An afternoon walk on 16th July to celebrate National Countryside Week at Woods Mill Nature Reserve. See the newly restored pond, woodland and meadows. The walk will be led by Steve Tillman, Reserves Manager and Rachel Knott, Volunteer Assistant Reserves Officer, whose training is funded by The Prince’s Countryside Fund. The walk is free but booking is essential (places are limited). Call Georgie on 01273 497507 to book and to discover the start time, assembly point, etc.
Latest News of Local Interest
In A Gadda Da Vida [update]
The West Sussex County Times has been hearing the views of Hargreaves Group, the owner of the mooted iron butterfly sanctuary:
Some references in the media weren’t entirely true. We can’t agree with the SDNPA about what the proposed development will be. They want nice green fields and we don’t want a development unless it’s commercially feasible for us and that there’s some housing developments. The site currently has a B2 General Industrial use, which allows businesses to use the site within designated hours. We have tenants on the West of the site and we get a good return. We could sit on it for the next 20 years and not develop, but we want to work with the parish council and everyone to develop a worthwhile site. It’s a bit of a blight on the landscape and we want to develop it but we are looking at tens of millions of pounds. We’re willing to put in nice walkways and grass land, but we don’t want a butterfly sanctuary.
Read the rest of the report here. Our earlier post is here.
Update 23rd July: Hargreaves have more to say here.
Ash to ashes [update 2]
The Midhurst and Petworth Observer reports:
In a report to an [SDNP] authority meeting, chief executive Trevor Beattie told members three cases of ash dieback (Chalara Fraxinea) had been confirmed inside the park. In addition, four cases had been reported just outside the boundaries near Chichester, Horsham and Eastbourne which, he said, risked spreading the disease into the national park. ..
Mr Beattie said: “There is no cure for ash dieback, the disease is here to stay and is expected to spread through the ash population from east to west .. evidence from the past two seasons suggests the spread is slower than expected and spores are moving at a rate of about 10km a year.”
Read the full story here.
Ann Murray at St. Mary’s
At 7:300pm on Saturday 26th July at St Mary’s House, Bramber. Terence Allbright accompanies. Tickets are £25 and include wine and canapés. Book here.
A barren, flat land
If you click the image above you will be taken to the SDNPA’s “Discovery Map” of the National Park set to display all the viewpoints. As you will immediately discover, there are no viewpoints in the National Park. Obviously, that’s because the South Downs, like the Netherlands, is completely flat. Apart from the hyperbolically named Alice Holt Forest, there are no woods either. There are no art galleries, no gardens and no vineyards. If you are consulting this map in order to “Find out what the National Park has to offer!”, the answer from the Midhurst box-tickers is clear: very little.
Parish Council 10th July 7:00/7:30pm Village Hall
- 7:00pm Public meeting about West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service — draft proposals;
- 7:30pm Fulking Parish Council — agenda.
Agenda updated 3:30pm, 3rd July (one additional item).
A restoration precedent
Work has now been completed on the conservation of a 200-year-old cart shed in Up Marden, West Sussex. The project, a pilot which could be rolled out for other ‘Heritage at Risk’ across the South Downs has been carried out in partnership between the SDNPA, Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Natural England and the landowner. The museum oversaw a programme of repair works through a new outreach programme giving museum students first-hand experience in masonry and timber frame conservation skills. This was the first conservation project that the museum had undertaken outside the museum grounds. The museum’s new outreach service could help the SDNPA to repair other historic buildings across the National Park. More here.
The Fulking reservoirs and C19 water supply? Summersdeane Farm? Perching watermill? Rat’s Ramble? Perching Hill Barn? Fulking Grange?
Ye Olde Worlde
Anthony Brooks (2014) Ye Olde Worlde Shepherd & Dog 1800-2014, £3.00, collector’s item, just published and available now — but only at the Shepherd & Dog.