AAH (All About Horsham) March 2013

AAHALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

March 2013

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There were a few contenders for the frontpage this month, but we went with the picture of Alex Reed, a young racing driverfrom Horsham. We had initially been invited to a track day Alex was attending atBrands Hatch but we were unable to makeit, so instead agreed to meet Alex at hishome. The car was unlikely to be there, sowe had prepared to settle for a picture ofAlex with his trophy collection. But whenthe local newspapers also expressed an interest in the story, his motorsport team

allowed Alex to have the car for a day so allthe local media could get a photo. Thank-fully for us, nobody else goes to as muchtrouble for the right shot as Toby. He set uphis lights and shot straight into the sun andbrought out the great colours in Alex’s Fiesta. Alex was a good model, smiling insome shots and looking serious in others!We looked at the image of Bunty Raymondof Billingshurst Dramatic Society and oneof Frank Andrews at Ridge Farm Studio as potential fronts too...

The Feminine TouchMost of the time, Toby and I are glued toa computer screen. Toby spends an estimated 45% of o;cehours either darkening clouds in Photoshop or obeying requests to ‘get ridof my wrinkles’.I’m usually scouring the internet desperately trying to <nd out aboutthings I know nothing about, yet havededicated four pages to. This month, it was linen...But anyway, sometimes we do go outsideand actually deliver the magazine, whichgives us a great chance to gauge people’sviews on AAH.Obviously this photo is staged. Thoseboxes are actually empty, and we can’ttake credit for delivering 1,300 magazinesin the Comptons Lane area. Conor andAlex Paterson wouldn’t appreciate that,especially when we even pinched theirtrolleys for this photo.Still, we do our bit...As I’ve mentioned before, most peopleremark on Toby’s photography and thequality of the paper AAH is printed on.One person even said she likes the articles (thanks mum!)But another comment that crops up fromtime to time is the slight lack of featuresfor females. This stems from a spate fo motor racingarticles we had about a year ago, butgradually we’ve been trying to remedythat. So this month we have a feature ona dramatic society, a fabric shop, a

Cover Story

Ben, Editor


March 2013

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Ben Morris (AAH Editorial & Advertising) and Toby Phillips (All AAH Photography)

talented female artist, and the life story of a television hostess.Of course, we had to balance that all up, so weput a racing driver on the cover. Well, we tried,but we’re just blokes at the end of the day!

It’s been a manic month for us as we have alsostarted work on a souvenir brochure for PiazzaItalia. For me, the Piazza Italia festival is thebest annual event in Horsham, so I would encourage everyone to visit town over theEaster weekend. I’ll be there selling the

programmes, whilst Toby will be taking photosof cars we’ll never be able to a:ord. The programmes are looking super, and it’ll be niceif people came along and picked one up!

You’ll <nd a little taster for Piazza in this editionbut if you only have time to read one feature,make your way to page 34 for a fascinating insight into Ridge Farm Studio. It’ll make youwant to go hunting for a Rolex...


March 2013

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Editor: Ben [email protected] 878026 / 01903 892899

Advertising: Kelly [email protected] 878026 / 01903 892899

Photography: Toby Phillipstobyphillipsphotography.co.ukinfo@tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk07968 795625

ContributorsJeremy Knight (Historic text for article on Horsham Common)

Additional thanks to...

Richard Mann and Ann Needham at Ridge Farm,Jo Daniell at Bill’s, Jackie Charman at BillingshurstDramatic Society, Bik-Kay Talbot for supplyingphoto of Johnny Ball.

Door-to-Door Delivery teamThe Paterson family, GeoC Valentine, AndrewPrice, Trish Fuller, Sarah Guile, Amy Rogers, LauraHarding, Alex Bland and Cara Cocoracchio (allHorsham rounds), Anna Laker and Alex Besson (Billingshurst), Jamie Towes, Shaun Bacon andEddie Robinson (Southwater), Jack Barnett(Monks Gate/Mannings Heath), Karen Parnell(Warnham), Will Smith (Ashington), Roger Clark(Partridge Green and Cowfold), Reece Elvin (Slinfold), Ben Morris (Tower Hill, Rookwood, DialPost, Crabtree), Toby Phillips (Town Centre), Herbie Whitmore (West Grinstead), Ben’s

Grandma (Wisborough Green)

AAH is available to pick up for free in stands atSakakini (Carfax ), Artisan Patisserie (MarketSquare), CoCo’s salons (Lintot Square inSouthwater and High Street, Billingshurst)and Horsham Museum.

WebsiteRun by Mi-Store of Brighton. Read all of our editions at www.aahorsham.co.uk

AAH Magazine is an independent publicationowned by B. Morris and is based in Ashington

Copies of past editions of AAH are available for £3each (this includes postage). Many are sold out, so

please email Ben for availability.

Why visit our website at www.aahorsham.co.ukwhen you could go for a walk instead?To discuss advertising in AAH call Ben on 01403 878026. View our advertising rates on Page 58...

34 Ridge FarmThe incredible story of the Rusper studio, from Queen to Oasis

51 Group DiscussionFor 70 years, Billingshurst Dramatic Society has put on plays in the village

6 News Round-UpWhat’s making headlines, including anexhibition by artist Angela Brittain

66 How InterestingThe fastest selling album of all timewas recorded locally...

16 Motori Di MarinoAs Piazza Italia nears, we visit an Italianmotorbike business in West Chiltington

48 Big PictureToby Phillips captures the Eooding ofearly February at Wisborough Green

43 The CommonHorsham once had a large Common,and a small part of it still remains

28 ArtWe meet Lucy Ames, who has run her own art business for Dve years

22 Meal ReviewBill’s is the most talked about restaurantin Horsham. But is it any good?

62 BusinessThe Linen Shop and Gallery is gaininga reputation for its Dne fabric

CONTENTS

58 One to WatchAlex Reed is aiming for podium Dnishesin this season’s Fiesta Junior series

This month we will be introducing a new standat the Pavilions in the Park, Horsham


March 2013

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AAH

My Story So FarNatalie van de Braam recalls her time asa hostess on Play Your Cards Right

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1: The Partridge Green Village Fete will beheld on the King George V Playing Field onSaturday 29th June. Highlights include Harris’s Old Time Funfair, dog show, sideshows, barbeque, and a wider than everrange of stalls with local goods and crafts forsale. If you are able to help or are looking for astall, please email johndelittle789@btinternetor call 07740 710765.

2: SpoDorths and The Dame Vera Lynn Trustfor Children with Cerebral Palsy are celebratingafter the Horsham Erm raised more than£2,000 for the Five Oaks based charity. Thefunds were raised in October 2012 as theDame Vera Lynn Trust took part in a Will Writing Week with the support of SpoDorths.

3: The Kaleidoscope Singers, based in Steyning,are singing in the London Brandenburg ChoralFestival on Saturday, 20th April at 3.30pm. Thevenue is the beautiful St Clement Danes Churchin the Strand and the programme is a mixture ofAmerican and Australian music. You can joinKaleidoscope on a coach trip leaving Steyningat 10am, returning around 7pm with three

hours to relax before the concert. Cost for coachand concert is £27. For tickets and informationcall Steyning Bookshop on 01903 812062.

4: Hypnotherapist Rachael Horton from Horsham has written a new self-help bookcalled ‘28 Days to Change Your Life’. Rachelsaid that the book uses hypnosis techniquesto help readers re-organise their thinking andlive their ideal lives. For more details [email protected]

5: Bluecoat Sports Health & Fitness Club willagain be hosting the National SwimathonEvent in their 25metre pool on Saturday 27thApril and Sunday 28th April. Participants areencouraged to join in the fun by dressing upin their own famous Superheroes costumes.Last year Bluecoats Sports was the 6th bestranked pool in the country, raising nearly£4,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. To enteras an individual or a team visit www.bluecoatsports.co.uk and follow theSwimathon Event details.

6: St Catherine’s Hospice is going back to its

roots for a special 1980s themed MidnightWalk this year. As part of the hospice’s 30thanniversary celebrations, the Horsham Parkfundraiser, on Saturday 13th July, is having a1983 style make-over. This year there is a new7-mile route as well as the traditional halfmarathon. Entry is £15 with a welcome packincluding a Midnight Walk T-shirt. Sign up online at www.stch.org.uk/midnightwalk orpick up a form at St Catherine’s Hospice shopsin East Street, Horsham and Jengers Mead,Billingshurst.

