A detailed look at Oldland Mill near Hassocks

A detailed look at Oldland Mill near Hassocks

Today I take a look the fabulous restored windmill near Hassocks, in East Sussex, called Oldland Mill. Oldland Windmill was built c.1700 (the earliest record of a windmill in the area dates from 1703). It was originally an open trestle mill, with the roundhouse being added later. Records show that a mill stood in Keymer […]

The Battle of Cheriton – The English Civil War

The Battle of Cheriton - The English Civil War

Today I meet up with Julian Humphrys who works for the Battlefield’s Trust, and together we are taking a stroll around the fields close to the charming village of Cheriton in Hampshire. For here, in 1644, a terrible battle took place at the beginning of the English Civil War. Find out more about the Battlefield’s […]

The Lost World of the Newdigate Iron Works

The Lost World of the Newdigate Iron Works

When you walk around some rural places, now peppered with millionaire’s houses, large cars on the driveways, perfect mown lawns and ‘Private Keep Out’ signs scattered all over the place, it is hard to imagine that a few hundred years ago such an environment was a hive of industrious activity. Take for example the quiet […]

The Amazing Mrs Janson’s Wood-Carving Boys of Newigate in Surrey.

The Amazing Mrs Janson's Wood-Carving Boys of Newigate in Surrey.

I have returned to Newdigate to meet up with local historian, John Callcut. Today, I learn the fascinating story of Mrs Janson and her desire, at the beginning of the 20th century, to teach the local boys how to carve wood . Their carving was so good they were able to create good works for […]