Greenwich
Meridian
Findon is situated, about 4 miles north of Worthing,
on the South Coast of England,
in the heart of the new
South Downs National Park,
in the county of West Sussex.
Sussex was divided into two separate counties,
East Sussex and
West Sussex, in 1974.
West Sussex is one of the counties of England.
England is the largest division of
Great Britain (which
comprises England,
Wales,
Scotland
and also those adjacent islands governed from the mainland, excluding the
Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands).
So, Findon is located just a few miles from the English Channel.
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The English flag is called Saint George's Cross
(usually abbreviated to St George's Cross),
a red Greek cross on a white background.
Saint George is the patron saint of England ... Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia,
Greece, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Serbia and Russia, as well as the cities of Genoa, Amersfoort, Beirut, Fakiha, Bteghrine,
Cáceres, Ferrara, Freiburg, Ljubljana, Pomorie, Preston, Qormi, Rio de Janeiro, Lod, Barcelona, Moscow, Tamworth and the
Maltese island of Gozo, plus a wide range of professions, organizations and disease sufferers!
St George's Day is April 23.
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(UK) was formed in 1921, after the rest of Ireland became the autonomous Irish Free State
(it became the Republic of Ireland in 1949).
So Findon is in West Sussex, England and the UK.
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The national flag of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland is the Union Flag
(also known as the Union Jack).
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Contents
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"Sing Care Away" (anon) Medieval tune
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Historic Findon
This part of Britain, with its close proximity to the
continent of Europe, has long been considered a gateway to Britain. In
fact, the English Channel was not formed
until about 6500 BC, so during the previous 2000 years people were able
to travel on foot to locations in southern and eastern Britain from the
Eurasian landmass.
Findon is located 1.8 kilometres (ie 1.1 miles) from Cissbury
Ring (ie one of the
greatest of Britain's prehistoric hillforts), where there are filled-in
openings of flint mines dating back to about 3,000 BC. The
builders of Cissbury Ring were an Iron Age
people and this was probably their tribal capital. The Iron
Age (which began in the Middle East about 1100 BC) lasted in
Britain from about 751 BC to AD 42. The Atrebates tribe which occupied
this part of Britain quickly accepted Roman influence. There is
evidence of farming within the derelict ramparts of Cissbury
Ring, during the period of
Roman
Britain between AD 43 and
410.
After the Roman withdrawal from Britain
around AD 410, the island was invaded by tribes of Jutes,
Saxons
and Angles
from Denmark, Germany and
the coastal areas of what is now Holland. Seven main kingdoms emerged,
known as the Heptarchy. The seven were Sussex,
Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex and East Anglia. Sussex which
was the kingdom of the South Saxons, became a shire of the kingdom of
Wessex in the early 9th century AD. By the 10th century AD, Wessex had
become the most powerful English kingdom.
Sussex is steeped in history; there have been many invasions of Britain. Julius
Caesar landed in Sussex
during 55 and 54 BC, Duke William of Normandy invaded
Sussex and defeated King Harold in 1066, Sussex was
defended against the Spanish
Armada in 1588, France
during the Napoleonic wars (1799-1815) and
Germany during World War II (1939-1945).
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Findune
The scientific study of place-names is known as
toponomastics. It is as an important science in as much as
place-names almost always provide some sort of clue to the local
history of an area, its former inhabitants and their way of life.
Most place-names in Southern England date from before
the Norman Conquest of 1066 and so characterize the landscape of the
Anglo-Saxon occupation. Findon is no exception to this pattern.
Although the first mention of 'Findune' is to be found in the Domesday
Book of 1086, the form itself is Anglo-Saxon and is undoubtedly much
older than the records might suggest.
Findon comprises two Old English elements 'Fin-' and
'-dune' which are generally agreed to mean 'heap (typically of logs)'
and 'hill' or 'down' respectively. Given that archaeological evidence
places the early site of the village near St John
the Baptist Church, it seems probable that Church
Hill - very much a heap-shaped hill - is the 'Findune' in
question. There is, however, an alternative argument that 'Fin-' does
not refer to a landscape feature at all, but rather means 'woodpecker'.