7: Pennthorpe School marked Chinese NewYear in style. Workshops introducing studentsto Chinese calligraphy and Chinese dancing,and pupils also learned how to write thenumbers from one to ten in Cantonese. Theentire school had a hand in building a Chinese dragon in the school’s Art and Design centre. The school has Open Morningson Tuesday 12th and Saturday 16th Marchfrom 9.30 am-12pm. For details visitwww.pennthorpe.com

8: Vienna Festival Ballet presents ‘Coppelia’ at

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AAH News Round-up

the Capitol on Tuesday 12th March at 7.30pm.Vienna Festival Ballet’s enchanting productionof this joyous and witty ballet is an ever-popular celebration of love, with a sparklingscore and breath-taking choreography. Tickets cost £19.50 from 01403 750220 orwww.thecapitolhorsham.com

9: Businesses and organisations are being in-vited to an Inter-Business Charity Table TennisCompetition at Collyers Sixth Form Collegeon the evening of Monday 18th March. Players of all ability and experience levels arewelcome to participate. Beginners will beneAtfrom on-hand support and bats will be available to borrow. The event will raise fundsfor Set4Success. Cost is £25 per team and thedeadline for entries is Monday 11th March.For details email [email protected] orcall 01403 215634.

10: Angela Brittain is exhibiting her artworkat Horsham Museum Art Gallery until 6thApril. The exhibition is called ‘Seeing it myWay’ and consists of 20 paintings, as well asprints and cards. For more details visit

www.angelabrittain.co.uk

11: Horsham District Council has announcedthat Council Tax will remain unchanged forresidents in the year starting April 2013. Thefreeze was agreed at the full Council meetingon 19th February. Further information aboutthe budget is available by visiting www.hor-sham.gov.uk or by calling Horsham DistrictCouncil on 01403 215301.

12: The Horsham Day Nursery is a brand newsetting in Horsham from Angmering DayNurseries Limited. The company already hastwo successful nurseries and has put all of thatexperience and knowledge into creating a DayNursery in Horsham speciAcally designed topromote education, fun and safety for childrenaged 3 months to 5 years. Children have freeaccess to a children’s kitchen where they canhelp cook the fabulous organic food served.The Nursery also has the latest IT equipmentand wooden toys with a sound educationalethos. Parents are welcome to visit anytimeby calling 01403 217600.

13: On Saturday 23rd March 2013 the BluebellRailway will be running the Arst passengercarrying trains in and out of East GrinsteadStation since 1958. The Bluebell Railways’ station is next to the Southern Railway Stationwhich is linked by a footpath enabling passengers to walk the short distance betweenthe two stations. A special train service willapply throughout the day at 45 minute intervals. There will be a celebratory 2 weekopening festival from Saturday 23rd Marchuntil Sunday 8th April. The service will rundaily for three weeks, but then the line willtemporarily close between Kingscote andEast Grinstead, except for weekends. Fordetails visit www.bluebell-railway.com

14: The Horsham Symphony Orchestra opensits spring concert at the Capitol with a performance of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G,with Henry Roberts as a local soloist. This willbe followed by a performance of Mahler’sFifth Symphony, best known for its sublimeAdagietto, made famous in the 1971 AlmDeath in Venice. Tickets cost £14 from 01403750220 or www.thecapitolhorsham.com

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AAH News Round-up

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15: Horsham YMCA and North Sussex SoccerAcademy host a 5-a-side Football Tournamenton Saturday, 4th May at 9.30am to 4pm atHorsham YMCA, Gorings Mead. The tournamentis open for pupils in school Years 1 to 8. Entryis £3 a player, with proceeds to Chase Hospice. Enter as a team or individual. Fordetails call Ted Streeter on 01403 262806.

16: Sam Leeves will be signing copies of hisCrst published book, a fantasy adventurecalled Endless Tides, at the Tanners Arms inHorsham, on Monday 18th March from 8pm.

17: Raymond Cusick, famed as the designer ofthe Daleks, died on 24th February. He workedon Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966, and

although screenwriter Terry Nation came upwith the idea of the Daleks, it was left to Raymond to design them. He was awarded aone-oB payment of about £100 as a reward.After a brief spell as a director in the late 1960s,he reverted to art direction before retiring in1988. He lived in Horsham and devoted hisspare time to researching military history.

18: Johnny Ball, children’s TV presenter andmathematician, inspired Year 5 and Year 6children from the Billingshurst area in February.Children from St. Mary’s Pulborough, Loxwood, ItchingCeld, Slinfold, William Penn, Wisborough Green, Plaistow and Kirdford,Shipley, and Rudgwick attended BillingshurstPrimary School as Johnny took pupils from all

the schools on an amazing maths journey.

19: There will be an Evening to Celebrate theXylophone Music of Sir Patrick Moore at Slinfold Village Hall, The Street, Slinfold, onSaturday, 16th March at 7.30pm. The music willbe performed by Christopher Beaumont, withthe Andy Beamont Trio. Tickets £8 from 01243558813or [email protected]

20: Horsham Festival of Cricket 2013 is heldon 22nd – 26th May at Horsham Cricket andSports Club. Sussex take on Somerset in acouty match before Sussex Sharks take onKent SpitCres in a 40 over contest on 26th. For tickets call 0844 264 0206 or visitwww.sussexcricket.co.uk

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I was born in Hertfordshire. My father designed cranes and my mother was ahousewife.

I went to St Francis, a boarding schoolfor girls in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.The nuns had a strong focus on the performing arts and held ballet classes,which my mother wanted me to attend.But I was always in the back row because I was very shy. I loved balletbut I wasn’t learning much as I couldn’teven see the teacher.

I auditioned for the Royal Ballet Schoolwhen I was 12, which was a year or twoolder than most children that audition, butthey thought I was a little too tall. All I everwanted to do was be a ballet dancer, sowhen I wasn’t accepted my hopes weredashed.

I went to Grandison College in Croydonand learnt all sorts of dance styles, including jazz and tap, as well as ballet.I was in a couple of pantomimes as aschoolgirl. I was in Babes in the Woodwith Sid James and Dick Emery, touringin Shrewsbury, Sutton and East Ham.

That was when I had my 0rst gin and tonic.Dick would invite the whole cast in to hisdressing room for a gin and tonic beforeeach show.

I was in the original line up of what became Pan’s People. When I was atschool, the pianist in one of the balletclasses had a daughter who was in adance group called The Beat Girls, alongwith Barbara ‘Babs’ Lord and Dee DeeWilde. They were doing a televisionshow with Dickie Valentine, but the pianist’s daughter couldn’t do the showso I stepped in for a series as one of TheBeat Girls. We did a number withGeorgie Fame and the Blue Flames. But Ihad my hair in a bun, and I think theythought I was really uncool.

I left school and auditioned for a revival ofSunday Night at the Palladium. The showhad been one of the most popular shows

‘I danced in a blue chiffon dress as Liberace

played piano’Natalie van de Braam,

of Billingshurst

of the 1960’s and they tried to revive it in1973. I was chosen as a dancer, and performed in live shows from the London theatre every Sunday night, which was pretty

scary for somebody who had just come out ofschool. Everybody else in the group had a lotmore experience and was a lot older than me.I was really in at the deep end.

My Story: Natalie van de Braam

Natalie on Play Your Cards Right

Natalie (centre) as a member of Rudgwick Dramatic Society

That was in the days of variety showsand the dancers would open theshows. I remember Cli- Richard performed on one of the nights. Theshow did okay but it only lasted forone series.

Naturally, I met a lot of choreographers.Every show you did, you would meetsomeone else, a di-erent choreographeror producer. Lionel Blair and Irving Davieswere two I worked regularly for. Like actors work well with certain directors,dancers can work well with certain choreographers. I was good for Irving’sstyle of dance so every time he neededdancers I was there.

We used to go to Elstree Studios quiteoften. One time, Liberace was recording there, playing The BlueDanube on his beautiful grand pianoand we were dancing around in bluechi-on dresses .oating around, and hewanted someone dancing around thepiano as he played. He chose me!

Irving used to dance in many movies, andeven danced with Gene Kelly, and hadmany contacts. Thanks to him I got toregularly dance on shows such as Cilla. Ialso performed with the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom O’Connorand did Quincy’s Quest with TommySteele. We all played the parts of toys andit aired as a Christmas Story on ITV in1979.

