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Aerial view of Nepcote in the Spring of 1988. |
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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Aerial view of Nepcote in the Spring of 1988. |
REQUIEM FOR FINDON’S LOST CONVENT
Text first published in the West Sussex Gazette in April 1998.
Text copyright Valerie Martin, 1998
The Convent in Findon took a long time to die but in the end it went after having stood in Findon for sixty-four years — a sign of the times in the name of progress. For almost two years before its departure it had stood derelict.
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The Convent of the Holy Rood when first built and before receiving its white façade. |
I have discovered that the Convent was built in 1934 for the community of the Holy Rood and was managed by the Anglican Sisters of Mercy from Worthing. It flourished as a hospice for invalids and incurables. The building was functional but no great architectural feat of its day. The institution made up in its large proportions what it lacked in dignity and grandeur. For thirty-three years the nuns went quietly and reverently about their tasks with an inner sparkle of radiance and patients came and departed. There were long lazy days with walks in the grounds. Helpers conscientiously pushed bath chairs around the village and back to the terrace for cucumber sandwiches and tea.
The following are Gladys Labourne's memories of the convent
—| In 1938 the school had a May Queen. She was not a girl from the school but a girl called Pat Burrows from Huion Pine in Horsham Road. She went to the private school called The Warren in Broadwater. This is now a large insurance office. She was chosen as May Queen to prevent any of the local school girls being jealous. I think it made them more upset. I was one of two maids of honour. I was more than proud of my dress. Major Crocker's niece made it for me from an old bridesmaids dress. It was peach coloured silk with the same colour net overskirt. A small bunch of artificial forget-me- nots were on the peach velvet sash at my waist. We were seated on one of Mr short's farm carts and, with the rest of the school, we went up to the newly built convent The Holy Rood where some of the older children danced around the maypole to entertain the nuns, the patients and the girls. Holy Rood was high church and the nuns nursed chronic sick women with the help of the girls who did all the manual work. The girls were of any age and were mentally retarded. Each afternoon one of the nuns would take them round the village for a walk. We didn't like to meet them as they would giggle and stare at us as they went by. All this changed when the Holy Rood was sold to catholic nuns. the name was changed to the House of Sion and they took in paying guests to get an in income. It has now been up for sale, to be pulled down and for houses to be built on the land.
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I have only come across
evidence of another person in Findon connected with the convent. This
was a centenarian,
Emily Thompson who it is said came from Russia and was born on 31st December
1854 in Monmouth. (There is just a
little mystery attached to this — did she work for a
wealthy Russian family as a governess or some such?
She was lady of private means, the spinster daughter of Richard Thompson a schoolmaster. She
lived at Datcha (the word means "Summer House" in Russian) in Cross Lane before the Great War.It appears that the property was built for George Goatcher the landlord of the Gun Inn from 1899 - 1907. He was the owner of several houses in the village and it looks as if the property was built between 1902 an 1905.
The rate books held at the Chichester archives show that on the 19th April 1905 Emly paid rates of £2, 4s. 5d. Mr. Goatcher the owner, retired to Homefield in Cross Lane two years later. On 11th October 1916, Emily paid rates due of £2.2s 3d. in arrears owning to the First World War. Datcha was sold to Emily after George Goatcher's death.
I understand Emily stayed independent and lived alone. I am also told that she rejected the comforts of things such as running water and drew her water from a well until well into her nineties. She was then taken into care at the Convent where she celebrated her 100th Birthday and eventually passed away a year later aged 101 on 31st March 1956.
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The Convent of Our Lady of Sion with Cissbury Ring in the background. |
The religious house changed hands in 1967 when the community of the Holy Rood moved to St. Margaret’s at Lindfield and the building was sold to the Convent of Our Lady of Sion. The seven acres of prime land blossomed under their care and devotion, and by each April the grounds were a bright yellow carpet of daffodils sprinkled with spring flowers.
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Findon in June 1971. The Convent of Our Lady of Sion is the building in the foreground surrounded by trees. |
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The Convent of Our Lady of Sion in 1979. |
I can confirm that it was truly a haven for wildlife looking for sanctuary from the bustle of a busy village. Trees grew up around the ecclesiastical house of tranquillity and softened its harsh outline on the landscape during three seasons of the year.
In January 1987, requests were fired at three racehorse trainers in an attempt to prevent horses churning up land at Convent Corner in Nepcote! At a Findon Parish Council meeting many councillors were concerned over th state of the corner.
Thelma Frederick described the area as "an absolute quagmire" and asked for a polite request to be made to the three Findon trainers. Mick Ockenden said "It has been going on for yours and nobody knows the answer. It is difficult once they establish a track". Letters were sent to John Dunlop of Castle Stables in Arundel who used the Soldiers Field Stables; Josh Gifford; and David Oughton of The Vale Stables in Findon.
Eventually the Convent was run down and religious services were no longer held. The Order consisted of a mere handful of venerable nuns rattling around in the huge silent building. At the beginning of 1996 they were transferred to more comfortable accommodation in Worthing and this set the ball rolling for planning permission to be sought for the idyllic site. The sign outside read "For Sale". The villagers of Findon battled but inevitably lost the fight to reduce the quantity of twenty-seven houses to be built on the land when planning permission was eventually granted in January, l997. The number and size of the dwellings had been protested as too large for the site served by winding narrow lanes. The developers won and the site was sold.
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The Convent of Our Lady of Sion in 1997. |
I understand that one suggestion for re-housing this bell tower was for it to be donated to adorn the Village Hall..... but that failed. But someone a bit closer to the convent got in first and it just may now be embellishing an at present unknown building complex at an undisclosed destination.
If you recognise the bell tower on your travels...... take a quick picture for posterity and let me know so that we can close the case ... otherwise it will remain open forever.
The Convent’s destruction was like the passing of many historic monuments. It left us just a little poorer after the demolition hammers and the crash of falling masonry echoed over the downs. The levelling of the site brought back, albeit temporarily, the spaciousness of the pre 1934 scene. The dismantling process led to heaps of broken glass, smashed bricks and breeze-blocks and an appearance of an abandoned blitz site. A cross to bear and a sign of the times in the name of progress.
Continue if you would like to read The Toby Long Story.
This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.
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E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com |
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