This is Findon - Bonfire Night on Nepcote Green

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, UK.

BONFIRE NIGHT ON NEPCOTE GREEN

1995 — Nepcote Green with Church Hill in the background — little altered over the years. .

Originally published in Findon News in November 1999.

Bill Day, who was born in 1929, has told me about the 5th November on Nepcote Green when he was a lad —

"Nepcote Green was a great place for families and children on Bonfire night, weeks before we dragged for miles anything combustible, to go on one of the various bonfires, our efforts were spent assisting Mr. Wakeham's
bonfire (he lived with his family in Wattle Cottages on the green).

The screams from the women and girls could be heard for miles as we boys (helped by our dads) tossed penny
bangers and two penny jumping jacks behind them.

Roast potatoes usually burnt, were later gathered from the outer ashes and scoffed delightedly by all .

All went home black, happy and dog-tired".

I am also often told that the two main attractions on Nepcote Green after the Second World War were the return of the Sheep Fair in September, followed by Bonfire Night on November 5th.

In March 2002, Geoff Lewis e-mailed to me and said that Robin Wakeham (who lived at the Wattle House on Nepcote Green), Reg Bennett, himself and a few others started the Bonfire Nights when they were children.

In those days I understand there were many more children living in Nepcote than today, perhaps as many as forty. As soon as the Sheep Fair drew to a close, the local boys collected the stakes from the pens to form the base and frame for their Guy Fawkes celebration and bonfire.

They spent the following weeks gathering items for building the fire and the result was an architectural masterpiece to marvel at. At the school half term holiday they diligently collected boxes, broken sticks of furniture, autumn leaves and garden rubbish galore. On one occasion they were seen pushing a dilapidated settee up Nepcote from the village (the children were smart enough in those days to always check chair seats for any coins before piling them on the bonfire — and sometimes they were well rewarded).

Timber off-cuts to help produce a blaze could be purchased from the now long gone Ockenden's timber yard in Nepcote for one shilling per wheelbarrow load. These were soon trundled up the lane to the waiting bonfire site on the Green. Everyone then lived in hopes of a fine night on 5th November.

There was an amount of rivalry between the Nepcote children and the ones living at the Oval, to see who could have the largest display on the 5th November. The "Nepcote" fire was always in the same position on the Green each year. It was to the right of the intersection of the path from the Wattle House to the village, and the path from Nepcote to the Downs.

When the bonfire was ignited, the flames lit up the sky and could be seen for what seemed like miles, blazing like a beacon.

After a fabulous evening on the 5th November, everyone departed and the Green was deserted. On fine crisp Guy Fawkes Days the bonfire invariably burned until morning and Harry Long the shepherd, (who lived at Elder Cottages in Nepcote), camped on the Green to keep a vigil all night to ensure the embers remained safe.

The next morning, just the smell of the bonfire remained in the air over Nepcote Green and a mound of grey wood ash lay where the fire had finally fizzled out.

Aerial view of Nepcote in May 2001. Nepcote Green is in the top right corner.

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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