I was on The Two Ronnies on a coupleof occasions, and there is one I still seerepeated from time to time calledCrossed Lines. They are on two phoneshaving separate conversations that intertwine and there’s a lot of double

meaning. I play a girl working at Sainsbury’swho comes in with a bottle of Champagneand I go o4 with Ronnie Corbett.

People were envious of us as televisiondancers as we earned more than the very talented dancers of the West End. When I gettogether with some of the girls I used to dancewith, we always say ‘we really were so lucky’.

There was one time when I was involved ina West End show; Rock Carmen in 1971. Itwas an awful 6op that ran for 5ve or sixweeks at the Roundhouse in Camden. Itwas a rock version of Carmen and starredTerri Stevens and Elaine Paige. Irving directed it, but it didn’t work out.

I married and moved down to Rudgwick in1976 and joined the Dramatic Society there.The marriage didn’t work out, but I had my)rst son, Charles.

My agent, Ann Zahl, sent me to an auditionfor Play Your Cards Right, and I became oneof four hostesses on the show. AlongsideBruce Forsyth, they had four girls on theshow and a male host with Denni Kempand I staying throughout the eight seriesrun. I missed just one series to have a child.There were always four hostesses alongsideBruce, and a host, which was JohnMelainey.

It was good fun, but it was disappointing asDenni and I really thought we had made it. Wethought we had hit the jackpot, as we were to

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Natalie (back right) has fond memories of working with Bruce Forsyth for seven seasons

‘You didn’t want to goaround telling peopleyou were a DollyDealer. You weren’tproud of it, althoughthe money was handy’

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My Story: Natalie van de Braam

Natalie moved to Ireland as her husband established the de Braam bottled water company

be television hostesses. But it wasn’t likethat; you would just see my hand turn acard over. We thought we would be involved more heavily but essentially wewere just models.

You would have the occasional line butthey would be embarrassing. It wasBruce’s show, let’s face it. O( screen, hewas a nice enough chap, but I didn’thave a huge amount to do with him.

‘Dolly Dealers’ was a phrase Bruce cameup with and it stuck. Poor John was a verytall and handsome man who was a verygood performer, but Bruce referred to himas his ‘male modarl…’

You didn’t want to go around tellingpeople you were a Dolly Dealer. Youweren’t proud of it, although themoney was handy.

I married for the second time, to Dorian deBraam in 1983, and we had three children,Dorian, Merlin and Portia. In 1986, I wentto live in Ireland as my husband hadstarted a mineral water business, deBraam Water. We were able to buy themost amazing place in County Meath as property was very cheap there at thistime.

It was hard work setting it up. I wouldbe packing bottles and answering thephone, whilst one baby was riding aplastic tractor, one was in a basket andone was bouncing from a door. It wascrazy.

I always said the whole time I was therethat I didn’t belong in Ireland. I belong inSussex. I missed going to London andbeing able to go to the theatre, but mychildren wanted to stay in Ireland.

We faced two court cases, one relatingto the business, which we won. I said toDorian that we were not really cut outfor business, and we sold out andmoved to a lovely house in Waterford in1993.

Another court case (Dorian was in a crashinvolving his home-built aeroplane and ahelicopter) kept going on, but we still hadto put bread on the table so I thought Icould start teaching ballet to children. Istarted a dance and drama group in theschool holidays and we transformed thedining room of our home into a stage andstudio complete with mirrors.

I wrote a play for the children and weperformed it after a week’s rehearsalsin the school holidays. The parentscame to watch it and really enjoyed it.People kept asking if I would carry it allon as there was nothing like it in that

area at the time, so I set up the Children’s Theatre Workshop.

A short time later, the Royal Academy ofDance suggested that I teach ballet, as therewas a shortage in that part of Ireland. Ithought I was too old, but I thought about itand decided to go for it. I took my teachingexams which took me three years and Thede Braam School of Dance and Theatre Artsopened in 2003.

I wrote to Elaine Paige and asked if shewould be the patron. She said yes andeven o2ered to come over for the opening, which was marvellous! Theschool operated for six years, and it wasbrilliant. We had 500 students and weperformed shows such as Bugsy Malone.

The court case would eventually break mymarriage and I came back to West Sussex,moving to Billingshurst. I joined Billingshurst Dramatic Society, which had always crossed over to a certain degree withthe Rudgwick Society, and it felt like I’dnever been away. I enjoy being involvedwith that immensely and I still teach ballettwice a week at Farlington School.

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The television days were good times. I wasso lucky that we got to do what we did, yetit wasn’t cut throat at all. My daughter is adancer and a model and has been trying toget into acting and it’s so hard these days.Some of the girls I’ve trained have gone on

to college to do Contemporary Dance andpart of me wonders where they are allgoing to work.

I sometimes wonder if I hadn’t encouragedthem they might be doing something sensible!

Do you have a story to tell?If you think your ‘story so far’ would make an interesting read, please do

get in touch with us on 01403 878026. A visit may cost you a cup of tea forBen and Toby. We consider biscuits to be a welcome bonus.

This year Piazza Italia will be celebrating itsseventh year in Horsham.The event has grown considerably in thattime. It is now held over three days with anItalian food market, wine tasting, operasingers, Scalextric challenges, street entertainment, and of course a few car andmotorbike attractions that would shamemany professionally-run motoring shows.Traditionally, it is the Ferrari rally on GoodFriday that grabs the headlines. This year we can expect, once again, somewhere in the region of 100 cars

sporting the famous Prancing Horse badgeto drive into the Carfax, including seven Ferrari F40s and seven Ferrari ‘classics’.But for many, the Italian motorbike paradehas become the unsung highlight of PiazzaItalia. Last year, about 200 historic bikes includingMoto Guzzi, Ducati, Laverda and Benellibikes came to town.They had all made their way from a smallgarage in West Chiltington, quite unlike anything you would ever expect to 2nd in asmall West Sussex village.

Motori Di Marino is like a throwback to a di1erent era, when villagers could top uptheir car at a family run petrol station without having to wait for people to pay fortheir groceries and collect vouchers forschool sports equipment.An era where repair workshops could survive without the need for an accompanying state-of-the-art, glass-fronted dealership.So in some respects, Motori Di Marino,owned by Pietro Di Marino, is as much a museum as anything. But the company’s day

Italian Passionat the heart of festival

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Motori Di Marino

to day business involves building,restoring, tuning and selling Italianbikes including Ducati, Moto Guzzi,MV Agusta, Ghezzi-Brian, Benelli,Gilera and a few other rarities.Much of the work is for private customers, but Pietro and his smallbut experienced team also has agreat number of ongoing restorationprojects. When these bikes are 9nished, theywill be added to the collection ofbikes for sale.There can be few places in thecountry – or even Europe - that canboast such an extensive range ofmotorbikes. You certainly neverknow who or what is going to pullup outside the garage next. Pietro said: “A Laverda motorcyclerecently arrived as boxes of bits andthe customer said ‘can you make amotorbike out of this?’ “For me, that is an interesting

project. We are in a good position atthe moment, as there’s enough demand to keep us going. “There must be a handful of peoplescattered here and there who 9xItalian bikes, but in this area we arecertainly the only ones to have thismuch variety of motorcycles.“We have our own projects and wehave a huge warehouse full of oldbike parts going back decades, butof course the customer comes 9rst.When we have the time we work onour own stu8 we do. “I have some projects that havebeen going on for 15 years andwhen I 9nally 9nd the right parts Iwill 9nish them!“The oldest bike we have here at themoment is a 1939 Moto Guzzi, butwe have a Mike Hailwood replicaDucati, a six cylinder Benelli andeven a motorbike used by Italianpostmen in the 1950s.

‘A Laverda motorcycle recently arrived asboxes of bits and the customer said ‘canyou make a motorbike out of this?’

