THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

c. 1900 — The landlady and landlord outside the Black Horse in the High Street, Findon.

 THE BLACK HORSE PHOTO ALBUM

Copyright Valerie Martin 1999.

I have discovered that the original Black Horse Inn lay at the southern end of Findon High Street and was described as a "bough house". I understand that this was a private house that was allowed to open its doors on special occasions. These were such as the Great Findon Sheep Fair, for the sale of drink. It is reputed that the sum of ten shillings per night was paid for this privilege. I believe that some of the ancient cottages at the top end of Nepcote, now demolished, were also bough houses.

In 1881 the Black Horse was run by John and Sarah (nee Ockenden) Peters.    In 1910, John Peters who had been the licensee for the past 44 years, died.    Sarah, his wife, died in 1933 and she was then one hundred years old.

Fred Walls was an ostler at the Black Horse in the days of John Peters and was still working there when he was married in 1903 and was the grandfather of Terry Walls (from Canberra, Australia).

 

click on image to enlarge

Just after Easter in 2008 Terry Walls in Canberra wrote....Dear Valerie....Here is a picture of my Grandfather Fred Walls and his wife Ellen (nee Simmons) taken in 1912 in Worthing with their then children including Mabel (the oldest on the left) who was born in the one of the houses attached to the Black Horse Inn in Findon in 1902 when Fred was supposed to be an ostler at the Inn. I met Edith and Olive and Margaret when I was in the UK in 1992. Since then they have all passed on.

  Here's a little about Arthur  Gregory Charman who appears to have owned Black Horse Inn between 1887 and 1934.....

 

21st July 2004

Hello Valerie

I have only recently attempted to research our family history which goes back to the Charmans of Sussex.

In the war I lived with my Grandfather Arthur Gregory Horace Charman who was born in 1884 East Ashling.

His father Arthur Gregory Charman born in 1860, married an Emily Burmingham of Bognor and between 1887 through to 1934 was reportedly the owner or proprietor of the black Horse Inn.

My mother remembers going there as a child and in her own words, after the local race meetings the jockeys would come and drink in the bar, and the three cottages would be let during the meetings to Gentlemen for the weekend.

She remembers helping the maids to take water round to the cottages for the hip baths.

His wife died while at the Inn and at the age of 60, 1920, he remarried Mary Jane Farrell.  I don't know if they had any children.

He also had a horse and cart with Charman Bros on the cart.

Well I don't know if this is of interest to you or if you can add or confirm anything to this.

While I live in New Zealand I do travel to the UK frequently and plan to visit Findon and nearby Washington were the Charmans lived in the 1800's

Kind Regards

Terry Norris

Terry Norris, New Zealand.

 

 

The Black Horse in the High Street c. 1905

 

A delightful sketch of the Black Horse Inn made in 1917 by C. Grant.

 

1920 — The Black Horse public house.

 

 

The Black Horse in the 1920s

 

The words over the doorway in the 1920s were —

BREAKFAST, LUNCEONS, TEAS

 

The Black Horse in the 1920s.

  

Another view of The Black Horse.

  

Pre 1928 — The Black Horse.

 

The old Black Horse inn was demolished c.1939 at the time of the construction of the new A24 bypass.

This is the property known as Orchard Croft . It was situated between the Black Horse and the southern end of the dual carriageway and was demolished in 1938 when the village A24 bypass was being built.

 
 The architectural style of the new Black Horse on the A24 bypass could be called "modern Tudor" or "pseudo-Elizabethan".

 

 

The Black Horse.

 

c. 1950, the Black Horse was run by Horace and Phyllis Baber.

 

Pre 1970 — The Black Horse.

I have not discovered much to record about the public house during recent years.    1973 was remembered at the Black Horse when Doris and Harry Binfield treated hundreds of Findon inhabitan6s o ree drinks at the Black Horse after their most fortunate win on the Littlewoods Pools of £273,000.

 

29th December 2002.

Valerie

I am told that the black horse on the top of the post immediately in front of the building was made by my father`s firm - F.J.Randell and sons of Buckingham Road Worthing.

Best wishes.
Pam (North End Scout)

Pam Stepney, North End, Findon, West Sussex.

 

 

Another snippet from Findon's rich and varied history...  I think I'll give this one the title of "Trapped in the Pub".

About twenty drinkers at the Black Horse were confined in the pub after closing time one Thursday night back in November 1983. 

This was all because of a gas leak.  

The licensee John Ruskin telephoned the police to explain that customers could not leave after closing time.   He said he had summoned the Gas Board after he smelled gas.   The workmen had duly arrived and decided as a safety precaution it would be best if motorists did not start the engines of their cars in the car park until the gas supply had been turned off.

John Ruskin left the Black House after Christmas in 1983 (he had managed the pub for three years only) to return to a life of flying.  He had been in the Royal Air Force before entering the pub trade and decided to leave Findon and make a new career as a flying instructor with the Sultan of Oman's Air Force.

John's departure from the Black Horse coincided with the commencement of a £140,000.alteration scheme at the public house. 

Carlo Wenczka aged 32 was the new licensee with his wife, Penny.  For the first few weeks they had to survive amidst the building of the new extension which was to house a pool table, skittle alley and a room for functions.   A new kitchen was also built so that the hot bar food service could be extended.

 

The Black Horse just after Christmas 1999.

 

Continue if you would like to read  A June Lunchtime at the Black Horse.

 

 

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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