Publications
Billingshurst - The History of a West Sussex Village, by Charles Chatwin, published 2013 (DVD/Blu-Ray, Billingshurst Local History Society)
Review by Geoffrey Mead in Sussex Past & Present no. 133, August 2014:As a committed bibliophile I looked rather askance at the slim 'volume' that is the Billingshurst DVD! However my misgivings were misplaced and it is a most informative source on the community's history.
The production is excellent, with sound and picture quality of the highest standard and the commentary by Charles Chatwin, measured and clearly presented. The DVD charts the changes over time that have given rise to the present day community since the creation of the Stane Street. With the assistance of some simple but informative maps the development of the landscape features is presented, in particular the Green Lanes influence on field and road patterns; the built environment of the village was presented on large scale maps with individual buildings noted, their constructional features and subsequent development outlined, through a video technique of 'fading' an old image into a 21st century view. The church has a lengthy portion, with a later revelatory section showing how it was located on the former village green, using the outline of tracks and boundaries to recreate the extent of the green, now only a fragment of its former area. It was pointed out that this village green 'theory' was open to debate. The Wealden location of the village ensured that Non-Conformity was an important factor in the social history and the Unitarian chapel dating to 1754 was featured. Communication by the 19th century saw the Wey & Arun Navigation and then the railway. Railway buffs will enjoy this part which shows the final days of the British rail system's oldest working signal box, now destined for a heritage railway. There is much footage on the extensive number of industries that developed, wood products in particular, but also the light engineering that still features in the village, and the wide range of retail services.
There are some points to make here about omissions; very little on the geology of the village, apart from a shot of some trees and some mud! Although the church 'hill' is mentioned, nothing about the village centre being where it is (on a sandstone ridge). No mention of those classics of local history research, the Tithe survey or census returns. As a geographer I was pleased to see profuse use of maps, but the OS sections are not "about the 1930s", they will all have a definite date.
This DVD is not going to replace books! But is a very enjoyable and informative creation nevertheless.
The production is excellent, with sound and picture quality of the highest standard and the commentary by Charles Chatwin, measured and clearly presented. The DVD charts the changes over time that have given rise to the present day community since the creation of the Stane Street. With the assistance of some simple but informative maps the development of the landscape features is presented, in particular the Green Lanes influence on field and road patterns; the built environment of the village was presented on large scale maps with individual buildings noted, their constructional features and subsequent development outlined, through a video technique of 'fading' an old image into a 21st century view. The church has a lengthy portion, with a later revelatory section showing how it was located on the former village green, using the outline of tracks and boundaries to recreate the extent of the green, now only a fragment of its former area. It was pointed out that this village green 'theory' was open to debate. The Wealden location of the village ensured that Non-Conformity was an important factor in the social history and the Unitarian chapel dating to 1754 was featured. Communication by the 19th century saw the Wey & Arun Navigation and then the railway. Railway buffs will enjoy this part which shows the final days of the British rail system's oldest working signal box, now destined for a heritage railway. There is much footage on the extensive number of industries that developed, wood products in particular, but also the light engineering that still features in the village, and the wide range of retail services.
There are some points to make here about omissions; very little on the geology of the village, apart from a shot of some trees and some mud! Although the church 'hill' is mentioned, nothing about the village centre being where it is (on a sandstone ridge). No mention of those classics of local history research, the Tithe survey or census returns. As a geographer I was pleased to see profuse use of maps, but the OS sections are not "about the 1930s", they will all have a definite date.
This DVD is not going to replace books! But is a very enjoyable and informative creation nevertheless.