18

“Everything is either for sale, has sold, or is a project we are working on.“When you have all of these bikes, you can’treally have a favourite, although I admit I amnot a pre-war enthusiast. After the SecondWorld War, bikes started to improve in termsof brakes and reliability. “But I like the designs of each era for di4erentreasons. A lot of people like what they rememberfrom their childhood. If your dad had a Norton Commando, and you reach a point inyour life when you have a bit of money tospend and want to buy a classic bike, thenthat’s probably the bike you will seek out.There’s a lot of nostalgia involved.“As it happens, I don’t have a motorbike. People don’t believe me when I tell them! “If I had a bike I would then have a favourite,and wouldn’t be able to ride and enjoy all ofthe other bikes!”Even those with little interest in motorbikesor racing could fail to notice the charm ofMotori di Marino. Rusty oil cans sit onshelves, fuel tanks straddle beams highabove your head, and dozens of bike leathershang from a rail in front of a sign declaring

that ‘It’s great to be Italian’.On Friday, 29th March, about 200 riders willwhole-heartedly agree with that sentimentas they make their way to the garage to

meet on the morning of Piazza Italia. Mostwill then enjoy a 26 mile ride through theSussex countryside, visiting other villageswithin the district.

Motori Di Marino specialises in building and restoring Italian motorcycles

‘Rusty oil cans sit on shelves, fuel tanks straddle beams above your head, and leathers hang in front of a sign declaring that ‘It’s great to be Italian’.

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‘We probably had in the region of 70or 80 bikes here in the !rst year, and last year wecounted about 200bikes. For me personally, it’s always nice to see the varied machinery’

20

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They will then meet the drivers with theSurrey and Sussex branches of the Ferrari Owners Club, before makingtheir way into Horsham town centre.For many of the riders, the parade hasbecome a not-to-be-missed event.Pietro said: “A few years ago, I was askedby one of the local Ducati club members if they could start the paradefrom here, and Garry Mortimer-Cook(Horsham Town Centre Manager) camedown to see us.“We went from there. We probably hadin the region of 70 or 80 bikes here inthe 2rst year, and last year we countedabout 200 bikes.“For me personally, it’s always nice tosee the varied machinery that comes upfor the day. I see di1erent bikes week in,week out as I specialise in Italian bikes,but it is nice to see them all in one goand the local people like it too as theyhave a little show.“I do go into Horsham but I can’t go inwith the rest of the bikes as somebodyhas to stick around and tidy up theplace and put some of the bikes backinto the garage.

58 Motori Di Marino

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“But I always come into town later on and Ithink the Italian bikes and the Ferraris complement each other very well.“Piazza Italia is a great event. I don’t think itneeds to grow, but I hope it’ll keep going inits current format. It brings a lot of people toHorsham and it’s a good day out for every-body.”The Piazza Italia festival is organised by

Horsham District Council in conjunction withlocal businesses, vehicle owners groups andpartner organisations.This year’s highlights include a rally of Ferrarisand Italian bikes on Good Friday, the VinesItalian Job Mini Run with up to 100 Minis heldon Easter Saturday, and supercars (a PaganiZonda often attends) as well Alfas, Fiats andScooters on Easter Monday.

The event will be in aid of Surrey & Sussex AirAmbulance, Chestnut Tree House Children’sHospice and The Children’s Trust (Easter Monday).For more of a 9avour of what Horsham PiazzaItalia is all about visit the Leisure and Tourismpage at www.horsham.gov.uk or scan the QRcode above if you have one of those fancyphones that can do such things…

The riders will meet with the Ferrari driversbefore heading into town together

Too Cool

There was a sketch in the comedy show‘Harry and Paul’ in which Harry En7eldran a shop called ‘I Saw You Coming’.The shop owner would sell useless junkand torn up furniture taken from skips atvastly in8ated prices to wealthy womenwho dabble in interior design and are always on the lookout for ‘rustic’ and ‘authentic’ items.In all honesty, it can occasionally feel likeBill’s Restaurant in Horsham has an element of that same deliberate, ShabbyChic quirkiness. There’s the rustic tables, the second-handchurch chairs with back slats, the largeolive oil cans being used as ice bucketsand string bags, which may lack convenience but make up for it by beingethically sound, for sale at just £2.40.Those waiting for a table can sit down ontwo armchairs which in a previous lifehad presumably been coated in PedigreeChum and dragged through a puppyfarm.Whatever your thoughts on Shabby Chic,you must take your hat o6 to Bill Collison.Bill started his 7rst restaurant in Lewes alittle more than a decade ago and nowhas 14 bearing his name. It takes someskill to create a restaurant that appeals tocustomers seeking a unique experience,and yet can potentially seat 200 people...In years to come, Horsham may well be

listed amongst Bill’s most rewarding ventures. Opening at the Old Town Hallin Market Square was a long and nodoubt exhausting road, with many wellreported stumbling blocks along theway. These were mostly presented by anopposition group who wanted to retainthe building for community use.Now it is open, the people in Horshamhave demonstrated their support to theidea of a restaurant occupying the town’smost historic building by 8ocking to Bill’sin their droves. Pedro Martins, Assistant Manager at therestaurant, said: “I know that before weopened there were some people whowanted the building to be used for thepublic and I know there were problems. “But since we opened we have not hadcomplaints and most people praise whatwe have done to the building. You cansee that they have paid a lot of attentionto maintaining the features of the TownHall. “Many people come in just to see the inside, without even buying a drink, andwe show them around. Of course, lots ofpeople were married in the Town Hall sothere is a lot of emotional attachment tothe building and so we show them ourWedding Room.“And in terms of bookings, we were busyfrom the moment we opened. Even on

RReevviieewwBill’s Restaurant, Horsham

for the OldTown Hall?

22

Review: Bill’s Restaurant

Monday nights, we are full.”Clearly, Bill has created a successful recipeand over the years has added a little seasoning here and there to ensure everything is just perfect. It may be contrived, but of course that matters not a jot if people are having funand eating good food in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Looking around, this is clearlythe case here in Horsham.The appearance of the building, whilst impressive, will not be to everybody’s liking.Two large windows either side of the entrance look on to Market Place, and youenter to a small waiting area and small shopselling a range of Bill’s branded produce.

These include chutney, Earl Grey tea, raspberry jam, jelly babies, freshly-pressedapple juice, lemon curd, elder;ower cordial,grapefruit and lime marmalade, aprons andorange ;avour buttons, as well as brandedproduce including Nunez de Prado olive oilsand Amaretti biscuits.Rustic shutters, hanging swarms of driedchillies and exposed ventilation shafts allcontribute to the con;icting yet colourfuldécor, which carries character if not charm,whilst a wooden plaque of former councilchairman serves as reminder of the past.There is seating for about 100 upstairs, witha third of that number in what is known asthe Wedding Room, because of course it

was a Registry O9ce for many years. Addthat to the downstairs area and the tables(in good weather,) and you have about 200diners at capacity.But as Pedro explains, it is important thateverybody feels welcome and at home.“You’ll see there are some blankets near theentrance. If someone doesn’t take theirjacket o8, we ask them if they are cold ando8er them a blanket.“When it was snowing recently it was cold inhere as it is hard to maintain warmth in thisold building. So we were handing out blankets. “One lady was having a birthday and it washer :rst visit here. She told me that she was

Wedding RoomUpstairs at Bill’s

24


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impressed because the waiter had approached her and asked if shewanted a blanket. It wasn’t the foodor the building that had most impressed her; it was the fact that wehad gone the extra mile and she appreciated that.“People love the fact that we providereally great food with a casual servicewith a quirky twist in everything wedo. That’s what Bill’s is all about.“Everything is planned by Bill. He washere a lot during the building processand he comes in regularly to direct usin terms of the visual appearance. Ifyou see something in a certain position, it is because Bill has decidedit should be there.” We settled down on a table Bill haddecided should be by the window.We ordered a Bill’s beer, brewed byHarvey’s, which is not only one of thebest breweries in Sussex but is conveniently located opposite the4rst Bill’s store in Lewes, and readthrough Bill Collison’s book ‘Cook, Eat,Smile’ which is for sale at the restaurant.In his introduction in the book, Billwrites ‘We set out to make a placethat was colourful and exuberantwith dishes that were really tasty, butalso made you smile and gave everyone lots of ideas to take homewith them.‘We put fruit on our pizzas, we addedroots, sprouts and leaves that peoplehad never seen before to our salads,and made cakes that looked so extraordinary that customers wouldtake pictures of them before they atethem.’Well, we would certainly be takingpictures of the food before we ate it,but would we also 4nd it ‘reallytasty’?For starters, we chose mini Cumberlandsausages (£4.25), crab, salmon andchilli 4shcakes (£5.95) and mezze

crab, salmon and chilli �shcakes


(£9.95)The 0shcakes are pan fried and served withred chicory, mixed leaves, mango salsa andlemon dressing, which unusually didn’t quiteprovide the exotic experience it promises, astoo many tightly condensed 1avours cancelledeach other out.The sausages were dripping with a deliciousgrain mustard and honey and with 0vesausages almost as wide as they were long,represented good value.

