THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — the Findon Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain great stories from her home village of FINDON, West Sussex, U.K.    Everyday tales about real people...... in fact, a potted history of the village.   The topics today, are history tomorrow.  

RICHARD WATT WALKER'S GHOST

Copyright Valerie Martin 2000

The Mr. Walker of my narrative is the young romantic figure of Richard Watt Walker of the palatial mansion of Michelgrove on the outskirts of Findon..... and it is his ghost that haunts the area.

I have always pictured the Michelgrove mansion to be stupendous.  In its heyday, the park consisted of 660 acres, containing some 650 deer, purchased at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Richard's father —  Richard Walker of Liverpool who ran a Lancashire timber concern. He acquired the estate for just £115,000. in 1800.    He bought it from the Shelley family,, in whose hands it had remained from the mid-16th century, when the original mansion house was built. 

It was under his father's supervision and management that alterations in the Gothic style were made to the house to designs drawn up by George Byfield.  By 1814 the house was described as "full of workmen of every description" acting upon new owner's bidding "restore the mansion to its pristine state with considerable additions".     It is said that "an incredible sum of money" was spent embellishing the whole place "in the most florid style of Gothic architecture".  

The Walker family's tenure was to end in financial ruin 28 years later.

Wings of one storey were added on both sides of the house, including a conservatory to the west. The east side contained a fine dining-room 50 ft. x 27 ft. and a drawing-room 46 ft. x 40 ft. with a groined chestnut ceiling. There was a very elaborate marble staircase incorporated at the same date. This featured a 16 inch high greyhound seated on each side of every step.

A new stable block was built at this time to the north of the property to replace the earlier stables at the east.

THE SAD STORY OF THE CLOCK TOWER....

A Pigeon House had been constructed earlier on the Michelgrove Estate on the hillside at some period between 1755 and 1768 and consisted of two storeys at the time.   The building was of flint and cement with some rendering and was square, each storey being narrower than the one previous.  It had became a landmark and was reputed to be "very productive" and dozens of the birds were sent to other residences owned by the family ...... on one occasion in 1768 some went to servants.  

After 1800 (during the time of the Walker family in residence at Michelgrove), a third storey was added to make the building into a Clock Tower.  

Here is an interesting little tale, whether it is true or not, I cannot now tell for sure.   When the Clock Tower later eventually fell into disuse, it is said that in 1860 a "Dung Cart Race" was organised between some of the neighbouring parishes (I'm not sure if Findon was, in fact, included in this merry event or not) and the prize was to be the clock from the Tower.    When the big day came, the race was won by a farmer from Steyning..... and that is how the Steyning High Street now sports our splendid clock on one of its properties in the High Street.    This is such a fantastic tale that there must be an element of truth in it ― for why on earth would anyone bother to make up such a tale?  

Other records which are no where near as interesting merely state that the clock was merely given to Steyning in 1860 by the Duke of Norfolk upon the demolition of the mansion at Michelgrove..... with no mention as to why he should have singled out Steyning for his donation. 

I prefer my own version of the events with racing manure carts thundering across a field in 1860 don't you?

Meanwhile Steyning High Street boasted the Clock Tower in its High Street in the 1860s...

In May 2010, I heard from John J. Fisher of Worthing...."The Michelgrove Clock Tower featured recently on your 'Additions page. This time I have searched through my old photographs hoping to find the ones taken in the early 1950s. The prints appear to be missing but I did find the negatives.

           click to enlarge John's excellent pics from the 1950s..

So, here they are taken with my Kodak Box Brownie and they look excellent for a 1920s camera.

I was on a walk with Miss Dunkerly, our Sunday School teacher from the Findon Valley Free Church, which was then just off Vale Drive. Miss Dunkerly's father was the late author John Oxenham and she lived with her sister in Heather Lane High Salvington. She was a great story teller and during the school holidays she would take us on days out 'exploring'. During the winter months, perhaps at half term, we would go up to her bungalow where the two sisters had many Victorian and Edwardian games from their own childhood. She was a remarkable lady, well into her sixties, and we were young teenage boys eager to hear about Shackleton, David Livingstone and James Chalmers of Papua. Or maybe it was the chewing gum her sister received from relatives and friends in Canada!    John"

In the 1940s, the army used the Michelgrove area for their notorious manoeuvres and the Clock Tower was partly demolished when it became the victim of so-called "friendly fire" being used in target practices by the military.   I am told it stood in ruins until the 1950s.   By 1970, it was reduced to just a heap of stones.

