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

TYPHOON PILOT and/or ARTIST

Copyright Valerie Martin 2008

Having a website concentrating mainly on the historic content of Findon enables me to meet many inhabitants of the village from the past.  

For instance in March 2008 I heard from Richard Winslade who had lived at Thistledown in Nepcote when a small boy

Richard emailed to say he had lived at Thistledown in Nepcote when a small boy (2-5 years of age) between 1947 and 1951.    He went to school at Broadwater Pre-Prep and remembered walking (on his own in those days) from the bus stop at the Gun Inn passed the blacksmith's forge up to Nepcote Lane.   He remembered the Sheep Fair and the hunt meetings on the Green.

His main reason for emailing me.... was that he had read on my website about the Typhoon crash on the Findon downland during the war.   The pilot of the Typhoon was one Kenneth Lovell and he wondered if he was the same Kenneth Lovell who had come to say every summer at Thistledown.  I had no way of telling if this was the same Kenneth Lovell or not.

Richard's parents had taken in paying guests for summer holidays.   Richard said he had a watercolour by Kenneth Lovell of the view looking westwards from Thistledown and he recalled that the artist had a great affection for Findon.  

Richard said the watercolour was now badly faded, having been subject to strong light for a long time during his parent's time in South Africa.     He promised to send me a scan of it and it duly arrived and this is how I came to be able to include it above.  

Richard emailed that ..."As a matter of interest I seem to remember that the figure walking across the green is meant to depict a Mrs Lower who lived in a cottage just behind our house".     Richard says that because it is somewhat faded the painting does not do justice to the  reds and purples of the prunus tree in the foreground."

Continue if you would like to read about  Billy Patience.

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