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

c. 1635   An etching from early Stuart days by Wencelas Hollar.  

South Downs and Wiston House — looking west.  St. Mary's Church can be seen on the far right.

The site of Chanctonbury Ring on the summit is almost bare.... it is, of course....prior to tree planting in 1760 by Charles Goring.

 

CHANCTONBURY RING PORTFOLIO — FROM THE EAST

Copyright Valerie Martin 2004

(In Chronological order as near as I can get)

I make no apologies for including Chanctonbury Ring on my Findon website.   The area does not come within the Findon Parish boundaries — but I can see it clearly from the village and that is why I have taken the liberty of adopting it.

Chanctonbury Ring in the far distance..... with the ruins of Bramber Castle in the foreground.   This etching by an unknown hand is 1823.  

Here are a series of views of Chanctonbury Ring from various angles... hopefully in chronological order.... or as near as I can get them!     I have given dates and data as well as I a able.   All giving a fascinating portrayal of the area over the decades.....

 The approach to  Poynings from the east... and the view across to Chanctonbury Ring (in the far distance).  I'd love to know what all the cars and motorbikes are doing there.

 

Chanctonbury Ring in the early 1900s by Alfred Robert Quinton (1853-1934)

I think it pertinent at this point to divert to give a little information on the above artist, Alfred Robert Quinton, as he has captured the scenes local to Findon scene beautifully..  

He was the fourth child of John A. Quinton — a journalist born Suffolk —  and Eliza (also from Suffolk).    In 1881 his family was living at 1 Spencer Road, Islington in London with his brothers John (aged 37 an unemployed book seller), and Ernest (aged 31 a jeweller's assistant).   There was also a sister Agnes (aged 29 with no occupation).  Alfred was aged 27 at the time and was described as an artist and draughtsman.

I have discovered that Alfred took a long tour by bicycle in 1895 from Land's End to John O'Groats.   He recorded suitable scenes at passing seaside resorts, spas, attractive towns and villages en route.   To the compositions he added people, vehicles and other such features.  Some say that closer inspection will reveal the very same figures occurring in views of different localities.... or in the same positions but updated with later styles of clothes as time went by!

By 1901 Alfred had married Elizabeth from Manchester and they had sons Leonard aged 11 and Edgar aged 9.   Living with them at 16 Fortis Green Road Finchley was Alfred's widowed father, John aged 83.  In the census of that year, Alfred was described as an artist and landscape painter.

Alfred was indeed a prolific artist but I have been unable to find any record of his visiting Findon.   But from the scenes he painted, I think he must have been here at some time.   During his lifetime he executed over two thousand paintings.     (This must beat even that prolific Nepcote artist, Frederick James Aldridge!)

Here is a naive little watercolour dated 1st August 1904 of Chanctonbury Ring from the Steyning area.   Unfortunately, it is unsigned.

 

Described as....Chanctonbury Ring on the South Downs by Elliot H. Marten (exhibited from 1886-1901).    The artist was born in Hawick, Scotland and exhibited at the Royal Academy).   He eventually emigrated to Australia.

 

pre 1907 — Chanctonbury Ring towering above Wiston House

 

Pre 1908.  Photograph taken from Great Barn Farm of Malthouse Cottage (now Malthouse Cottages) at the top end of Chanctonbury Ring Road.

 

Date of photograph not determined.   Malthouse Cottage again in the foreground.  Looking west.

 

Chanctonbury Ring  and Malthouse Cottage  c.1919.

 

Chanctonbury Ring...... photograph with Malthouse Cottage in the foreground.  At some date before 1924.

 

..... and here's a slightly different view pre 1924.

 

1925

 

Malthouse Cottage scene below Chanctonbury Ring from the 1920s

 

Date unknown.

 

c. 1925 — Chanctonbury Ring above Malthouse Cottage

 

c. 1930

 

Pre 1937

 

Pre war.....The Dyke Hills with Chanctobury Ring in the far distance.

 

click on pic to enlarge

...and Malthouse Cottage with a female figure in the field next to the very neatly built haystack. This one is dated pre 1947.

 

Entrance to Malthouse Cottage.

 

Malthouse Cottage, pre 1957

 

Chanctonbury Ring in the distance.   In the  foreground is the long gone railway line... I guess this is the track between Steyning and Bramber, near Bramber Castle.

 

A game in progress at the Steyning Cricket Pitch with Chanctonbury Ring in the far distance, c.1930

 

Chanctonbury Ring from the Steyning Cricket Pitch c.1960.  Looking west across the roped off cricket square and field in the foreground, towards the wooded slope of Peppercombe rising behind the little hut.   If you can't see the Ring — Chanctonbury Ring is on the skyline in the far distance.

 

A very similar view to the above but taken from a slightly different angle.   Date unsure.

 

 



 Chanctonbury Ring by Leonard Gordon Andrews (1885 - 1960) who was born in Lindfield, West Sussex.

 

Chanctonbury Ring in the distance — from Fulking.

 

A watercolour of Chanctonbury Ring from Devil's Dyke by Victoria Catt, a mid-twentieth century Sussex artist.

 

Stile behind Chanctonbury by Andrew Dandridge.

 

Sunset over Chanctonbury Ring By Andrew Dandridge

 

 

Here's a lovely one of Chanctonbury Ring by D. Rothwell Bailey

 

 

Continue if you would like to see the Chanctonbury Ring Portfolio — From Wiston Pond.

 Back to Chanctonbury Ring Index
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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