeting with the HDC solicitor some years ago,I was told that the council could not take responsibility for theupkeep of the lakes - adding that riparian law appliedwhereby any dwelling abutting a watercourse where

ownership had not been established was in part theresponsibility of the owners of that dwelling. No mention, ofcourse, that it was the then local authority (Horsham UrbanDistrict Council), which in 1965 granted planning permissionfor the entire development.

Both the lakes and surrounding trees support a variety ofwildlife - mallards and moorhens coexist happily with theodd inquisitive squirrel making an appearance. These providean attraction for the young pupils and their parents fromnearby Kingslea School.

So my plea to the Horsham Society is to help lobby theDistrict Council on our behalf. One can readily appreciatethat our cash-strapped council cannot afford to clear theincreasingly silted up lakes but their surroundings could bemade a good deal more attractive for a modest outlay. Onhealth and safety grounds alone, the fencing along the twittenlinking Ayshe Court Drive to Stirling Way is in dire need ofrepair - especially with so many high-spirited youngstersaround. One could legitimately claim that it’s an accidentwaiting to happen.

With an element of goodwill, this semi-rural enclave in anarea of high density housing could be an added attraction forthose living this part of Horsham. Surely that’s a worthwhileproject which would benefit the whole community?

Robert B WorleyBourns Court, Ayshe Court Drive

National Trust - North Sussex Centre

The centre will resume the new series of lectures for2017/2018 on the 2nd Thursday of each month starting in

September, apart from December and March, which will takeplace on the first Thursday. The venue is Wesley Hall,London Road, at 2.30pm. It is a friendly group, and you donot have to be a National Trust member to join. Furtherdetails can be obtained from Jeremy Balaam, MembershipSecretary, on 01403 730162.

Horsham Society Newsletter September 201764