Bury to Duncton

We're back on the next leg of the West Sussex Literary Trail, ready once more to experience the pleasure of rambling through our beautiful county, searching out its literary connections.

Boarding the car taking us to Bury

Our starting point today is from the banks of the River Arun at Bury.

The River Arun at Bury

Downstream from here, close to Burpham, that man most famous for his limericks, Edward Lear (1812-1888) often stayed. Although best known for his nonsense poetry, he was a man of varied talents. He was an illustrator of Tennyson's poems and a respected zoological artist. He travelled widely and composed musical settings for many Victorian poets.

Edward Lear

John Cowper Powys (1872-1963)

John Cowper Powys

was another literary man who moved to live nearby at Burpham in 1902. His final book, After My Fashion' was set in Sussex and published posthumously in 1980. Read here what Margaret Drabble has to say about him in The Guardian regarding his wacky and sometimes startling life. And before we move on, one other writer completes the trilogy of Burpham residents... Mervyn Peake (1911-1968), the poet, writer and illustrator.

Mervyn Peake

Illustration by Mervyn Peake taken fromThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner

For a timeline of Peake's life click here. He died in Burpham and is buried in the churchyard there.


Dorset House School, looks out over the river here. It is the oldest independent prep school in West Sussex, and the pupils (Harry Enfield, the comedian once numbered amongst them), are indeed very fortunate to look out from their classrooms over such fine views offered by the South Downs National Park.

Dorset House School

Lovely old gateway into the grounds of Dorset House School

The last person to operate the ferry across the river was Bob Dudden. Sadly, the ferry was closed in 1965 and the journey to the other side now necessitates a 21/2 k walk via Houghton Bridge instead.
In the undergrowth near to the riverbank we spy the forlorn looking boat named Bob and wonder if this could be the last vessel used to ferry passengers across the tranquil waters in the direction of Amberley.

Bob the boat

Bury's Parish Church of St John the Evangelist is perched on high ground and is dominated by its 12th century cedar-shingled spire. Our guide book tells us that the church has three bells, the earliest dating from around 1400 but one of the other two is inscribed with the date 1599 and the words 'God Save the Queen' referring of course to the first Queen Elizabeth!

St John the Evangelist, Bury

We leave the church by the west gate and start to walk uphill. After a short distance we spot a blue plaque marking the 15-bedroomed house where the novelist, playwright and Nobel prize winner, John Galsworthy (1867-1933), spent the last seven years of his life.

John Galsworthy

Bury House, home of John Galsworthy

Galsworthy provided the village with a tennis court, and a cricket pitch which is still flourishing. His ashes were scattered on the Downs above Bury. He is largely remembered for 'The Forsyte Saga', a series of books about a large commercial upper-middle-class English family, similar to Galsworthy's own. It was popularised by a 26 part TV series in 1967 starring Susan Hampshire, Kenneth More and Eric Porter and I remember the nation being so hooked on the story that vicars across the country changed the times of Sunday Evensong services so that regular church goers wouldn't miss the TV programmes!
A bit further on we come across a house, once the general stores, which is bizarrely decorated with stone-carved heads.

Some craftsman with a quirky sense of humour?

Next to it is a plan of the village with drawings of buildings of interest.

There are certainly many picturesque houses roofed in thatch or Horsham stone, and unusual building styles to be found here, but don't believe everything you see. 'Bury Shop and Post Office'  says the sign on the village hall, but so far, no one has been persuaded to open a shop and the PO is only open three afternoons a week!

Where's the shop then?

We pass through the village, cross over the busy A29 and then follow the footpath with a steeply sloping bank to our right.  This is the land where a commemorative stone is dedicated to the farmer Fred Hughes and his wife who farmed here for many years. It reads "Fred... who worked these fields and loved them. He built the farm you see, and never wanted any more, only to be free. Winifred...who you could put your arms around." It is impossible to see nowadays without a precarious climb down the bank so it's perhaps best to avoid the guide book's suggestion of resting on the nearby seat, unless you're willing to take the risk of breaking an arm or leg course!
Over stiles, across a plank bridge, along wooded paths and through golden fields we go, with the sun rising high in the sky, getting hotter and hotter!

We emerge into the village of West Burton with Cooke's house on our left. This was originally a Manor House owned by a Richard Coke in the 1580s. The original Jacobean gateway is protected by a magnificent cedar tree but from the road there is little of the house visible.

Cooke's House

Following the signs to Bignor Roman Villa and going downhill we soon come across a lovely old house named Fogdens.

Fogdens

Set into the side of a little bridge over the stream here is a scallop shell.

Scallop shell symbolism is associated with the apostle James who was a fisherman. Legend tells us of his mission to Spain and burial at Compostela which then became one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage. The shell was used by pilgrims to gather water for drinking or as a makeshift food bowl. However, it might be too big a stretch of the imagination to believe that this particular scallop denotes anything more than a symbol of devotion in marriage, as the scallop has two unique halves which can't be joined to any other.

We follow the watercourse passing the old mill pond on Pill Common. In this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty we are surrounded by a variety of beautiful butterflies, none of which unfortunately, will stay still long enough to be photographed. As much as we would have liked to identify definitively the 'white with black speckles' butterflies which accompanied us along the way, they remain elusive.

Again we cross footbridges and wide open fields of waist high crops of oats

then divert just a few metres to our right to visit the Roman Villa at Bignor with its stupendous views over extensive countryside. This is our lunch stop.