The mezze included fresh tomato salsa, babaganouj, extra virgin olive oil hummus, marinated olives and mojo marinated hal-loumi skewers, with grilled wholemeal pittabread. It wasn’t the most immaculately orimaginatively presented dish, very much 0tting with more Bill’s informal style, butthere was scope to have a bit of fun by creating your own kebab.There was plenty of the grilled Cypriotcheese to go around, and the Perello olives

carried some good 1avour too, with a mildspiciness and a hint of orange and oreganocoming through.An extensive list of main course meals include pan-fried salmon (£10.85), piri-pirimarinated half chicken (£10.95), Bill’s Fish Pie(£12.95), home-made cod 0sh 0nger sandwich (£8.50), moules frites (£9.95) andBill’s macaroni cheese (£8.50). We chose the marinated chicken skewers(£9.95), comprising skewers of chargrilled

‘Bill comes in regularly to direct us in terms of the visual appearance’

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26

chicken, served on a sultana, coriander andlemon cous cous with tzatziki and pittabread. We found it be a colourful dish withgood 1avour and 1air.We also tried the halloumi and hummusburger (£8.95) simply as it was somethingwe had never sampled before. Whilst it wasan interesting combination, with babygem, roasted peppers, sweet chilli and yoghurt to baulk it out, there was not anyexplosion of 1avours which could suggestthat this all formed a natural alliance with

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the sesame seed bun, who was no doubt pining for his old friend, the hamburger.However, with a simple diner-style presentationwith a side of skinny fries, it was once again atalking point, like every other meal or indeedthe features of the restaurant.For puddings, you can take your pick fromEton mess (£5.95), warm chocolate brownie(£5.95), blackcurrant and sour cherry sundae(£5.75), lemon meringue pie cheesecake(£5.95), raspberry and white chocolate crèmebrûlée (£4.95), pecan pie (£5.95), warm mini

cinnamon doughnuts (£5.50) and Bill’s marmalade and brown bread ice cream(£4.95)The generously sized crème brûlée was enjoyable with a crisp golden coating and asoft, sweet centre. The Eton mess was delicious, as strawberries, cream andmeringue can never fail to be, and there wascertainly plenty of it. But for a restaurant thatprides itself on quirkiness, perhaps Bill’s ismissing a trick here with its dinner-lady presentation.

marinated chickenskewers


At the end of the meal, we were were full, satis#ed that we had eaten interesting andhearty dishes, and the service had beenwarm and friendly throughout. There’s alsolittle danger of diners sitting in silence, asthere’s no end of talking points relating tothe decoration, the transformation of thebuilding, the menu and the items for sale inthe shop.But it does feel like there’s more work to bedone. The upstairs dining area doesn’t quitebene#t from the vibrancy of the lower level,and it is a building that needs to be somewhere near capacity to generatewarmth and atmosphere. Another problem is that the quirky disheswhich caused such a stir when Bill set outonly a few years ago are now not such a rarity. The surge of cooking shows on television has created an insatiable appetitefor better food, driving standards higher athome, on the high street and in our restaurants. You need to be a little more innovative forpeople to take photos of your puddingsnow…For now, Bill’s warrants attention. Go there,you’ll have a good night and you’ll enjoyyour food. But it might not be too long before the tried and tested Bill’s formulaneeds refreshing.

Pedro Martins, Assistant Manager at at Bill’s

Eton mess

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28

Artist Ames forCommercial Success

Art: Lucy Ames

In the art world, a touch of insanity can dowonders for one’s legacy.You could argue that some of the most famous artists of all time owe as much totheir eccentric character as to artistic inspiration.Do Warhol’s paintings sell for millions because they’re a perfect interpretation ofCampbell’s tomato soup, or are we buyinginto the glori/ed celebrity-laden, Bohemian culture he encapsulates?Would Vincent Van Goth have become sorenowned if he hadn’t chopped o- his earor battled poverty and depression in aFrench asylum?Perhaps both men are like a thick creamthat has taken a long time to rise to thetop. But without a shadow of a doubt, authenticity is a key word in the art world.For some, art is sacrosanct, and the veryidea of relating money to art is simplyunthinkable. For these people, anyone painting forcommercial reasons could not possibly attain a su.cient degree of satisfaction orself-ful/llment from their work.Which is complete nonsense...Lucy Ames has loved painting since shewas at school, and has been running herown home-based art business for /veyears.The mum-of-two is happy to admit thatshe paints things that are selling well and,rather than seeking approval from thepurists, is more concerned with helping toprovide a living for her family whilst verymuch ful/lling her own creative needs.“It doesn’t worry me that I’m creating artfor commercial reasons,” she said. “One ofthe things I enjoy most is talking to clientsabout what they want and working to thatbrief. “I talk to them and design something, andI try to make it really personal to each person. I enjoy painting for other peopleas much as I enjoy painting for myself, so itnever really feels like work. For me, it’s thebest job in the world.”

Lucy Ames

30

With her two children at school,Lucy has plenty of time to focuson art, although she says that hermost productive time is late atnight when she can occasionallyget so carried away that sheworks into the early hours.The subject of Lucy’s paintingshas changed too, even if the stylehas not altered dramatically. Lucy likes to work in a mess, usually painting on the 4oorrather than on an easel, and thatfreedom is expressed in thethickly textured paintings inspiredby the likes of Leon Kosso2 andFrank Auerbach.But the focus has switched fromwatercolours, which were particularly popular in the 1980’s,on to big 4oral images, thenseascapes and city scenes. In oneof Lucy’s favourite pictures, highrise buildings in London havebeen painted over cuttings fromthe Financial Times newspaper.More recently, there has been amove towards more abstract images of people and after attending classes tutored by PiersOttey at Mill Studios in Ford, Lucy

has also tried her hand at lifedrawing and collage.She said: “I think my unique selling point is that I’m versatileand don’t have a signature style.That used to worry me and Ithought I needed a style so people could say ‘oh, that’s de3nitely Art by Lucy Ames’. “But now I’m spinning it around,and my selling point is that oneday I might paint a 4ower and thenext day it might be a collage ofBattersea power station.“I think art is driven by interiorfashions. There has been a comeback in 4oral wallpaper andbedding and the 4oral paintingsjust 3t in well, so that is what people are looking for at the moment.”Lucy may now be doing what shealways wanted to do, but it’staken a while to reach that point.She showed artistic potential atschool, but her parents talked herout of trying to make a living asan artist.Instead, she studied businessstudies at University. It servedLucy well, although she admits

‘Lucy likes to work in a mess, usually painting on the �oor

rather than on an easel’

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Art: Lucy Ames

she would personally have chosen a degreein Fine Art. She said: “I became a business analyst, whichwas all about numbers and had no creativeelement at all, but I made a good career of it.I worked in the electricity industry and thenat The Body Shop in Littlehampton.“I reached the stage when I could a*ord to go

part-time and did a Foundation course atNorthbrook College in Horsham. It was brilliant fun, as I learned new techniques withtextiles, sketching, painting, life drawing andeven photography. I had the opportunity toexperiment and the freedom to express myself.“But I still had no idea as to how I could make

a living at it, so I went back to being a business analyst. It wasn’t until +fteen yearslater, when I was made redundant, that I wasin a position to try it full time.”Lucy had been selling paintings to friendsand family for over a decade and sales hadsteadily increased. Having established Art byLucy Ames as a business at her home in

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Ashington, Lucy made a great start. Lucy’s =rstexhibition was in the foyer of her previous workplace at The Body Shop and she sold 14paintings and received eleven commissions. “In a way, it was a false dawn,” said Lucy. “Ithought I would concentrate on corporate heado<ces. I negotiated to go to RSA in Horshamand Allianz in Guildford, and I just sat there dayafter day with nobody talking to me and nobody buying anything. “That was a shock. I set o; on a high, thinking itwas going to be easy, but I realised that it wasdown to who you know. So I started networking

and attending Sussex Women in Business andMumpreneur (mums that run their own businesses) clubs and that has really helped meto make good contacts. “Now, I’m mainly selling through word of mouth,through people I have met and through networking. “I also take part in Open Studio events with bothHorsham and Worthing art groups. I’ll be involved in the Horsham event this year as theyare doing something di;erent, with a weekendat Sedgwick House and a second weekend inthe artists’ own home.

