The community website of the village of Fulking, West Sussex
Sloe Gin and Homemade Liqueur Competition: Monday 6th February, Royal Oak Poynings (Village Night — table reservations advisable). Entries in by 8:00pm (a jam jar will do), £1.50 per entry (2016/2017 fruit only). Two categories:
(i) Poynings — Sloe Gin Cup and prize for best liqueur (fruit+spirit);
(ii) Foreigners — Fulking, Newtimber, Pyecombe, and Woodmancote.
Following an eighteen month furlough, we are pleased to announce the publication of two new local history articles on this website: a guest post by Stewart Angell, author of The Secret Sussex Resistance, on the role that Tottington Manor played as the headquarters of the Sussex Auxiliary Units during WWII; and a new post by Tony Brooks on the rather complex architectural history of the Oldwood site with some extra material on the two major 1930s literary figures who lived, or lodged, there.
Hillbrook was originally a one acre plot known as ‘Shady Acre’ and was part of Brookside Nurseries in the 1920-1950 period. The nurseries were sold in 1953 and one of the employees purchased Shady Acre. It was then sold to the present owners in 1965. Glasshouses were built in 1970 and the owners then lived on the property in a mobile home for 5 years until they obtained planning permission to build the bungalow that stands on the site today. It was developed and run as a successful plant nursery, until 1998 when the owners retired. Since then the glasshouses have been removed and the site has been re-landscaped to form a large garden.
[Adapted from Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking & Edburton. Chichester: RPM Print & Design, pages 85-86.]
