The Normans were prolific with their castle building once they had defeated Harold in 1066. Defensive mounds called mottes were quickly flung up with timber castles built on top. Some of these later were rebuilt in stone. Many were not and now are lost. However, often the motte survives. Today I am in search of […]
Richard Suggett and I are in search of a medieval moat close to the river Arun near Burpham in West Sussex. We’ve spotted the legend on an OS Map and have set off in search for the real thing in the landscape. It is possible there once lived a nobleman here, possibly in a timber-framed […]
Lime Kilns, chalk hills, beech trees and ancient track-ways make up the landscape of Duncton Hill, a few miles south of Petworth in West Sussex. I am climbing the dizzy heights of this formidable section of the Southdowns to have a brief exploration of the Victorian industrial history and well as a stroll through the […]
I am on a National Trust nature trail. Today I follow the printed route that leads up to Wolstonbury Hill in West Sussex, just north of Pyecombe off the A23 and close to the Jack and Jill Windmills near Clayton. I am seeking ancient beech trees, a dew pond and an iron age hillfort. Are […]
Richard Suggett and I are in Crossbush, West Sussex. We’ve tipped off there have been fairy sightings here and we’d like to spot one for ourselves. An unknown sailor is said to have returned from the Battle of Waterloo. Shell shocked and mentally disturbed he claims to see fairies all around him. Are the two […]
Today I am looking at the delightful village of Tillington in West Sussex. I have two videos of this lovely place. In this one Mike Wheller is my guide. He used to be the publican at The Horse Guards, back in the day when ‘it was a real pub’, as he says. It is still […]