“But local art can be di<cult to sell,even when you collectively joinforces. People tend to buy peoplerather than the art.”Next up for Lucy is a pop-up galleryin Swan Walk, next to Ann Summers,where her work will be exhibitedalong with art by Lesley Taylor, SteveGubbins, Janine Creaye and KeziaNoel-Paton. The Gallery will be openfor =ve days from Wednesday 6th toSunday 10th March and will featuresculptures, paintings, abstract photography and ceramics. Her artwill also be appearing at La Source inEast Street for a period beginning on29th March.Maybe some of Lucy’s paintings willsell, maybe they won’t, but Lucy canstill go home to her two biggest fans.“My children are proud that theirmum is an artist. It’s something thatthey can relate to, whereas as if yousay you’re a project manager it’s notso interesting to them. “They’ve always been really supportive. When we do the OpenStudios or hold exhibitions I can hearthem saying ‘my mum did that’ andthat’s nice for me to hear.”

For more of Lucy’s paintings visitwww.artbylucyames.com

‘I set off on a high, thinking it was going to be easy, but I realised that it was down to who you know’

At Mark Antony Windows, our aim is to providethe best service supplying and installing PVC-Uand aluminium products in the South East andall at competitive prices. Company Directors Mark Edwards and AntonyDeakin have more than 30 years of experiencein the industry. We cater to all needs with every aspect coveredfrom complete conservatories - including design, project oversight and planning regulation - to minor repairs, locks and condensed units.Our windows are manufactured using theWHS Halo Pro;le, using a unique technology of a ;ve chamber thermalsystem to give extra protection againstthe outside elements. They undergo extensive testing to ensure maximum

insulation. All of our frames are calcium organic and recycled. All products come withour 10 year guarantee.Mark Antony Windows has also been recognisedby the Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS).

The DGCOS is supported by TV’sconsumer champion Nick Ross,who said: “The double glazing industry doesn’t exactly have thebest reputation in the world.

We’ve all heard stories about aggressive salestactics, poor standards of workmanship, problems never being recti;ed, and installersgoing out of business, leaving worthless guarantees.“The DGCOS is trying to clean up the industry.There are a lot of trade bodies in the doubleglazing industry but however impressive theysound most o:er little protection to con-sumers. We’re trying to change that and getreal consumer protections. When buying double-glazing or a conservatory I stronglyrecommend you use a DGCOS member.”Mark Antony Windows is also a Checkatradesupported business, and is backed by FENSA.

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Frank Andrews establishedthe Studio in 1975

35

Towards the end of 1996, Oasis inGuencedBritish culture in a way that no other bandhad done for a generation.The Manchester band’s feud with Blur, theconstant bickering between the Gallagherbrothers, drug-fuelled bad behaviour andof course some of the greatest rock anthems of the time ensured they wereboth the heroes and villains of society. Themedia couldn’t get enough of them.Desperate to escape a tabloid industry inrelentless pursuit, Oasis found a studio at afarm in the rural outskirts of Rusper. Theyretreated to the peace and tranquillity ofRidge Farm Studio to complete the recording of their third album ‘Be HereNow’.Today, a disc to recognise sales of1,800,000 copies of what remains the UK’sfastest selling album of all time hangs inthe corridor of Ridge Farm alongside othergold discs by the likes of Roxy Music, PearlJam, Bad Company, OMD and Wet WetWet.Yet just Fve years after the release of BeHere Now, and only two years after Muserecorded what is considered by many tobe their best album, Origin of Symmetry,Ridge Farm Studio closed.It is now run as a venue for weddings andfunctions, where couples can play tennison the same court used by Freddie Mercury and have breakfast at the tableonce occupied by The Smiths. You caneven stay in ‘The Cottage’ and stand on thebalcony where, as legend has it, SharonArden threw a Rolex watch belonging toher then-boyfriend Ozzy Osbourne intothe pond below. It may still be there…Ridge Farm Studio was established in 1975by Frank Andrews, who as a lighting technician had toured the UK and acrossEurope with a number of successful bandsincluding Queen, Bad Company, Rolling

Stones, The Doobie Brothers and Abba.Frank recalls: “One day I came back oEtour and my parents were living in a dif-ferent place, which was here at RidgeFarm.“I started the studio with my brother, Billy,and initially, bands would use it to rehearse.But they would bring mobile recordingunits as we didn’t have our own studioequipment at that time. “The idea was unique as it was a retreat inthe countryside. The cliché of recording aclassic rock album in the countryside wasvery new at that time. Record companiesand managers liked it here as they couldkeep an eye on the band and make surethey got all the work done.“If they didn’t turn up for work someonewould go and drag them out of bed!“The Frst band we had here was BackStreet Crawler, set up by Paul KossoE (formerly of Free) and they were recording

with Ronnie Lane’s mobile unit. We had abare barn back then, but it took oEstraight away and we were able to bringbands to Ridge Farm quite quickly. “Queen came here in our Frst year, as Ihad toured with them in Europe andScandinavia. They were relatively unknown at that stage, and that was justat the point where it really took oE forthem. “They liked it here as they could all focuson what they were doing, and all live together. There was a family atmosphere,and the band would stroll around andplay with the dog we had at the time.Queen played a lot of tennis too, and I remember Freddie in particular was verygood.“Queen were rehearsing and they actuallywrote Bohemian Rhapsody here. Therewas a nice article in The Telegraph whereRoger Taylor talked about that. They were

The Legend of Ridge Farm StudioFor a quarter of a Century, Ridge Farm welcomed popular music giants such as Queen,Oasis, Muse and Ozzy Osbourne. The studio has now closed, but its unique history makesfor an interesting wedding venue...

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lovely young men, and they used to go outmost evenings to The Royal Oak pub aroundthe corner.“My parents had an outdoor swimming poolback in those days, and the bands wouldspend a lot of time around it. My mother waspretty open-minded about it all and thoughtthe studio was a good idea. “In hindsight, all the bands were pretty wellbehaved. It was a more innocent time.”Over the next couple of years, bands includingBad Company, Thin Lizzy and Hawkwindwould visit Ridge Farm Studio, whilst RoxyMusic would record ‘Manifesto’ and Magazine their post-punk classic ‘Real Life’.So when Frank’s parents decided that they

wanted to sell the farm, Frank was in a position to buy it from them. It also meantthat in the winter of 1978, Ridge Farm couldcreate its own in-house, 1,200 square footstudio complete with Grand Piano.Initially, Ridge Farm was equipped with a 28channel JH-400 mixing desk with a JH-24multi-track and MCI quarter inch machine, allbelonging to Yes singer Jon Anderson. Frank said: “We made the Roxy album ‘Manifesto’ on Jon’s equipment and that waswhen we started becoming a serious studio.But I wanted to get my own equipment asobviously Jon was taking a large chunk ofthe revenue and I had this whole farm to run.So I borrowed the money for the equipment

and that moved us on to the next level.”In 1982 Ridge Farm had been re-equippedwith a 32 channel 4000E, the MCI multi-trackbeing replaced by a Telefunken 15A. The newequipment, which was again updated in1985, ensured the eighties brought moresuccess for the studio.The likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, WetWet Wet and A Flock of Seagulls recorded inRusper, whilst the Smiths’ Meat is Murder wasadded to the list of Ridge Farm classics.Another regular was Ozzy Osbourne, whorecorded three solo albums with some of thegreatest rock musicians in the world. Occasionally, disciples of Randy Rhoads, whoplayed with Ozzy and Quiet Riot, still visit

‘There are some funny stories about Ozzy, including the night Sharon apparentlythrew his Rolex watch off the balcony into the pond. We’ve never found it!”

The 17th Century farm includes the old studio barn (on the right of the image above) and The Cottage. It is here that Ozzy used to stayand the building is currently being transformed into a bridal suite.

