Category Archives: Rights of Way
Hillside
detail from a photograph of Fulking taken by Herbert Felton FRPS prior to 1936
Hillside was originally a timber bungalow with a metal roof tucked away near the foot of the Downs. It was built in the early 1920s. Access was via a bridleway that runs south from the Poynings Road. It was owned by Charles Tamkin who used it as a summer house, where he and his wife stayed with their grandchildren during the holidays. The children would travel over from Brighton on the Dyke Railway and used ropes to pull their suitcases down to the bungalow. One of Charles Tamkin’s granddaughters became a Land Girl during WWII and worked on Perching Manor Farm for the Harris Family.
Charles planted an orchard (which is still in existence) on the adjoining land and a well in the orchard provided a water supply. However, if the well dried up, Charles took a yoke with two pails attached to it, walked into Fulking and obtained water from one of the village pumps in The Street.
Gilbert Rapley (known locally as Gil) and his wife Mary later occupied the property. In the late 1960s, they moved into the family home, Hut Farm, and Hillside was left standing empty and badly vandalised.
A brick bungalow was later built in its place and sold. It had a wonderful view across the Sussex Weald but, as it stood in the shadow of the north side of the Downs, sunshine was in short supply during the winter months.
As of October 2016, the version of Hillside seen in the colour picture above has been completely demolished and replaced by a building site. What emerges from the construction process may eventually look something like this:
Tony Brooks
[Copyright © 2014, Anthony R. Brooks. Adapted from Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking & Edburton. Chichester: RPM Print & Design, pages 140-141. Thanks to Gill Milner for access to the photograph by Herbert Felton.]
Updated: January 6th 2017, corrected January 21st 2017.
Currently popular local history posts:
The cattle upon a thousand hills
In view of a recent serious incident at the Dyke, local walkers may wish to bear the following NFU-approved Rambler guidelines in mind:
Do
- Try to avoid getting between cows and their calves.
- Be prepared for cattle to react to your presence, especially if you have a dog with you.
- Move quickly and quietly, and if possible walk around the herd.
- Keep your dog close and under effective control on a lead around cows and sheep.
- Remember to close gates behind you when walking through fields containing livestock.
Don’t
- Don’t hang onto your dog – if you are threatened by cattle, let it go as the cattle will chase the dog.
- Don’t put yourself at risk – find another way round the cattle and rejoin the footpath as soon as possible.
- Don’t panic or run – most cattle will stop before they reach you, if they follow just walk on quietly.
Fulking Public Path 4f – Proposal to divert public footpath
I have today received a notice from The Planning Inspectorate headed “Highways Act 1980 Section 119 – WSCC (Fulking) Public Path (no 4f Part) Diversion Order 2013”.
You can download a PDF version of the notice here.
Andrea Dickson, Clerk to Fulking Parish Council
01444 451 060 / andreadicksonfpc@gmail.com
DownsLink Challenge 2014
Saturday 10th May 7:30am–1:00pm, starting at Bramber Castle. Turn up; pay; walk, run or ride. Maps and marshals provided. Click the screengrab above for more details.
Pyecombe Church to Lewes Priory
The Sussex Express quotes Keith McKenna of Footprints of Sussex:
“We have found a lovely 10½-mile downland route between the two, avoiding the more obvious South Downs Way, and have arranged tea and cakes at the end and a coach to take us back to Pyecombe.”
Footprints is organising the walk in conjunction with Pyecombe Church. The local community has an ambitious project to improve facilities at the church for the many visitors who pass through the village on one of the walking trails.
The cost is £17.50 per person including the coach travel from Lewes to Pyecombe and tea and cake at the end of the walk. The walk is to start promptly at 10:00am from Pyecombe Church on 17th May. The booking form is here [PDF].
The Masterplan [update]
The Masterplan will be developed further once the consultation is completed; a report will then be presented to council committees in July 2014 asking for permission to submit a grant funding bid. If approved, a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund will be made in August 2014 to apply for funds to take the plans into the next level of detail. After a further eighteen months of development a final plan will be ready for a second stage bid in 2016 which if successful would allow the project to be delivered on the ground 2017-2019.
Much more, in a similar vein, here.
Cycling from Shoreham
As from the beginning of this month, mountain bikes can be hired in Shoreham as well as at Hassocks. A visitor to Fulking can arrive at Shoreham by train, walk to AOAC, hire a heavily subsidised mountain bike, cycle north on the Downs Link, then turn east on the South Downs Way. Such a route avoids the road system almost entirely.
Fulking Public Path 4f – Proposal to divert public footpath
Fulking Public Path 4f – Part Diversion Order is now being formally re-advertised during the period 27th March 2014 to 24th April 2014. Click the map above to download a four page PDF of the order. You can see the original advertisement here.
To make any comments or objections (by the deadline of 24th April 2014), email West Sussex Legal Services here or write to:
Legal Services (Reference CL/FP 4f)
County Hall
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1RQ
Andrea Dickson, Clerk to Fulking Parish Council
01444 451 060 / andreadicksonfpc@gmail.com