Entrance to Bignor Roman Villa

the best coffee for miles around!

Dining alfresco in the welcome shade of a tree

Reconstructed roundhouses

The villa, believed to date from around AD190, is well-known for its beautiful floor mosaics which are amongst some of the best and most complete in the country. A farmer named George Tupper discovered the remains in 1811 when out with his plough and within three years it was opened to the public and became a huge tourist attraction. With 35,000 others visiting to admire its small-scale charm each year, you'd be foolish to miss it if you're ever in the area!

Medusa mosaic

Gladiators

Ganymede being carried by an eagle from Mount Ida (5 x 3 m)

The hypocaust

The 24m long north corridor

Charlotte Turner Smith (1749-1806), Romantic poet and novelist, was born near Bignor and it seems almost every book written about Sussex says this influential woman deserves to be recognised and read much more widely than she is. She was most certainly highly regarded by her contemporaries, Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen and William Wordsworth and her story is worth repeating here. In Charlotte's day, women' rights were few and 'ladies' were expected to keep house and spend their leisure time sewing, playing the piano and perhaps drawing, although these artistic accomplishments were not expected to be shown off in public. By law, a married woman, her children and any money she possessed, belonged to her husband. 

Charlotte's mother died when she was three and when her father decided to go travelling he left her and two younger siblings in the care of an aunt at Bignor Park. Charlotte was happy here and grew to love the surrounding countryside, but shortly before her sixteenth birthday she was married off to spendthrift and debtor, Benjamin Smith, saying in later life she had been "sold, a legal prostitute." She was to have a total of twelve children, eight of whom were born in the first nine years of marriage. It was an unhappy marriage which included time in a debtor's prison to which her husband had been committed. This was followed by a flight to France to avoid creditors and bailiffs. Charlotte had no choice but to find a means of supporting her children herself and consequently she took up writing. Unsurprisingly, her own sad life reflected the tragic and sometimes melancholic tone of her works. You can read about the possible connection to Dickens's 'Bleak House' here.

She separated from her husband after 22 years of marriage and died poverty stricken and in pain.

Charlotte Smith by George Romney

We now leave Bignor behind and follow signs to Sutton and Duncton. This road takes us past a beautiful old Yeoman's house

Brick and flint Yeoman's house, Wealden House

then down past the parish church of Holy Cross, Bignor.

Entrance to Holy Cross Church

Holy Cross Church interior

We follow the lane as it descends downhill and turn off along a grassy track where numerous springs flow from the foot of the chalky South Downs. The presence of all this water accounts for the number of village settlements in this area. Climbing again between high hedges we come to the village of Sutton, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The road bends right by The White Horse and our guide book tells us that the famous chef, Albert Roux lived in Sutton in the 1980s and that once a month he or his brother Michel cooked dinner at the pub. NB the story has not been verified.

A vegetarian-friendly pub

Come on! We've no time to stop here!

Continuing our journey we pass more 'chocolate box' cottages 

and The Old Schoolhouse which closed in the 1960s

The Old Schoolhouse, Sutton

Up gentle inclines we go before dipping down to pass The Old Poor House, Barlavington, established 1791 and Grade 2 listed.

The Old Poorhouse, Barlavington

Continuing our trail we cross another stream and follow a sandy track into the woods

We reach a path leading to a grazing field where we are held up for five minutes whilst a herd of about a hundred or more cows are ambling towards the milking sheds. This area is the centre of organic milk producers, Barlavington Farms, which reputedly includes the Prince of Wales' Home Farm.

Milking time

The broad track takes us to the banks of Chingford Pond, one of two nearby hammer ponds built in the 16th century to power the iron industry and now designated a Site of Nature Conservation Importance. Dragonflies and damselflies in abundance are here and the sound of birds and bees accompany us as we edge the water.

Chingford Pond

We reach a gate and following the path slightly uphill, we're surprised to find a small housing development around a picture-postcard village green, complete with a grand, sweet horse chestnut tree.

This tree is soon surpassed though, by the enormous sweet chestnut we encounter round the next bend.

Sweet chestnut planted in the 1700s

The drive leads us to our first sighting of Burton Park, a 19th century country house now converted into flats. The Grecian style house is now Grade 1 listed.

Burton Park

Next we reach Burton's tiny church of St Richard which dates from around 1075, possibly even earlier. Click here to read the story of the Christian princess who was said to have been crucified upside down by her father as depicted in one of the church's wall paintings.

11th century Church of St Richard

Wall painting of a young, crucified Christian woman

Wall painting of Royal Arms dated 1636

Church interior with rood screen

From the church we follow the drive for an easy ten-minute walk to the main road and the 16th century Cricketers Arms at Duncton. This hostelry was originally named 'The Swan'. A certain Sussex cricketer and Duncton man (who played 112 times for the county between 1835 and 1860), named James Dean (aka Joyous Jem), took on the pub in his retirement. He decided to re-name it in honour of his cricketing friends. A rather poignant story goes that Jem invited his friend, the famous John Wisden of Wisden's Almanack fame, to stay over at the pub during Christmas of 1881. 

John Wisden - 'Cricket's answer to the word of God'

They spent a happy Christmas Eve together but the following morning, poor Jem was found dead in his bed. The pub sign shows Jem on one side and the more famous WG Grace on the other.

The Cricketers Arms

Pub sign depicting Joyous Jem

This is the end point of our long walk today. The next section will continue from here to Charlton, the birthplace of the first ever meeting of a WI in England! Do join us again.