On a rain-drenched evening, we were delighted to welcome the award-winning writer and critic Professor Alexandra Harris, author of "The Rising Down: Lives in a Sussex Landscape". Described by the Guardian as “a work of rare lyrical beauty and profound humanity,” The Rising Down weaves together stories of the people, places, and paintings that have shaped the Arun Valley and the Sussex landscape across centuries. In the ancient and atmospheric surroundings of St Mary’s Church, Alexandra talked about her book exploring what it means to belong to a place over time.

Alexandra grew up in West Chiltington and was educated in Storrington, before going to University and pursuing an academic career. She is currently Professor of English Literature at Birmingham University. The idea for the book came about on a home visit, when she realised she didn’t know much about the places she knew and loved.

Alexandra’s talk covered a number of local stories, some of which were not included in the book, and  was illustrated with slides of old documents, photos of historic places, and photographs of famous paintings. She began her talk by saying that she had been apprehensive about writing this book since the current trend in academic writing is to address global problems, but here she was, writing about something extremely local!

The first port of call was at St Botolph’s Church in Hardham. Most of us have heard about the mediaeval wall paintings there, but how many are aware of the 'squint' in the South wall of the Chancel? This is a clue to the existence of an anchorite’s cell which would have been a separate building, attached to the wall of the Church. An anchorite, or hermit, would spend their entire life in this cell, dedicating their life to God, and never leaving it. The squint allowed them to hear the services in the Church and see the altar. There were a number of anchorites in the late Middle Ages: Mother Julian of Norwich is the best-known, and Stopham is not the only Church in this area to have housed one.

Next, “What the Water Bailiff Saw”. Nothing to do with pier-side amusements, but the world view of the water bailiff for the Arun in the 16th and 17th centuries. The water bailiff enforced the laws of the river and made sure that the King’s rights for fishing and so on were respected. This bailiff was Walter Barttelot and his jurisdiction ran from Arundel Bridge to Stopham Bridge. At a time when there were few roads, which were often impassable, the river was the main highway through Sussex, so this was a very important position. In view of the recent flooding, it seems that history may be repeating itself here! Alexandra concluded this section by showing a brass from Stopham Church depicting Walter and his family, whose descendants remain significant members of the local community.

“Constable at the Mill”. John Constable is famous for his paintings of Suffolk, but spent three summers in Arundel where he painted a number of local landscapes, including Fittleworth Mill. The best known painting from this period is “Arundel Castle and Mill”, which was also his last work. The emphasis is very much on the mill. Alexandra showed some amusing quotes from Georgian art theorists, pompously dismissing landscape as one of the most uninteresting topics, particularly if, heaven forbid, it contained anything related to industry. Like Alexandra, Constable was swimming against the academic tide.

“Sussex Emigrants”. When it comes to 19th century emigration from Britain to the New World, this reviewer immediately thinks of the consequences of the Irish potato famine and the land clearances in the Scottish Highlands. It was a surprise to learn that there was also a significant exodus from Sussex. In the hard decades after the Napoleonic Wars, many agricultural workers struggled to support their families. Under the Petworth Emigration Scheme, the Earl of Egremont paid £10 per person to families and single unemployed men, which was topped up with another £10 from Parish funds. The emigrants sailed from Shoreham to Upper Canada (an area which covers most of the modern Province of Ontario.) Alexandra showed a letter from one of the emigrants to his old friends and family back in Sussex, proudly telling of his success as a farmer and inviting them to come over to Canada and smoke a pipe with him.

“Ford Maddox Ford and goat”. Ford was described by Anthony Burgess as the greatest British novelist of the 20th century. During the First World War, he was concussed and lost his memory for three weeks, then suffered permanent damage to his lungs due to pneumonia and the effects of poison gas. He had also undergone a nervous breakdown in 1904. His privatelife was complex, as his wife refused to divorce him. After demobilization, he decided to go back to the land and become a smallholder. He settled down with his latest partner in a cottage in Hurston to live “The Good Life”. However, after a few years, the damp and mud of Sussex winters became too much, and he left for the sunnier climate of Cap Ferrat. His “The Good Soldier” was one of Alexandra’s set books for A-level English, and she often used to go for long walks while reading it, little realising she was passing near his home.

“Learning in company”. Alexandra finished by showing us a photo taken in the woods near West Chiltington, in the late 1940s. This showed a makeshift school in front of a Nissan hut, which was part of a camp for 507 dependants of Polish troops. The children learned English, along with some of the adult women.

After a long and sustained round of applause, Alexandra was presented with a painting depicting the Shoreham emigrants. By remarkable serendipity, this had come into the Pulborough Xchange just a few weeks earlier. The evening concluded with a glass of wine and a chance to buy a signed copy of Alexandra’s book.

It really was an evening of luminous prose, Sussex history, and quiet inspiration, all in aid of the church we love. Organised by the Friends of Pulborough Parish Church, the event raised over £2,000 towards the restoration of our beautiful Church.

Allow us to quote from some of the emails we have received:-

‘I loved her passion for her subject and for English literature in general and her curiosity about historical connections on our doorstep - and the fact that she cherished this area where she grew up. What a lovely, exuberant person she is!'

‘What a fascinating talk by Alexandra, I was hanging on her every word, she is so passionate about our place.’