Unfortunately, plans drawn up for improving the park, made by Humphrey Repton around 1800/1, were never fulfilled. This was most likely due to the fact that Richard's father died and was succeeded by his hot headed offspring and his equally wild brother, John.

It was around the opening of the nineteenth century that a heronry was established at Michelgrove.   The herons had been at Penshurst in Kent for some 200 years and by 1801 the heronry was described as "considerable" but within a few years the birds decided to move to Michelgrove on their own accord.  The flight of some 40 miles seems rather unusual but the fact remains that Penshurst became deserted about 1810 and Michelgrove populated about that time.    Who would not dispute the fact?  The herons were not very long at Michelgrove, the reason given was the felling of trees by Richard Watt around 1832.

It becomes apparent that the boys, Richard and John, were interested to some extent in horse racing and kept a large stud of hunters and racehorses, perhaps more than was good for them. It is not always appreciated that at one time Findon had its own racecourse. The first Findon meeting was held back in 1810 at the Old Findon Racecourse (between Muntham Well and Chantry Post). It took much organising and was an exciting event, covering three days and scheduled for May. Richard and John Watt Walker of Michelgrove were supporters of the new venture and the town of Worthing presented a cup to the value of £50 to the winner of one of the races — a great sum in those days.

Rivalry among coaching establishments who were the Kings of the Road at this time was rife.  Racing appears to have been paramount over safety and the following is a cautionary tale of the day.   There was massive rivalry between coach proprietors who selected exotic names for their various coaches on the road to advertise their prowess.   The Defiance ran from Worthing through Arundel and Chichester.   The Eclipse to Brighton... and from there one could board The Wonder and Hero to Hastings.

In the same year as the first Findon race meeting (1810) it is reputed that two rivals raced their horses and coaches hell for leather from Worthing to Brighton with no regard for their poor unsuspecting passengers.   The two contestants raced initially neck and neck to the Sussex Pad in nearby Lancing with first one and then the other taking the lead.   The sight can be imagined.  At Buckingham Farm in Shoreham, the coach in the lead at that point took the corner at breakneck speed and immediately overturned.   The driver was hurtled from his seat and killed.

In 1813 young Richard came of age.  It is around this time that one of the Walker brothers' favourite horses was named ROBIN.    Richard sent a letter to his stud groom in London, telling him to take one of the horses named ROLLIN to Tattersalls at Hyde Park Corner to be sold by auction.    The stud groom misunderstood the letter and mistakenly loaded up  ROBIN and the horse was duly transported to the sales at Tattersalls at Hyde Park Corner.  

Before long, Richard went to London and enquired about ROBIN.    Before Richard discovered the horse was gone it had been sold to a George Cross (a Littlehampton coach proprietor) at a knock down price.     George Cross was knowledgeable in horse dealing and my guess is that he knew what he was buying.

 Richard set forth for Littlehampton to ask for the horse back.   The new owner rightly refused point blank to return ROBIN he had bought in good faith. The Walker boys were outraged and threatened to ruin the horse's purchaser. Mr. Cross' commercial coaching enterprise ran via Arundel, down Bury Hill to Pulborough and then joining the Worthing to London highway. He also operated a service from Littlehampton to the capital with a fast coach called "The Comet".

The Walker brothers brooded on the loss of their horse at the sales and proceeded with a ruthless plan. The whole idea pivoted on the idea of constructing a new road to run coaches and horses to London. This was in the belief that it would be faster than Mr. Cross' service, in the hope of bringing financial ruin on him.

