THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE

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

A 1900s view of the three properties at the eastern end of Nepcote Green with Rookwood being the house in the middle. To get your bearings imagine you are standing on the site of today's car parking area. The house is now named Bramblings.

The house named The Ring House (now much extended) is on the left. On the far right is Thistledown.

ROOKWOOD

Frederick Aldridge divided his days between his home in Richmond Road, Worthing, bearing the name Sliedrecht — reminiscent with his acquaintance with Holland, and his property at Nepcote Green called Rookwood.

Rookwood in Nepcote Lane (on the way to Cissbury Ring) in 1922. The cook, Mrs Southey is outside with holiday guests.

Rookwood in 1928

The name of the property reflects the presence of the cawing rooks sailing overhead. The squabbling flocks of birds first decided to nest at the neighbouring Cissbury Estate in 1828. They were not made welcome and many remedies were sought to dissuade them from building in the tall trees, including shooting the young in the notion that the rookery would soon be abandoned. All to no avail. No matter how many of the young birds were shot, the older birds used the same nests again the following Spring.

1928 – The view from Rookwood looking towards Church Hill. Down passed Nepcote Green on the left and the Soldiers Field area where the haystack is built.

When Frederick Aldridge first came to live in Nepcote around 1905, the rooks had been in residence in the Cissbury Estate for some 93 years. It seems likely that their existence gave rise to the name of his property where they, no doubt woke him early in the morning cawing to each other and setting out in a dark cloud through the still air.

Frederick James Aldridge executing one of his famous seascapes in his studio.

In the garden at Rookwood, Frederick Aldridge had a studio where he painted. Rookwood in those days could be classed as somewhat primitive by today’s standards. Mains water was non-existent and an indoor pump drew water from a large tank in the garden behind the house that was fed by rain from guttering. Lighting in the rooms was by paraffin lamp. The property has been much modernised and extended since the Aldridge days and is now called Bramblings.

Continue if you would like to read about Frederick James Aldridge — In (and Off the Coast) of Sussex.

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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