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Ridge Farm. Rhoads, considered one of thegreat guitarists, was killed in a plane crashaged only 26. Frank recalls those days with great fondness.He said: “Ozzy came here a number of timesbut we don’t have gold discs as his recordcompany were so di:cult to deal with. Getting gold discs out of some record companies is like getting blood out of astone, as when they leave the studios they allmove on to promotional work.

“He came here ;rstly to record Blizzard of Oz.We thought he was washed up at the time,but of course he went on to have his showand become this huge cult ;gure. “He was incredibly funny, and he used to godown The Plough in Rusper at lunchtime andbuy everyone in the pub a drink. He used tostay in the cottage rather than the farmhouse. “He was with Sharon, who he later married,and there are some funny stories including

the night she apparently threw his Rolexwatch o9 the balcony. We’ve had metal detectors in there looking for it but we neverfound it!” As time went on, Frank continued to invest inthe farm, building an indoor pool in 1987,whilst in 1990 a Neve VR60 was installed andthe tape machines (2 X 24 track StuderA800s) were moved to a machine roomunder the control room.The ;rst session with this new set-up was the

The bedrooms come with a variety of quirky features, with children particularly enjoying the small access point to this room above...

38

The Ridge Farm Studio is now used by Frank’s son Tom, who records electronic music under the name ‘Broken Note’ The Studio’s own

mix of Pearl Jam's ‘Ten’, an album which sur-prised everyone by catapulting the band toglobal stardom as (thanks also to Nirvana)Seattle became the heart of rock music.But by 1996, Britpop usurped grunge andOasis was the band everybody was talkingabout. Late in the year, the band booked Ridge Farmto record Be Here Now after abandoning theproblematic sessions at Abbey Road. You canread all about Oasis’ visit in our ‘InterestingThings’ feature on Page 66...Several other successful guitar bands of the1990’s recorded at Ridge Farm, most notablySupergrass (their excellent eponymous thirdalbum), Muse, The Bluetones (Expecting to

Fly) with many others using the studios to rehearse. And whilst Ridge Farm had over the yearsbuilt up a reputation of classic rock, it isworth remarking that leading electronic musician Goldie recorded Saturnz Returnthere in 1998.But gradually, the bookings dried up, and JoeJackson was the last person to record there in2002. Frank said: “When we started there really wasjust a couple of residential studios around,but people began imitating the formula, andtowards the end it made it diAcult. We werenever short of work, but we su@ered becausethe rates were being pushed down by record

companies. Then you would wait threemonths to get paid. “We were losing money and the bank would-n’t support it anymore. I kept thinking itwould come back, but it didn’t happen andwe closed in 2003. “I sold the recording desk to Radio Denmark,and seeing it all go was very diAcult for me.You kind of plough on through it when it ishappening, as you have to, but looking backit was a sad time. “The microphones went very quickly, as thatwas like selling the crown jewels. There was alot of old Neumann and AKG microphoneswhich are highly regarded in the recordingworld, and most of those were snapped up

Richard Mann has seen his role at Ridge Farmchange over the years

Ridge Farm Studio

equipment was sold after its closure, with Radiohead buying much of it. Tom spends much of his time performing live around the world.

by Radiohead.“There were a lot of studios closing down.England used to have the best studios inthe world and there were a lot of them. Butthose days are gone now. “I think the 70’s and 80’s were my favouritetimes. It was more di9cult in the 1990s, trying to keep it going through the pop anddance eras, and the earlier days were morecarefree.“It’s di9cult to pick any favourites, but I always liked the Roxy Music album we didhere and Pearl Jam springs to mind too. Nobody knew them when they came hereand recorded ‘Ten’. “That’s what we were good at, :nding newyoung bands and bringing them on. That iswhat I enjoyed doing the most.”Now, Frank runs Ridge Farm as a weddingvenue. The :rst wedding at the farm was inthe 1970’s when Simon Kirke, the drummerin Bad Company was married. It was anevent Frank describes as ‘pretty outrageous’but these days the venue is geared speci:cally for weddings. Richard Mann joined Ridge Farm as aneager music production student, and remembers that on his :rst day at workDanny Go8ey of Supergrass welcomed himin. Now he helps run one of the most quirkyand interesting wedding venues around.He said: “We have a self-catering 11 bedroom house, and in the summer we

“For lots of people, it’sstill how we are bestknown. People say ‘isn’t that where Oasisrecorded?’ But at thetime, it felt like something we had tojust get through!”

40

hold a lot of weddings. The guests enjoy ithere because it’s a really interesting oldplace, and because we hire out the venue forthree days so they have the freedom toschedule their wedding day as they please.“The swimming pool room becomes the reception room, so we put boards over thepool, the wedding party has a sit down mealand then it becomes the party room. “We come in early in the morning and weturn it back into the pool house, so as theywake up they can have a swim! They loveseeing that transformation. “We are also renovating the Cottage (whereOzzy used to stay) into a bridal suite too, asyou continually have to improve what youo8er.” As for the old studio building, there are little clues to its glorious past, but innovative music is still made at Ridge Farm.A producer called Ben Watkins set up his ownequipment several years ago and recorded‘Goa Trance’ tracks under the name Juno Reactor. Now Frank’s son Tom has set up his ownequipment, and is making a name for himselfin electronic music as ‘Broken Note.”Tom said: “I was the little kid that used tohang around the stars, but it didn’t meananything to me as I was so young. “It wasn’t until I was 15 or 16 that I realised

that music was something I could actuallydo. I ended up in the studio, which was unex-pected. I used to play in punk and metal

bands, and getting into music production was a crossover from that.“Now I take a sound and see how far I cantake it. I 9nd a lot of what I do 9ts somewherebetween bands and electronic music. It’s alink between heavy metal bands and themore commercial electronic end. I guess it’s aniche.“I’ve performed all over America, Mexico,Brazil, Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, Australiaand New Zealand. I just set o8 with a backpack and my laptop and perform. What I do is considered quite original, so in away it’s pioneering a sound. “The history of Ridge Farm does come into itas I feel an expectation. I have to put something in to the music or I feel like I’mputting the place to shame. What I make maynot be as engaging as the proli9c recordsthat have been created here, but I do feel Iam doing something original that peoplehaven’t heard before.”For Frank, the glory days of rock ‘n’ rollrecords may never return, but it would seemthat the spirit of Ridge Farm is still alive andkicking. And as Frank points out, wedding guests certainly don’t make as much mess as thebands used to!

To �nd out more about Ridge Farm visit thewebsite at www.ridgefarmstudio.com

‘What I make may not be as engaging as the proli�c records created here, but Ido feel I want to do something original, that people haven’t heard before’

Tom Andrews records as Broken Note

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A Common Purpose200 years ago, Horsham Common was ‘Enclosed’ after being part of thecommunity for centuries. Today, only a tiny patch or green space remains...

If Ronseal ever sponsored an award forplaques in small public spaces, you’d like tothink that this would be nominated.On a small area of grassland just outside ofthe Dog and Bacon pub on North Parade,there is a plaque that very much does what itsays on the tin.‘This village green is all that remains of theOld Horsham Common’.Most people walk right on by and barely giveit a second’s thought, as it’s no big deal. Buttwo hundred years ago, the breaking up ofthe Common was to change the town forever. In today’s society, such a move would be condemned as the actions of rich people enhancing their own holdings whilst robbingthe poor of their livelihood. But is that reallyhow it happened?Horsham’s Common stretched for about one

square mile in a crescent shape encirclingHorsham to the north, east and south, but itdidn’t head out east because the river actedas a boundary. It was created at a time when there was amajor restructuring of land holdings after theNorman conquest of the 11th Century,though it may have existed in some form before then. At that time, villages or townswould have a patch of land that was set asidefor people to collect 1rewood, stones andgraze live stock on. Some would even construct a hovel, though that wasn’t strictlywithin the rules.These Commons were a fundamental part ofvillage life but over the centuries their usechanged and importantly they became largeareas of predominantly unproductive land.By the 17th Century commons across the

country were being enclosed. This meant thatthe landowner had the freedom to do what-ever they wanted to do with the Common, byremoving the rights of commoners to use it. In Horsham, we didn’t call the area a Com-mon at all, even if that’s how it was de1ned. Itwas known as Horsham Heath, as the common was predominantly on poor quality,sandy soil. It only became known as HorshamCommon when lawyers got involved. The Duke of Norfolk, who had for years notbeen interested in Horsham, suddenlychanged his stance in the late 18th century.He demanded that the Common could not beused in certain ways. If anyone was using ahovel or was letting cattle graze too freely onthe land, then they would have to stop or paya 1ne at the Manorial court. The Duke used an ambitious lawyer, Thomas

43

Horsham Common, what’s left of it, is located outside the Dog and Bacon in North Parade

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The Horsham Enclosure Award was granted in 1812, after it was presented by then Horsham MP Robert Hurst who may have had a hand inconvincing the Duke of Norfolk to break up the Common. Hurst would arguably bene&t more than anyone from the Enclosure.

