Our Publications
Members of the Heritage Society, and guests from the area, attended the launch of the book ‘Sussex Showcase: 2000 Years of Great Art from Bignor to Brighton’ in November. The book, written by co-chair of the Society Peter Beckingham and designed by Jonathan Newdick, is a follow up to ‘South Downs Showcase’.
Covering a bigger canvas, the book features over 2000 years of art in Sussex, ranging from the beautifully preserved mosaics of Bignor and Fishbourne and world class medieval frescoes in tiny South Downs churches, to the end of the 20th century and the colourful paintings of Charleston-based artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.
Sussex Showcase takes the reader on a visual feast of a journey to see how Sussex has been depicted through many centuries, including by such English Masters as Constable and Turner, as well as famous 20th century painters like Paul Nash and Eric Ravilious. It also shows how destinations like Brighton, Chichester and Rye have become a beacon for artists, as well as more rural locations like Ditchling. Covering Sussex’s most famous artists, and iconic landmarks from the Downs to Beachy Head and Brighton Pier, the book investigates how the County has made such an impact on art in BritainWith a foreword by The Duke of Richmond from Goodwood House, who comments “how incredibly inspiring the Sussex landscape has been, and remains, for artists”, Sussex Showcase includes over 50 high quality illustrations, some of which are rarely seen and have been generously loaned from privately-owned collections. Describing the publication, author Peter Beckingham said that “its purpose is unashamedly simple and celebratory – a book which can be enjoyed by all tourists and residents of Sussex with an interest in the county’s rich artistic history.”
Copies of both books are available from Petworth Bookshop, priced at £16.99 (postage and packing £3.50) as well as selected bookshops in Chichester, Midhurst, Brighton, Arundel, Steyning, Rye and Eastbourne. Contact petworthbookshop@gmail.com
St Peter’s church
Graves, memorials & monumental inscriptions
A year ago we published a draft of the graves and monumental inscriptions in St Peter’s church lower churchyard. Since then we have been working very hard to complete this work. We have now published two volumes:
- Volume 1 covering all the graves and memorials within the church, upper churchyard, middle churchyard and elsewhere in the parish
- Volume 2 covering the lower churchyard and the area for interring ashes at the back of the upper churchyard.
Each volume has photos of all the graves and memorials, a transcription of what is inscribed on each and some details of the people interred. Jamie Brooks Fisher has prepared beautiful hand-drawn plans of the churchyard. Tony Brooks and Ian Buckingham have been hard at work in all weathers finding, clearing and to an extent cleaning graves so that they could read the inscriptions. Amanda Spence and Mark Buckingham have helped with the photography. All of this has built on earlier work by James Tree and his team who transcribed the burial register. A collective project and we are very proud of the result. It is better than we have seen for any other parish in Britain!
Copies have been placed in the church, the Lodsworth Community Archive and other local and national archives. If you really wish, you can purchase copies from us at cost – £10 a volume.
Click on the headings below to see the documents.
Notes for a History of Lodsworth
by Rev Wilfrid Lamb MA
A number of histories of our village and its surrounding area have been written over the years. One such was written by the late Rev. Wilfrid Lamb MA, the Vicar of Lodsworth between 1955 and 1961. His Notes for a History of Lodsworth are a fascinating insight into the early life of the parish and contain many delightful anecdotes and stories of the families and characters who lived here. A reprint is now available – cost £7.
Lodsworth in 1912 by Harry Carver
Reproduction of articles by Harry Carver, first published in Outlook in August and September 1977, describing who was living where in the parish about 1912 when he was six years old.
A Lodsworth timeline by Ian Buckingham
We have searched through published books and other sources to construct a timeline of notable events in Lodsworth’s history. Purchase your copy from Lodsworth Larder or have a look at it here, and contact Ian if you have additional information.
Historical Lodsworth village trail for children and young people
by Sue Buckingham & Lynne Todd
Many families participated in our event during the 2011 Lodsworth Festival. If you were unable to follow the trail at the time, you can download a copy of the trail map and guide so that you can follow the route whenever you wish. Once you have completed the trail, download Children’ heritage trail – Answers to see how well you did.
A Century of Sport in Lodsworth by James Fisher
In 2011 over 60 attended an illustrated talk by James Fisher on the history of sport in and around Lodsworth. Many of those attending had themselves participated in the sports that included cricket, football and stoolball. During the evening, audience participation enabled many gaps to be filled and errors corrected. This illustrated document has benefited from this feedback and from subsequent research following up leads from that meeting.
Researching the History of your House by Ian Buckingham
Recently a group of Society members visited West Sussex Record Office for a workshop entitled Researching the History of your House. The workshop comprised a briefing, followed by an extensive tour of the Search Room and behind the scenes. Some members stayed on to pursue their own research. Click on the link above to view the slides used in the briefing.
