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

THE MYSTERIOUS STATUE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2007

In November 2007, John Stepney of Findon Village sent me this photograph of the Knot Garden at Muntham Court in its hey day...

What a peculiar statue in the centre to behold to be sure.   I could not make out what it was supposed to depict but guess it is to be c. 1907 when Lady Ulrica Thynne inherited the mansion following her husband's death.

Pam Stepney then emailed......"Valerie  ....The statue in John`s picture is of three dolphins standing on their heads with tails entwined. Here is a rather poor picture of them taken in 1974.

Many years later when walking round the site of the old house I noticed in a pile of rubble some stones that had strange markings on them. It did not take me long to realise they were from the old dolphin statue and the markings were the scales.

I had a crazy idea I might be able to put the statue back together and with the help of my neighbour brought the stones back home. It soon became clear that there was not nearly enough of it but I kept what I had as I felt no one else would know or appreciate what they were.

Sadly I had to leave the stones behind when we moved. I did however bring one piece with me and John has just gone into the garden to take a picture. Pam".

I thought this was rather a sad story and I wished that Pam had managed to cement the jigsaw together and make a complete statue to keep in her garden.

I can not understand how these relics from the magnificent gardens at the mansion came to be disregarded when Muntham was allowed to be reduced to ruins.   Can you imagine how much the dolphin statue would go for at Sotheby's today.

Trust John Greves (who lived in Findon as a young lad) to come up with a brilliant idea in his email to me...... dolphins.... water.....?   "Dear Valerie....Muntham Dolphin fountain....Pretty grotesque ....... don't look much like dolphins do they? ....... but very similar to the Victorian Dolphin Lamp Posts on the London Embankment ...... same artist I suspect ....... replics put up on the South Bank recently.

How about getting one for the restored Tolmare Dew Pond half a mile away?

Regards John Greves - Walton on Thames .    p.s.  ....Embankment Lamp posts 1877 - designed G Vulliamy - modelled C H Mabey - how's that!

Continue if you would like to read about Colonel Sunderland's Christmas Puddings.

 

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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.