|
|
|
An overgrown Muntham Court near to the end of its days. |
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
THE MYSTERY OF THE SEVILLE CATHEDRAL GATES IS SOLVED
|
|
|
An overgrown Muntham Court near to the end of its days. |
Copyright Valerie Martin 1997.
Text first published in the West Sussex Gazette, 7th August 1997.
After the death of Colonel Thynne in 1957, I found that his elegant cathedral gates survived in position for another ten years. (Colonel Thynne, his brother Thomas, and Brian are all buried at the family cemetery at Muntham Clump. Brian Thynne ordered a coffin to be made for himself by W. Ockenden at Nepcote. This was built from a felled oak from the Muntham Estate and was delivered to him at West Grinstead when he moved there in 1958. He was destined to die in Spain on 10th December 1985 and was cremated — although his ashes were brought to the Burial Mound at
Muntham.
|
|
|
1967 — The Seville Cathedral gates laying on the ground at Muntham. Photograph by John Pelling. |
In 1967, down came the gates. The posts were demolished to enable the entrance of the drive to be widened for vehicle access. The gates were unceremoniously dumped in the tangled grass some 30 yards inside the entranceway. They became more overgrown, and one day a thoughtless tractor driver, with other things on his mind, went straight over them, and they were left in a mangled condition.
In 1968 the Seville Cathedral gates were sold in their still damaged state to Sir Charles Denman and it was rumoured that plans were afoot to re-erect them at the entrance to his property at Highden, one mile north of Muntham.
From that date, the whereabouts of the gates has been questioned. It can now be revealed that 30 years after the tractor ran over them, they are still in their battered condition at Highden and there are currently no plans to renovate and erect them. A very uninspiring and not very fitting end for the gates which once graced the cathedral at Seville and sailed from that inland port to be lowered down a Sussex well.
In November 2002, I received the following interesting observation from Barrie Smith —
| 15th November 2002. I HAVE JUST BEEN READING YOUR WEBSITE RE. MUNTHUM COURT , AND HAVE FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING INDEED ONE THING THAT HAS DEEPLY PUZZLED ME FOR A LONG TIME IS THE STORY OF THE GATES.
I CAN NOT REMEMBER THE EXACT YEARS BUT CERTAINLY IN 1944
WHEN I THINK THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS WERE CAMPED ON THE ESTATE, MY
PARENTS AND MYSELF WERE IMPLOYED BY COL.THYNNE.
MY FATHER WAS GROOM , THE COLONAL HAD TWO HORSES AT THE
TIME, I REMEMBER THAT ONE HORSE WAS NAMED HARBINGER, I DO NOT REMEBER THE NAME OF THE OTHER HORSE,
MY MOTHER WAS COOK, AND I USED TO WORK IN THE WOODS WITH
THE THEN GAMEKEEPER MR PRATT, WE LIVED IN THE FLAT OVER THE STABLES AND
I CAN REMEMBER SEEING THE FAMOUS GATES LEANING AGAINST THE WALL OF THE
BUILDING WHICH WE CALLED THE SQUASH COURT AND THE CARPENTERS YARD.
I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE GATES AND READING THE NAME TAG
ON ONE OF THEM, ALSO IF YOU LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE GATES AND THE SIZE
OF THE WELL WITH ITS WINDING GEAR ON TOP I THINK THAT YOU WILL FIND IT
IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE GATES DOWN THE WELL.
I AM SORRY IF THIS SHOULD UPSET ANYBODY BUT AS I SAID IT
HAS PUZZLED ME FOR A LONG TIME.
PS: ARE YOU THE VALERIE THAT USED TO LIVE NEAR THE PUB AT
THE OPPOSITE END OF THE VILLAGE IN THE 40s
YOURS FAITHFULLY
BARRIE SMITH
Barrie Smith, Folkestone, Kent.
|
...... and no, I am not the Valerie who lived near the Black Horse in the 1940s!
A bit more on that well and those gates from Barrie......
|
22nd November 2002. HELLO VALERIE
BARRIE FROM FOLKESTONE AGAIN; WHEN THE CHAUFFEUR LEFT
COLONEL THYNNES EMPLOYMENT, I THINK SOMETIME IN 1943 SOME OF HIS
DUTIES WHERE TAKEN OVER BY OTHER MEMBERS OF STAFF; MY FATHER, THE GROOM
DID SOME OF THE DRIVING WHEN REQUIRED AND ALSO LOOKED AFTER THE BOILER
SYSTEM.
Mr PRATT TOOK OVER THE WELL AND OTHER ANCILLARYS, I REMEMBER ONE DAY SPECIALISTS WERE CALLED IN TO WORK ON THE WELL, ONE OF THE MEN HAD TO GO DOWN THE WELL AND IT FELL TO Mr PRATT AND MYSELF TO TURN THE HANDLES ON THE WINDING MECHANISM TO LET THE MAN DOWN.
HE SAT ON A WOODEN SEAT JUST LIKE A CHILDS SWING AND WE
STARTED TO LOWER, THE LOWER HE WENT THE FASTER THE HANDLES TURNED UNTIL
MY HANDLE WAS WRENCHED OUT OF MY HAND AND I GOT THE MOST AWFUL TELLING
OFF FROM Mr PRATT, FORTUNATELY THE MAN WAS QUITE SAFE AS THERE WAS A
RATCHET ON THE MECHANISM, BUT TO THIS DAY I DO NOT THINK THE FAULT WAS
MINE AS I WAS ONLY 15 AND A BIT A WEIGHED 8 STONE.
SORRY I DIGRESSED, WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY WAS IF THERE
HAD BEEN THE FAMOUS GATES OR ANY THING ELSE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
DOWN THE WELL THEY WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Barrie. Barrie Smith, Folkestone, Kent.
|
A bit more history in the making. This brings me to a story of yet another pair of gates in the vicinity. At the end of 2001, Martin Snow of Tarring sent me these fascinating pictures he had taken of the wrought iron gates made by his late father in his workshop in Beeding. He believes that these and many others were forged back in the 1950s and 60s to replace ones taken during the Second World War.
These particular gates have proudly stood the test of time at the original main entrance of Windlesham School on the A24, north of Findon — not a stone's throw from Highden. (This is the entrance on the bend, by-passed by the new access road and bridge). The gates stand permanently open.
This picture shows the decorative wrought iron flower trumpets to be in need of loving care and attention, not least a lick of paint.
Continue if you'd like to read The Colonel Remarries.
This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.
|
E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com |
Back to Muntham Court Index