Category: UK

A whole post about a font? Well, I’m like that and it’s my blog 🙂

But, it goes back to my fascination here about just how important this bit of stone has been to so many generations of local people. This was a Catholic church when the font was installed here and no-one has destroyed it, pinched it, smashed it up or anything in-between over the last seven or so centuries.

The marble font dates to around the middle of the fifteenth century and the stem underneath it is Victorian rather than being original. There’s a decorative rosette on every side and it’s fair to say that the font has seen some wear and tear.

And here’s a Francis Frith photo from 1930 showing the font in situ in the church, although it has shifted slightly over the last century.

The Hoo Monument is located in the Chapel of St. Nicholas in St Mary’s Church in Horsham, is one of those intriguing medieval creations that manages to be both grand and slightly melancholy, as well as looking perhaps a little out of place now.

It’s a chest tomb of Purbeck marble, built for Thomas Hoo (an ancestor of Anne Boleyn), who evidently wanted to make sure no one forgot him and anyone who warrants all this marble certainly should be remembered. The monument has weathered centuries of polite neglect, losing its inscriptions, brasses and decorative details along the way, but it’s still here at least.

It’s a reminder that Horsham was once wealthy enough to indulge in a bit of ecclesiastical splendour, and that death, in the 15th century, was best met with a marble chest, some vaulted stonework and a strategic position near the altar.

Although it has been knocked about over the years, it is a survivor and it has had to get through the Reformation and Cromwell’s puritan army that went around smashing things up. It’s also just a little bit in the way near the altar, so it’s done well to survive the Victorians faffing about with the building as well. I think Thomas would be rather pleased with the whole arrangement……

This really is a fine memorial located in St. Mary’s Church in Horsham and certainly one that stands out. It’s the memorial to Charles Eversfield (1683-1749) of the local country house known as Denne Place which he had inherited at the age of 12.

Eversfield was an MP between most of 1705 and 1747, representing Horsham between 1705 and 1710, then Sussex between 1710 and 1713, then Horsham from 1713 and 1715, then 1721 and 1741 before representing Steyning between 1741 and 1747. These were mostly rotten boroughs, Eversfield simply had the wealth and influence to ensure that he remained in the House of Commons.

This would have been an interesting time to be an MP, the English and Scottish union took place in 1707 and the whole Commonwealth debacle (or whatever you want to call it) had been resolved by this point. There’s more about Eversfield’s time in Parliament at https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/eversfield-charles-1683-1749.

I saw this in St. Mary’s Church in Horsham and thought that one of the greatest poets of his generation, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), was buried here. But, he wasn’t, so that wasn’t as exciting as I thought. It appears that this is just here as a reminder that Percy had links with the church, as he died overseas with his body being cremated on the beach and then his remains buried at the Protestant Church in Rome, other than his heart which is somewhere in the UK.

Excuse the poor quality photo, I hadn’t realised that this was here at the time so this is part of a wider photo I took of the memorials in the church (and it’s located very near to Percy’s memorial bit of stone). But it’s relevant as Percy’s father, Sir Timothy Shelley (1753-1844) is buried here in the church. Timothy was the MP for Horsham between 1790 and 1792 and the son of Sir Bysshe Shelley (1731-1815), the first baronet, who had actually been born in Newark, Province of New Jersey (now the United States). He had made his money by marrying into wealthy families, but it’s perhaps a little unusual for someone to move from the colonies back to England at this time to become an aristocrat.

Anyway, back to Percy Bysshe Shelley. There’s a current controversy in Horsham at the moment with regards to a new monument in his honour, with some saying that the memorial in Horsham Park would be a fine tribute and others think it’s a waste of taxpayer’s money. Some of the £100,000 cost of the memorial would be funded privately, but there’s debate about whether the council should increase their contribution from £10,000 to £50,000. It was meant to replace the also controversial Rising Universe fountain (also known as the Shelley fountain) and that caused enough drama on its own.

Not that I have time to read anywhere near as much as I once did, but Hammond Innes (1913-1998) was one of my favourite authors. Whilst walking down The Causeway in Horsham, I was pleased (and moderately delighted) to see a blue plaque in his honour.

Hammond Innes lived in this property as a child, when he was attending a local primary school before he went off to study at the Cranbook School in Kent. Innes had been born in Horsham, but after he married his wife, Dorothy Mary Lang, they spent most of their lives residing in Kersey, in Suffolk.

This was a Nathan discovery, but that likely won’t surprise anyone that knows him. It’s a proper bona fide tourist attraction now with a Google business profile and everything. It’s a railway bridge with something special attached to it.

The anticipation mounted as I got closer to the main exhibit. It’s one of those anonymous artworks and I think it’s best that the artist isn’t yet known, as that would only mean someone would pinch the jelly and a chunk of the railway bridge to sell at auction. I don’t think society is ready for a whole new crime of jelly theft at the risk of transport infrastructure damage.

And there we are, perhaps the highlight of the weekend! Fortunately the locals haven’t all caught onto this new tourist attraction so the queueing situation wasn’t too bad when I visited. Well, I was the only person there, but I suspect that there will soon be queueing barriers and everything set up. As another highlight, if it’s quite busy when someone visits, they’ve established 24 hour opening to try and spread the queues out a bit.