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

WHEN CISSBURY RING ROCKED

Copyright Valerie Martin 2009

In the summer of 2009, Val Mead of Findon emailed to ask if I had come across the Rock Festivals held on Cissbury Ring in the past.    She said .....  "I remember my son saying he had been to a Festival on Cissbury at least 20 years ago when we were living in Surrey".

I moved to Findon in 1993 and I had not come across any reminiscences of the Rock Festivals and I thought it about time to investigate this angle of local history that had missed attention.  I found that I was to have more success in unearthing details of the Neolithic Flint mining activities than attempting at delve into memories of the strains of rock music across the age old beauty of the ramparts in the 80s.   OK, the events were not quite on the Glastonbury, Reading or Isle of Wight scales but they did happen here on the Findon downland.   The festivals should be firmly planted in Cissbury's past and go down in history just as the Romans, the Cissbury Mint, Armada beacon site etc.

Doug Attrell of Goring emailed to say......"Hi Valerie.... Rock Festival....I vaguely remember the Rock Festivals at Cissbury in the 1980s.

That would have been when I was living in Broadwater just south of Cissbury and regularly visiting the Ring with my model gliders. I don't recall being bothered too much by noise but access to the car parks was difficult for a few days. It was probably worse for Findon residents.   Regards...Doug"

Ah, at least I now had two local inhabitants who remembered the rockers on Cissbury. 

   click to enlarge

Unfortunately, I have no date for the above photograph but I guess it was long before any rock festivals were thought of!

To date I have been able to find many references to three Rock Festivals held on the Iron Age Fort and no one has come forward with any further information or stories on these free events.  

The first was a small Rock Festival comprising the youth of Worthing held on Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th and Monday 25th August 1980 and the music was conducted on the southern side of the hillside  overlooking the golf course and rifle range.      The above poster advertised the event at the time.   Did you go?

A second three-day Festival was held the following year from 29th until 31st August 1981 and as yet I have unable to discover whether it rained or shined.   Who played on the occasion - are they still going today?  Did YOU help build the stage perhaps?

Two years then went by and the summit of Cissbury Ring was left to the tuneful songs from local birds and migrants.   1983 saw the end to all that.   The last free Cissbury Rock Festival was undertaken and lasted from 25th until 31st August.   |No further details have come to light.   Was it on the local radio perhaps?    Does anyone remember?    Do you recall climbing up to the summit in August?

Cissbury Ring on the left.  Cissbury Estate farm hidden in the woods on the right.    Findon Valley on the right.   Worthing sprawling away in the distance .... looking south towards the sea.

click to enlarge

I understand that the police finally moved in to ban the Festivals and the location was moved to the nearby Kithurst Hill and here I have lost track of the festivals that were once conducted on our door step.  

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find anyone with further reminiscences or photographs of these historic events before the law stepped in but I have documented as much as I know for posterity.  

Continue if you would like to read A Historic Walk on Cissbury Ring.

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