Cootham to Houghton Bridge

What today's walk lacks in miles, it more than makes up for in literary connections.

We are standing outside Cootham village hall. The building was originally built in 1875 as a chapel of ease to Storrington parish church. Our Lady of England Priory in Storrington (one mile to the east) is linked to the poet Francis Thompson (1859-1907).

Francis Thompson

Thompson went to medical school in Manchester for seven years, but was more interested in writing poetry than in studying. Consequently, he failed his exams and decided instead to set out in pursuit of a literary career in London. Penniless, and sleeping rough on the banks of the Thames, he became addicted to opium but surprisingly, he still managed to write. His work was recognised by a publishing couple by the names of Wilfred and Alice Meynell (more of them when we reach Amberley), whose main publication was a magazine called 'Merrie England'. They took him under their wing and sent him to the priory in Storrington to help him recover from his addiction. Encouraged by the Meynells, he wrote critically acclaimed poetry and also an essay on Shelley. Ill health plagued him throughout his life and he died of TB at the relatively young age of 48. Interestingly, he has been suspected of being "Jack the Ripper" due presumably to his medical knowledge and his experience of living as a down and out in the capital for three years. One has to ask though, 'what would have been his motive?'

Our walking group takes off in a westerly direction and within 300 metres we enter the drive to Parham House. Now owned by a charitable trust, Parham House and Gardens are surrounded by some 875 acres of working agricultural and forestry land. The house was originally built in 1577 and is famous for its 160 foot long gallery, its paintings, needlework and furniture. The name Parham means the 'pear tree settlement' but it is said that the Golden Pippin apple originated here in 1629! In the 1830s, Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche, the then owner of Parham, visited monasteries in the Near East rescuing precious historical manuscripts that are now housed in the British Library and he became famous in his time for his travel writing.

Robert Curzon 14th Baron Zouche

Red dotted line showing our route through Parham Park

We are only able to catch glimpses of the house in the distance but we know from the information boards dotted around the park that it is roofed with Horsham stone slabs.

Parham House and Dovcote

The deer park is designated as an area of Special Scientific Interest and is an important habitat for beetles as well as one of the richest lichen floras in SE England. As a result there is restricted public access.

Walking through the park

Following signs to Amberley, we soon turn right in front of Rackham old school (closed 1945), in the lee of the South Downs,

Rackham old school

with a geological sandstone outcrop to our right.

Beautiful weathered sandstone rocks

Over a small stream we go to be met immediately by the delightful view of the 'Wildbrooks' or more correctly the 'Weald Brooks'. This area of water meadows is also known as the 'Sussex Camargue' and is another Site of Special Scientific Interest. In the 1970s it was saved from agricultural drainage by locals and members of the RSPB and Sussex Wildlife Trust. Over half of all British aquatic plant species, as well as Bewick swans, insects and much birdlife, can be found here, so we have much to thanks those protesters for!

Next we pass between an old disused mill

and the mill house

over a stile leading into the woods,

across a field of young maize,

then uphill to reach the public road which leads for one mile into the centre of Amberley village.

The road is edged with hollihocks and valerian

and the village is awash with impossibly quaint thatched cottages

Site of the old pork butcher's perhaps?

 and English country gardens.

We stop for a drink at The Black Horse Inn which was delightfully restored only six months ago and which has lovely views of the Downs from the Prosecco garden.

Amberley is known as The Pearl of Sussex and not without reason were so many writers drawn here. 

William and Alice Meynell (1846-1922) (mentioned at the beginning of this post), did much to promote it as a literary hotspot. They had eight children, the youngest of whom, Francis, (named after the drug addict, destitute poet they befriended), co-founded the Nonesuch Press.

Alice Meynell

Alice was a poet in her own right and well known in her time as a suffragist. Thomas Hardy apparently was of the opinion that she should have been appointed Poet Laureate in 1913 but unfortunately she lost out to Robert Bridges. She wrote biographies of William Holman Hunt and John Ruskin as well as publishing many journals with her husband.  The couple lived in nearby Greatham and literary figures and intellectuals of the day flocked to their home. DH Lawrence finished writing The Rainbow at Greatham where he loved to take walks across the Downs. One of his walking companions was Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965), 

Eleanor Farjeon

a children's poet and story writer who took a cottage in Amberley where she wrote the most famous story, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard.  She is perhaps best known nowadays for the hymn 'Morning has Broken' made famous by the pop singer, Cat Stevens. In total she wrote 99 books and musical works for which she received many awards. She said of the Downs, "They've healed me more, and given me more strength and certainty and peace than any other living thing". After her death the Children's Book Circle established the annual Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished contribution to children's literature in her honour.

