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

 BARBARA HYLTON MADGE OF FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

In a village like Findon, there are always some names that come to the forefront over the years.  One of these was a lady of distinction, Barbara Hylton Madge.  She was well connected in her day.  Her brother was Sir Harvey Hylton Foster, who was for many years the Speaker in the House of Commons.  She married Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Albert Madge and before the First World War lived at the property in The Square which is now known as the Village House Hotel.  Unfortunately her husband was killed in France on 10th May 1916 in the South African Defence Force, late 6th Royal Warwickshire Regiment.  Mrs Madge then decided to move to North End with her two boys, John and Charles. 

It was to North End House, on the west side of the present A24 leading to Washington that Barbara Madge decided to move with her housekeeper-cum-companion, Bessie Hucker.  The property was owned by Colonel Ulric Oliver Thynne of Muntham Court and had been vacant following the departure of Colonel Marsden Sutherland.  The solidly built brick and flint house, topped with a slate and tile roof, is reputedly Regency with somewhat later 19th century additions.

Mrs. Madge’s sons did not attend the local school with the village children but went to Muntham Court each day to have lessons with young Ulrica Thynne, Colonel Thynne’s daughter.  They enjoyed their lessons but always eagerly looked forward to Miss Filey, their governess, ringing the bell in the school room to announce that a meal was ready.   

Mrs. Madge was a frequent sight around Findon in those halycon days.  She carried herself well and was very erect and nearly always wore a cardigan with a long skirt and a large hat perched on her head.  She enjoyed helping out in the Findon community.  A lover of wildlife, she was a keen naturalist and enjoyed feeding the wild birds in the garden, including the visiting pheasants taking refuge in her garden after organized shoots.  She had a quaint idea that everything should be allowed to grow in its most natural environmental state.  Due to this strange belief, she would not allow any of her own plants, trees or shrubs in the garden at North End to be cut back, or even slightly pruned.  Therefore they just grew and grew like Topsy.

It was said that Colonel Thynne was always most insistent that Mrs. Madge should be allowed to live out her life quietly and without any hindrance from outsiders.  Maybe the Colonel had some connection with Mrs. Madge's husband and had now taken her under his wing?

After the Colonel's death, when the Muntham Court Estate was split up, it was an anxious time.  The Estate was eventually sold by auction at 2.30 p.m. on Friday, 31st October, 1958 — but Mrs. Madge was not one of those who needed to be concerned.  It had been decreed that she would be allowed to buy North End House for a nominal price.

In her later years, it was Mrs. Madge who ended up looking after her housekeeper/companion, Bessie Hucker.   She outlived Bessie and then lived alone in the house and did not attempt to replace her.  In her solitude she became a virtual recluse.   She was always keen on hands-on gardening but now took on a gardener-cum-odd job man, Ted Budd from North End Cottages — he also worked at Kingswood Farm.  He was her only contact with the village and outside world.   His daughter, Helen married Michael Saunders who lived at the Pest House and they emigrated to Australia.   (Ted and his wife later emigrated to Australia as well).

Around 1951, when Mrs Madge was quite elderly, she would often be seen kneeling at her borders busily weeding.  It is said that she always managed to vanish just before anyone could approach her and start up a conversation.  Many local people thought she was very eccentric — it was reputed that she even cut her grass with the aid of a pair of scissors! 

Pam Stepney has told me that her father bought the field adjoining North End House back in 1958 and they would often see Mrs. Madge out in her garden.  It was true that she usually disappeared if they came too near but her father did manage to have several interesting conversations with her.  Pam's family were at the time considering planting fruit trees and she kindly gave them her temperature and rainfall records which she had collected over many years — in case they might be of use.

Barbara Madge died alone at North End House.  When the property came up for auction in 1968 it was in a run-down condition.  Pam Stepney tells me that her father attended the sale purely in order to see who the purchaser would be (the cesspool being situated in his field). 

Due to the strict policy of non-pruning in the garden, it was completely and utterly swamped in a shroud of prickly rose bushes.  The jasmine was very overgrown, as were various scrambling flowering shrubs.  The wisteria was utterly out of hand and waving over the side of the house — and yew trees were growing up against the walls of the property.  At first glance the rear garden did not exist and could only be discovered after fighting through an immense tunnel of tangled shrubs.  On the north wall (behind a vent pipe), a sycamore tree grew so tall as to reach the attic window.  In the gutter of the cold store, an ash sapling grew.  Creeper clung to the coach house and old stables and hid them from view.  The orchard behind was completely obliterated with vegetation.

By the day of the auction, North End House was in such a state that there were few buyers and Pam Stepney's father (to his surprise) decided to join in the bidding himself!  The restoration took about five years in total and he divided the property into two separate dwellings.

When the Findon bypass was commenced in 1936, Mrs Madge lost part of her garden to the road.  The pond at North End was in her garden and also vanished with the coming of the new road. 

The ancient North End well lay directly under the route of the new road.  Mrs Madge requested that she keep the wooden well-head (as depicted in so many postcards of North End).  Pam's family discovered the old well-head buried under a pile of vegetation in the garden.  Sadly it disintegrated and fell to dust when it was uncovered.  Pam tells me  that all that remains of it today is the iron handle that went through the roller.

Mrs. Madge is mentioned in the book "The Land Unknown" written in 1975 by the poet and critic, Kathleen Raine (born 1908), who was the former wife of her son Charles.  The narrative describes Mrs. Madge's love of her garden and of tea on the lawn under the lime trees.  Birthdays and Christmases were marked by gifts of 10/- to buy a plant in her name.

In the summer of 2000, Pam was working in the garden of North End House when a lady suddenly appeared and asked if she would mind if she took a photograph of the property.  She turned out to be a granddaughter of Mrs. Madge.  She had spent many holidays at the house and had not seen it for years.

Pam and her husband were thrilled to meet her and of course she was delighted to look all round the property and garden reliving childhood memories.  She had with her a series of drawings of the house executed by her father, Charles Madge, when he was a young teenager.  The Stepney family were able to show her exactly where each drawing had been done.  She remembered the cellars and also the attics from where her Granny had produced toys for her and her brother to play with.  When she wanted to go somewhere Mrs. Madge had apparently contacted Goatchers garage in the High Street in Findon and Mr. Goatcher would drive out in his car to take her wherever she wanted to go. 

North End House is now unrecognizable from the days of Barbara Hylton Madge.   The view has been opened up and the property has become a splendid Grade II listed building of some architectural and historic interest.

Continue if you would like to read The Shooting of Edward Wormald Thynne.

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