The Long Furlong road (A280) heading east towards Findon

The Walkers' coaching business went into action and this is how a shorter private turnpike road came to be constructed from Michelgrove along the dry valley (now Long Furlong, A280) to Findon and then joined the Worthing to London road. The castellated tollhouse on Long Furlong may have been built at this time, or it may have been converted from an existing Michelgrove lodge.   It started as a rather small two-storey property of the Gothic style under a hipped roof.    There was one room on the ground floor, the other above accessed by a ladder!   Additionally there was a small office at the front where the tolls were collected through the only window facing the roadway.    The façade was stuccoed with a pair of flanking crenelated towers .... raised to sufficient height to hide the roof line beyond.   The tollboard was in all probability displayed in the gothic recess above the front window.

The Walkers named their coach service running from Littlehampton to London "The Champion". 

Richard became the gentleman driver of the road and drove the coach and horses himself from Littlehampton to the capital. He managed to procure three piebald horses for his venture.  In vain he tried to purchase a fourth piebald to make up the team but with no success. Finally, in a bid of pure desperation he had one of his other horses painted to match the team. Thus, he was absolutely unique in his "turnout" and was ready for the road.

There were a number of coachmen who drove the extra coaches during the season and one of these was Philip Butcher. He was known as “Little Phil.”  He was a very adept coachman, and could handle the whip and ribbons in a very businesslike manner.   It was reputed at the time that he could take a fly off any leaders’ ear with his whip.  It was said that he was a great favourite with Richard and was able to drive a coach or ride a race with any man you could find in those days.   

More cautious and reputable proprietors of coaches, fearing the loss of their business, gave assurances that fast travel was definitely discouraged at all cost.   A plodding Sussex coach, amusingly named The Life Preserver was introduced on the London run to win favour with the old ladies and gentlemen travelling in style and wishing to arrive at their destinations in one piece.

Despite utilising good horses and enticing would-be clients to travel in their coaches with their many additional comforts, the Walker brothers were not in a position to command many of the customers already faithful to Mr. Cross. Meanwhile, young Richard’s enthusiasm with the turf was unabated and in 1816 he celebrated by holding a single race meeting at Michelgrove.

The Walkers' coaching business went from bad to worse and by 1823, Richard and John were finally broke when they had to admit that their coaching scheme had failed miserably. The road running from the Gun Inn by Long Furlong was now incorporated in the public turnpike road between Findon and Littlehampton.

Another of Richard's enterprises had been the re-building of Clapham church.

In 1827, Richard (who professed to own the most valuable tapestry that money could buy) had lived so extravagantly and outrageously that he was seriously forced to contemplate selling his estate.  He was financially ruined.  He spent large sums on frivolous litigation and money went on useless and expensive lawyers of the day.  It was said that one of the boys (it is not known if it was Richard or his brother), was forced to become an ostler at the nearby Coach and Horses Inn. The landlord of the public house had, in fact, once been his butler at the Michelgrove mansion and been more prudent with his money.     

The Walker's favoured coachman, Little Phil, did not fare any better and most likely reflects the impact of the railways on the inter-city stagecoach business.   He made an appearance in the London Gazette dated 1832 as a bankrupt and was imprisoned for his debts.

Mr. Cross’s coach and horse service continued to run long after the Walker brothers' enterprise and did not cease until the railway network expanded and stage coaches disappeared. 

In 1828, the Michelgrove estate was purchased by Bernard Edward the 12th Duke of Norfolk. Some fifty years later the magnificent house on which three previous owners had spent so much money, was demolished and the site left abandoned.   He even ploughed up the parkland and felled the heronry.  The elaborate marble staircase with its greyhounds eventually found its way to St. Michael’s at Burton Park near Petworth.  The Duke was criticised much because he also destroyed many other features of North Angmering, including the Leather Bottle Inn near The Dover.

The Angmering historian, Edwin Harris (1866-1942) wrote....

“What wonder that the ghost of Richard Watt Walker, with head bowed and pensive brow, has frequently been seen, hovering sad and restless over the gloomy scene”

In more recent years, Richard's ghost has been forgotten by everyone — until now when I revive the tale of the apparition for you.

Continue to read The Findon Highwayman Came Riding

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This is Findon Village — is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon and beyond.