Findon itself originally fell within the Anglo-Saxon
'hundred' or administrative district of 'Staninges' (Steyning) but
later came under the jurisdiction of 'Bredford' (Broadwater?).
(Text © Stephen Jolly 1997) |
⇧
Findon Today
Findon nestles between Church Hill and Cissbury
Ring, and falls within
the boundaries of the South Downs National Park, in the South
Downs.
The photograph above, which was taken in December 2004, shows the view
looking north-westwards, as seen from the footpath that leads up to Cissbury
Ring from the car park in
Findon Valley. Can you spot Santa?
You might need to enlarge the photograph. Findon sits between Church Hill, where some of the
oldest flint mines in the UK are situated, and Cissbury
Ring, which is both an
Iron Age hillfort and one of the most important Neolithic flint mine
sites in the UK.
The image above consists of four photographs, taken in
December 2004, that have been joined to form a panoramic view of Findon
and Cissbury
Ring, looking eastwards from Church
Hill. The left-hand end of the panorama shows the view
looking northwards. Long Furlong (A280) can be seen where it joins
Findon roundabout [aerial photograph & map] and the
A24 which heads towards London. The right-hand of the panorama shows
the view looking southwards, with Findon
Valley in the middle
distance and Worthing and the sea in the far distance. Can you spot the
gas storage cylinder? You might need to enlarge the photograph. The
mast at the extreme right-hand end of the panorama is the TV tower on
High Salvington. The ramparts of Cissbury
Ring can also be seen
quite clearly. The white 'blossom' in the hedgerow, in the foreground
at the extreme right-hand end of the panorama, comprises the seed heads
of wild Clematis.
⇧
Findon Village?
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Villages in England
A village is larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.
A hamlet is a smaller settlement without a church.
A town is an urban area that has defined boundaries, local government, is bigger than a village and smaller than a city.
Findon has a church and doesn't have local government, hence it is village -
albeit it one with a population of 1,848 [2001 Census]. Bigger than some towns in other parts of the world!
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There are now far more houses in Findon than there were a few
years ago, so perhaps these days the term 'village' is a bit of a
euphemism, however it is sometimes used in this website to
distinguish the 'village' from Findon
Valley. The image above comprises four photographs, taken
from the top of Church Hill in December 2004, that
have been joined to form a panoramic view of part of Findon. This
panorama shows some of the houses at the northernmost end of Findon, that includes the end of Long Furlong, parts of the A24,
Findon Roundabout, School Hill, The Oval, Highbarn, Beech Road and
Horsham Road. Can you spot the person wearing green Wellington boots?
You might need to enlarge the photograph.
The image above comprises four more photographs that have
been joined to form a panoramic view of part of Findon Village. This
panorama shows some of the houses in the central part of the village,
that includes parts of Beech Road, Holmcroft Gardens, Tudor Close,
Cross Lane, Stable Lane, Nepcote Lane and The Square. What is Santa
doing on the roof? You might need to enlarge the photograph.
The image above comprises four more photographs that have
been joined to form a panoramic view of part of Findon Village. This
panorama shows some of the houses in the central and southern part of
the village, that includes parts of the High Street, Tudor Close,
Stable Lane, Holmcroft Gardens, Southview Road and Nepcote Lane. Can
you see what is hanging on the washing line? You might need to enlarge
the photograph.
The image above comprises four more photographs that have
been joined to form a panoramic view of part of Findon. This
panorama shows some of the houses in the southern part of Findon,
that includes parts of the Nepcote Lane, Cross Lane and Steep Lane. Is
there anyone on the blue trampoline?
The image above comprises four more photographs that have
been joined to form a panoramic view of part of Findon. This
panorama shows some more of the houses at the southern end of Findon, that includes parts of the Steep Lane, Steep Close, Cross
Lane, Nepcote Lane, Nepcote Close and The Chase. How many birds nests
can you see in the trees? You might need to enlarge the photograph.
