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

THE MYSTERIOUS BUILDING OFF MICHELGROVE LANE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2010

click on images to enlarge

In the Spring of 2010 while on Patching Hill I noticed an unusual looking building in the distance from Patching Hill....

If you study the above photograph..... you will see a structure that perhaps looks like a barn with a corrugated iron roof....... I've marked it conveniently with a X.    Here's a closer view....

Having an enquiring mind, I wondered why it had this gaping hole in the gable end.    Here is a really close-up for you....

Here is my first close-up view of the corrugated roofed barn/building......the east side ..... as you can see it is not large and is of both flint AND brick construction.      At a very rough guess I would say it measured some 35 ft. x 25 ft. 

 Note that it is of two storeys and there's a bricked up doorway.

Also a bricked up window next to the bricked up arched doorway. 

The above is the south side with the intriguing gaping hole....which appears to involve an arched window..... and yet another bricked up arched doorway!   There is peculiar brickwork above the flint going up to the roof.

Now for the inside..... rather an interesting roof...... obviously now only holding the corrugated sheets up.... but I assume it had a more substantial roof originally.   The roof space is a birds' nesting paradise and large owl pellets litter the floor.

The view from the dark interior through the gaping hole to the outside world.     Note the white-washed walls.   They are soundly built and some 18 inches thick.    (Picture taken at the gaping hole).

Katie discovers that the building once had a very neat herringbone floor of small red brick construction.   Surely this was something better than a barn originally?

So my fascinating building was a real mystery waiting to be solved.

The building(s) and walling was shown on a map printed in 1920...

Better still.....an Ordnance Survey map of 1879 indicated the location as "The Kennel".... indicating that it was used for the hounds of the Hunt and positioned at some distance from the house at Michelgrove because of the noise.      The Kennel being the scene of much barking, mayhem and butchery back in the 19th century. 

As only one Kennel building is left standing so I assume the wall and second building are contained in the rubble close by.     

One mystery is solved but one still remains.   Why is there a gaping hole in the building? 

At the end of Noember 2010 I heard from Christopher Green in East Sussex.....

"Dear Valerie...I have read your recent article about the Mysterious Building off Michelgrove Lane.   I may be able to help with a little more information about the what was described as "The Kennel" if indeed it is the same building,which seems likely.

My family of Coopers & Greens both lived around the Michelgrove & Myrtle Grove area from 1871-1901 employed as Agricultural Labourers & Grooms.  In 1871 -1891.
As mentioned I believe elsewhere on your web site, Myrtle Grove was occupied by William Goater, family & servants, as Farmer & horse trainer of 1300 acres

The 1861 Census shows 2 families living at the Dog Kennel, 14 residents in total.

In 1871 Census, a Cooper family member was listed next door to the Dog Kennel which was inhabited by a shepherd, wife, 4 children & a lodger.

In 1881 another shepherd, wife 2 boarders & a lodger are shown at the Dog Kennel listed next door to my Grt Grandfather, a groom & my Grandfather then aged 1.

1891 it is described as The Kennels with 5 inhabitants. Again with my Grandparents nearby.

1901 it was listed as The Kennel with husband & wife occupying.

I would imagine it is pretty certain to say the building was inhabited certainly for around those years & possibly even earlier & later. One can hardly imagine the conditions they lived under at the time.

Regards, Chris Green".

I told Chris that it all sounded most plausible and interesting and that he had sold the idea to me and solved part of the puzzle at the same time.

We are still left with the mysterious gap.      Why is there a gaping hole in the building? 
 

Continue to read The Michelgrove Mystery of August 1911

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