Cats Sleep Anywhere
by Eleanor Farjeon

Cats sleep anywhere,
Any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window ledge, 
In the middle, on the edge. 
Open drawer, empty shoe,
Anybody’s lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box,
In a cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere. They don’t care.
Cats sleep anywhere.

In 1926 Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) rented a house in Amberley for eight weeks and it was here that he completed his novel 'The Strange Vanguard' and noted that he had "never worked more easily". His many visitors included HG Wells, and Aldous Huxley.

The writer, Noel Streatfeild (1895-1986) was born in Amberley. She was the daughter of William Streatfield, the village vicar (later Bishop of Lewes) and is primarily known for her book 'Ballet Shoes' which was illustrated by her sister, Ruth Gervis.

Original edition of 'Ballet Shoes'

The last home of the illustrator Cicely Mary Barker, (she of Flower Fairy fame) was Amberley.
Her fairies are still as popular today as they were when first published in 1923.

Fairies certainly became a popular theme in art and literature in the early 20th century, and another artist and illustrator, Arthur Rackham lived and is buried in Amberley St Michael's churchyard. Preceding Maurice Sendak and JRR Tolkien, his illustrations have the same slightly menacing, scary quality about them.

Arthur Rackham illustration

This area is also a feature in John Wyndam's science fiction novel 'The Day of the Triffids' where a character in the book describes a farmhouse "on the north side the hills...it faced the low marshy country that separated them from Pulborough"

We set off to the churchyard to look for Rackham's grave stopping first at the pottery in an old converted chapel.

Charming pottery figures (not for sale) made by the current potter's mother

On reaching the churchyard we soon realise what an impossible task it is going to be to find one particular grave. We decide to take a look around the church interior and are thrilled to find 12-13th C wall paintings to the right of the chancel arch, beautiful stained glass windows, a monumental brass dating from 1424, a record of vicars since 1370 and a font which is believed to date from the 12th century.

Medieval wall paintings

Monumental Brass dated 1424

St Michael's Church, Amberley

After a short while a gentleman enters and we ask if this is his parish church. "My wife is the vicar," he replies. "Oh, do you happen to know where the grave of Arthur Rackham is?" I enquire. Blank looks follow. "We only moved here a couple of months ago," replies the gentleman. "Okay, we'll let you off, in that case," I reply with a chuckle. Since returning home, I've discovered that there is a memorial plaque on the churchyard wall commemorating Arthur Rackham and his wife! How could we have missed that?

Continuing our walk we skirt the ruins of Amberley castle and remark how appropriate it is to see poppies growing around the base of the castle walls, since today is the 75th anniversary of D Day.

The castle dates back to Roman times and was formerly the residence of the bishops of Chichester. Nowadays it is a posh hotel where you can arrive by helicopter if you so wish.

Amberley castle

This area has been subject to severe flooding in the past and a marker shows the flood levels in November 2000 which would undoubtedly have gone over my head!

We cross the floodplain and walk along the banks of the reed-fringed River Arun where a ferry once crossed over to the village of Bury. 

View across the river to Bury

River Arun

We soon spot our destination, the Riverside Tearooms at Houghton Bridge.

Here, under the shade of a parasol, we partake of a pleasant lunch whilst watching canoeists manoeuvring under the bridge. This is where 'The Four Men' in Hilaire Belloc's book of that name, waited in the rain on their journey to nearby Harting.

Boats moored up by the Bridge Inn

The end of our walk comes when we pass under the railway bridge and cross the road to reach Amberley railway station from where we catch the Bognor to London train back home.

Waiting for the train to take us back to Horsham

There will now be a short intermission for holidays.

Join us for further adventures along The West Sussex Literary Trail next month!