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Aerial photograph of Nepcote in 1988. |
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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Aerial photograph of Nepcote in 1988. |
SHEEP FAIR 2000
Copyright Valerie Martin 2000
As the new century unfolded, the Findon Sheep Fair and Village Festival took place on Saturday 9th September.
After last year's event, everyone wondered how long Findon's Fair, once called the Great Findon Sheep Fair, would continue. This was because there had been a dramatic decline in the annual number of sheep auctioned at the event and fewer farmers displayed flocks. Despite stringent regulation and transport costs threatening the very survival of the annual Fair and Village Festival, it is to go ahead this year. Recognising the threat, and wishing to retain a tradition, the Sheep Fair and Village Festival Committee, acting on behalf of the Findon Parish Council, took on full management of the affair.
Although no one knew it at the time, it was the last time that flocks would be auctioned on the Green and the year 2000 was to go down in history as the last of a very ancient tradition in Findon.
The old-fashioned funfair was erected in the south west corner of the Green once again with the return of the Harris family who set up their fairground equipment with such ease. Robert Harris can recall as a lad he helped to drive flocks on sheep on foot from Nepcote Green over the downland to Steyning railway station in years gone by.
Preceding the actual Sheep Fair, there was a ceilidh on Friday 8th September at 7.30 p.m. on Nepcote Green.
As Sheep Fair Day dawned, a mist descended on Cissbury Ring and Church Hill and blotted out the landscape but the farmers were soon arriving in droves.
Lorries of sheep started to arrive on Nepcote Green early in the morning. One or two vehicles and trailers had difficulty getting over the muddy slippery ground in the damp conditions.
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Waiting for the auction to begin on Nepcote Green on 9th September 2000. |
Many varieties of sheep were penned and as usual a selection of immaculately prepared rams, some still being titivated and brushed up to the last minute.
An Exemption Dog Show (under Kennel Club Rules and Regulations) was held with 17 classes, in conjunction with the Sheep Fair and Village Festival in aid of the Wattle House Trust. The event was conducted in Josh Gifford's paddock at Soldiers Field beside Nepcote Green, which was mown before the day. The show was in stunning Findon countryside for dog walks with well-behaved owners.
The Dog Show started at midday and was well attended. The Findon Downs Dog Training Club demonstration was particularly popular as the photographs below show —
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Norman Allcorn with his Border Collie "Hayley" |
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It's hard to know whether the owners or the dogs enjoyed themselves more.
In the evening there was a folk evening in a marquee on Nepcote Green — only blotted by the fact that the beer tent ran dry.
For the first time there was "Praise on the Green", a special St. John the Baptist Church Service in the marquee amidst the fun fair on Nepcote Green the following afternoon, Sunday 10th September 2000 at 3.30 p.m.
The Reverend Zachary Allen conducted service with a congregation of some twenty-five parishioners. Musical accompaniment was provided by an electronic piano to compliment the singing that drifted across the Green in the still heat of the afternoon.
The Great Findon Sheep Fair has been going a long time. It was established in its present form on the 14th September 1790 with the consent of the famous hunting squire of Findon, William Richardson, the Lord of the Manor. Even before this there was an annual fair in the Findon.
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Findon Place in January 2000 — home of the Lord of the Manor, William Richardson in the eighteenth century. |
By 1835, the fair was of significant importance and attended by the principal graziers in Sussex. Thousands of sheep were penned and in the early days there was always a good show of horned cattle, horses, ponies and pigs. A good day out for all the family.
I hope that the spectators left the Findon Sheep Fair 2000 without doubting that the annual event will continue on Nepcote Green in the future.
I believe that the management committee headed by Ian Ticehurst, set up to take control of the year's show, was well pleased with their efforts.
Continue if you would like to read about the Non Starter of 2001.
Back to Great Findon Sheep Fair Index
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 |
