This website, created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

FOX DOWN'S LAST DAYS

Copyright Valerie Martin 2000

After the death of his wife, Christiana, in 1901, Edwin Douglas lived on at Fox Down on the Findon Downs with his daughter, Margot who directed the household affairs from then on. The artist led a life of the greatest retirement and only a few of his closest friends were admitted to anything approaching intimacy.

Mike Cooksey has also sent me this photograph of a group of men in an onion field.   What relevance has this you maybe wondering?   The one in the middle is Jimmy Douglas and on the right is Ronnie Douglas.  

The photograph was taken at their market garden/nurseries in nearby Durrington in the late 1940s or very early 1950s.

I immediately wondered if the onion field would bring back any memories to Peter in New Zealand.   Would it be one of the fields that you had to hoe, Peter?

I must just add at this point that I have discovered that back in 1960.... plans were unveiled for the construction of 77 properties, 67 of them bungalows on the site of the Douglas Nurseries off the Salvington Road in Durrington.   By this date the number of glasshouse nurseries in the area had plummeted to an all time low in just ten years from 150 to 56.

Edwin continued painting right up to the end when he was suffering from a short illness that had a fatal termination. Although his medical attendant, Mr. J.D.S. Nodes of Worthing, treated him, Edwin succumbed and passed away at Fox Down on Thursday, 22nd October 1914. British art was the poorer for his departure. He had lived in Findon for twenty-two years.

I have found that his obituary appeared not only in the local Sussex newspapers as might be expected, but also in The Times and right across the world — even as far as The Gleaner, a Jamaican newspaper. (His paintings were well known to several in Jamaica, and many had in their possession the reprints of some of his famous works).

His funeral was a sad occasion and took place in Findon on a chilly Monday afternoon, 26th October 1914. It was very quiet affair with only members of the family and a few personal friends being present. The first part of the burial service, conducted by the Reverend William Dennis Allen, Vicar of Findon, was held in the village at St. John the Baptist Church. The actual interment took place in Broadwater Cemetery. Edwin's remains being laid near those of his Christiana who had died thirteen years earlier on 31st October 1901.

The mourners at the graveside were Edwin's sons — Clare Henry, William Bruce and James Sholto. Charles Preston was unavoidably absent as he was in New York at Messrs. Gilbey's offices where he was in charge of the business on the North American Continent. Cedric Christian was also absent — I believe this may have been due to his duties during the First World War.

Edwin's daughters Violet Constance (now married and known as Mrs Wedgewood), and Margot were also present.

Edwin's last portrait executed just a few weeks before he died had been of General Sir Anthony Home V.C. Miss Home also attended the funeral to pay her respects.

The others who gathered around the grave at the cemetery to pay a last tribute of esteem to a great painter included Edwin's nearest neighbour in the village, the marine artist, Frederick James Aldridge from "Rookwood" overlooking Nepcote Green. Another neighbour was Charles Fibbens, from "Thistledown" also overlooking the Green. He was a well-known Findon figure and started, owned and edited the Worthing Gazette newspaper.

The others at the graveside included Mr. Blissett, Mr. Coleman, Mr Craghead, Mr. H. N. Collett, Mr F. T. Tilt, Mr. H. Overington, Mr A. F. Somerset, and Albert Short the farmer from Findon Farm who had rented part of the Fox Down land for running his sheep.

There were several floral tributes.  The cards attached to them bearing the following inscriptions —

For my dearest Dad with love Margot.

In loving devotion from his eight children.

In affection and remembrance from his sister-in-law.

With loving remembrance from Edith Christine and Kenneth.

In remembrance of a kind master from Emma Jeanie and Sydney.

From Lady Home and George.

With grateful memory of kindness received, in ever loving memory from Mr. Charles Home.

From the Rev. W D and Mrs Allen with sincere sympathy and regrets.

From Rev. and Carrie Baker with much sympathy. With deepest sympathy from G and E Churchill.

In loving memory of our kind friend from Florence Canning and Ethel Canning.

With sincere sympathy from Mrs and Miss Collyer.

In loving memory from Miss Henderson.

With deepest sympathy and in memory of Edwin Douglas from Mr G McGregor.

From Mrs W Patterson, Mrs Robertson and Miss Robertson.

With sincere sympathy from Mr and Mrs Frederick B Tilt.
 

In Edwin Douglas' will, dated 24th April 1913, (witnessed by Emma Jane Hoad the laundress and Lily Hewlett the Cook both of Fox Down), he appointed his sons William Bruce and James Sholto to be his executors.

It was Edwin's desire that his estate be divided among his surviving children. To enable this wish to be carried out Fox Down had to be sold to realise the money — although I doubt if Edwin dreamed that it would lead to the property being demolished some twenty years after he had built it.

Margot continued to live at the Findon family home alone for a number of months. It was a sad, quiet house with lots of memories. Edwin's sons, William Bruce and James Sholto eventually arranged for the sale. The buyer was Hugh Richard Penfold Wyatt of the Cissbury Estate. The artist's property was subsequently reduced to rubble. It is said that some of the window frames, stairs and doors were removed during demolition and incorporated in a property known as Franklyat the top of School Hill. Some of the salvaged wood was also utilised for shelving in George Winton's grocery and general store in The Square.

The plants and raspberry canes struggled on in the derelict garden but by the 1940s the foundations of the once much loved house were all that were standing above ground level. A few bricks lay scattered on the ground under the fir trees. Village children out walking on the Downs jumped up and down on the remaining walls that had been reduced to only a foot in height.

This photograph is pre 1916 and Fox Down can be seen before its demise ....as a blob on the far centre horizon.

Click on photograph if wishing to enlarge.

By the 1960s, this area of Fox Down land became the possession of the racehorse trainer, Captain Ryan Price of the Downs Stables. He used the fenced in land that was once Edwin's garden, to burn straw from his stables. At one point he attempted to obtain planning permission to build a house for himself on the old Fox Down site but planning permission was refused by the Arun Planners.

As time went by the artist's home, Fox Down, became a distant memory to only a few.

Continue if you would like to read about The Housekeeper and the Tsetse Fly.

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This is Findon — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.