The aerial photograph above, which shows the centre of the
village, is a view looking northwards. The grey building on the left,
with the car park and swimming pool, is Findon
School [aerial photograph & map]. The
white building just to the right of centre is Grey Point [aerial photograph & map], one of
Findon's 26 listed buildings. Just to the
left, partially hidden by trees, is the Gun Inn [aerial photograph & map], another
listed building. The green triangular area to the right of Grey Point
is Pond Green [aerial photograph & map] where the
Findon sign, that is featured on the home page page of this site, is
located.
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Findon bypass
A few miles before it reaches Worthing, the A24 that links
London to the South Coast undergoes an abrupt change of personality.
From a fairly mild and straightforward dual carriageway it becomes a
thing of dips and curves, taking many a motorist by surprise. This is
the Findon bypass, which these days carries increasing amounts of
speeding traffic. For those who want to turn off into Findon, it is
rather like trying to leave a racetrack, with more than its fair share
of bends. [aerial photograph & map]
The bypass was built in 1938 when there wasn't much traffic
about. It would probably be designed differently today. A side effect
of the new road was to cut off the village from the Parish
Church [aerial photograph & map].
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Findon Valley
Findon Valley lies just south of the
village, on the outskirts of Worthing. It straddles the A24 and
is in the Borough
of Worthing, consequently
it falls outside the proposed South Downs National Park. It is
separated from the village by a narrow strip of farmland to the north
called the 'Strategic Gap'.
Findon Valley is a vibrant community with
its own school, church
and library, which are listed in the local organisations section of
this Website and busy shops, many of which are listed in the local services section of this
website. In 1989, the population of Findon Valley
was 1,660. A new website called Findon
Valley Residents' Association was launched by David Goncalves
during November 2005.
[aerial photograph & map]
Above is a view looking eastwards; the road at the bottom of
the picture is the main A24 Worthing to London thoroughfare. The
octagonal shaped building is Findon Valley Library which was
built in 1958. The large red-roofed building, beyond the library is Limetree Surgery. The chevron
shaped building on the left (ie to the north of the library) is Findon
Valley Free Church and behind it is the Church Hall. You can
tell from the shadows cast by the houses that this photograph was taken
one sunny afternoon.
Above is a view of Findon Valley looking
eastwards from Bost Hill towards Cissbury
Ring. The lower end of
Bost Hill marks the beginning of Findon Valley, is about one mile south
of Findon Village and leads up to the windmill at High Salvington.
Just south of Findon Valley, the A24 meets
the A27 [aerial photograph & map], the UK's
main South Coast trunk road, which passes through the northern outskirts
of Worthing. This is the worse bottleneck on the A27. which reduces to a
single lane in each direction
[aerial photograph & map]. The
congestion affects both local and longer journeys, is driving
traffic onto unsuitable local roads and creating rat runs in the town.
The traffic jams cause long delays, much frustration and add
further to the air pollution.
Some local residents are worried that emergency
vehicles may be delayed, or prevented from reaching their destinations,
in the event of a serious emergency, and reports of gridlocks
have done nothing to allay these fears. Some people think Worthing
should have a bypass of its own, however others are against further
road development and want to see greater use of public transport.
West
Sussex County Council pledged to keep up the pressure on the
then Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, who was blocking
improvements to the A27. In 1967, West Sussex launched a three year
study into a bypass for Worthing. Two more studies were carried out
between 1972 and 1980, and so it goes on ... the great British muddle.
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Who is your Member of Parliament?
In 1932, the population of Findon Village was about 600. In
1997 the electoral list for Findon Village contained 1,462 names. By
2001 the list had increased to 1,524 names. So, on that basis the village's
population grew by more than 4% in 4 years. The minimum voting age in
the UK is 18. Findon Village is controlled by Arun
District Council.
Find your MP enables you to
to find find out who your local
Member of Parliament is, so you can send them an e-mail.
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