Medwin (after whom Medwin Walk is named),to help him manage the 9nes and misuse ofthe Common. In Horsham the only people who had theright to use the Common were 52 burgageholders, the owners of property laid outaround 1206 when the Borough of Horshamwas created. Other people in the town mayhave used it but didn’t have it as a right. People could use it, but they would have todo something in return such as manure theLord’s 9elds or collect the harvest.

The story of how Horsham Common was enclosed started in 1811 when the news ofthe purchase of Horsham from the Irwin family, who owned Hill’s Place, by the Duke ofNorfolk leaked to the press. On the 25th February 1811 the Sussex Advertiser announced: “The Duke of Norfolkhas purchased of the Marquis of Hartford hisproperty in Horsham.”The amount of legal paperwork to gothrough meant that it was not until June1811 that the deal was 9nally completed,

with the Duke handing over the remaining£31,475 on top of the £60,000 already paid.Horsham now belonged to the Duke.The Duke was now in full command, back asthe Lord Paramount. He owned most of Horsham’s burgage plots and with it therights to the Common. In August 1811 he asked Medwin to place anadvertisement in the papers proposing to enclose Horsham Common. The advert ranon 9th September 1811 in the Sussex WeeklyAdvertiser baldly stating that: “Notice is

Horsham Common

hereby given that application is intended to bemade to Parliament in the ensuing session foran Act for dividing, allotting and enclosing Hor-sham Common.”On the 1st February 1812 the Duke of Norfolkwrote to Sir Henry Fletcher, who was the second largest burgage holder in Horshamsaying “Whatever be the result of this proposition the enclosure of the Common

appears to be an advantageous measure, andI am therefore preparing the draught of theBill with as much speed as possible and willsend it for your perusal.” By 25th February 1812, a Bill for enclosingHorsham Common had been presented byHorsham MP Robert Hurst, and by the 20thMarch the Bill had received Royal Assent.There was virtually no comment in the town.

The Common was divided into the respectiveowners’ holdings, holders of the tithes, andowners of the burgages. The rest was sold. The 4rst portion of Common land was auctioned on 22nd October 1812 and thatwas to pay for the legal expenses. The 4rstsale of about 28 acres raised around £100 anacre and included land from the South EastCorner of New Street (then known as Pest

The Duke owned most of Horsham’s burgage plots and with it rights to the Common

The Enclosure Award outlines all of the di#erent landowners; A painting in the collection of Horsham Museum shows life in Horsham in1812. The Town Hall had only just been rebuilt at a cost of £8,000.

46

House Lane).The sale on 14th January 1813 to payfor enclosing land in Roughey Manorraised less than half that. That landwas in Crawley Road, Forest Roadand Comptons Lane South. Interestingly, the purchasers of theland were primarily people bene>tingfrom the Barracks, which had beenbuilt in 1796 and housed some 1,500people. They included Philip Chasemore, who was a butcher andhad the contract of supplying meatto the Barracks, and Charles Oaks, thetown gunsmith (two of whose gunsare on display in the Museum).The Duke of Norfolk and John Lintottalso bought land, but perhaps thebiggest purchaser of land was RobertHurst, the Member of Parliament forHorsham who had brought forwardthe Enclosure bill.William Albery, viewed the enclosure of the Common with distaste. His book ‘A millennium offacts in the history of Horsham andSussex, 947-1947’ details who purchased the land at the auction,who obtained the land through theenclosure and who bought variousplots of land as well as the pricespaid. Albery shows that the Duke of Norfolk acquired in total around 486acres of land, but he sold around 172acres. Robert Hurst received as compensation for various tithessome 63 acres of Horsham Common

with Sir Henry Fletcher receivingaround 47 acres. There then followed various sales between land owners with Hurstbeing the principal purchaser. Hespent £10,005 16s 3d on land in Horsham and Ro=ey which camefrom the estate of Sarah Hurst, the diarist who died in March 1808. We will never know if Robert Hurstwas the person who gave The Dukeof Norfolk the idea of enclosing theCommon. But he did have money toburn and through the purchase ofthis land he became one of Horsham’smost important landowners. After the big shake-up, the Duke ofNorfolk ended up with around 330acres of the Common (320 from theallocation and 10 from purchase)whilst Hurst ended up with around213 acres (69 allotted and 144bought). If the enclosure of the Common wasintended to recoup the cost of buying Horsham it was a poor proportion for The Duke. He raised£9,955 16s and 3d for the sale of Horsham Manor land and a further£224 for the sale of HawkesbourneManor land. He also spent £776 buying up land, leaving a grandpro>t of £9433.One reason for the Duke only buyingsmall amounts of land could be ashortage of cash. He was facing aproblem that would a=ect more people in Horsham in the short term

Horsham Common was formed after the Norman conquest

We will never know if RobertHurst was the person who gaveThe Duke of Norfolk the idea ofenclosing the Common

Duke of Norfolk

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Images from the maps in the Enclosure Award Book, which is held by Horsham Museum

than the Enclosure. On the 23rd March1812, judges declared the Town Hallun3t for use, and expressed a desire tomove out of Horsham. If the Assizes left Horsham, so would allthe trade that the Courts would bringin. Something had to be done. The Dukeof Norfolk stepped forward and rebuiltthe Town Hall at a cost of £8,000. The Justices stayed, the town folk weregrateful and Norfolk had built an unusual monument.Perhaps it was this outlay of cash thatensured he was not the major winner ofthe Enclosure of the Common which, aswell as seeing a major redistribution ofland ownership in Horsham, also sawsome signi3cant developments in themakeup and layout of the town. History suggests that, whilst some people undoubtedly did miss using theCommon, the soil could only be usedfor grazing livestock, not intensive farming. The enclosure created a largepool of land which could be developed,but Horsham still had large tracts ofland within the borough which wasunder-developed.The other change was to the medievalroadways that crisscrossed the Common.When the land was a common, routesover the land were determined by geographical features. Now routes weredetermined by land ownership. Thismeant that some roads or tracks had tobe diverted and new ones created. The enclosure commissioners foresawthis and allocated £1,393 for the makingof roads, with the money coming fromthe sale of common land.The enclosure was, in the end, a goodthing for Horsham, and somehow a tinysection of it has survived.As well as the plaque, the EnclosureAward Map is held at Horsham Museum.

AAH wishes to thank Jeremy Knight ofHorsham Museum/Horsham DistrictCouncil for providing the historicalcontent for this feature...

Toby Phillips, the AAH Photographer, capturedthis image of the River Arun near WisboroughGreen after heavy rainfall in February. For more of Toby’s images, including weddingand corporate photography as well as pictures hehas taken for AAH, visit his website at www.tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk

The start of 2013 has already been a busyperiod at Lifestyle Europe, with a long listof new cars ready and waiting to belaunched and none more prominent thanthe all-new Mazda6.Mazda have had a longstanding ethos whenit comes to style, substance and innovativetechnology and all this and more is thereto be seen with the latest model to comefrom the Japanese manufacturer.Following in the footsteps of the recentlylaunched CX-5, the new Mazda6 uses thecompany’s very latest ‘KODO - Soul of Motion’design philosophy. The 4-door saloon and 5-door Tourer oozeclass and being embedded with the sameSkyActiv technology as seen on the CX-5,they have certainly raised the stakes in thefamily car segment.The new Mazda6 is available with thechoice of 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrolengines, both of which heavily feature thecutting-edge SkyActiv technology and areavailable with a choice of six-speed man-ual or automatic gearboxes.With the onus for manufacturers being allabout economy these days, Mazda haveonce again shown us the way forward withthe lower-powered of the diesel engines

o@ering class-leading emissions of108g/km and converting a gallon of fuelinto the potential of 78.5 miles of drivingpleasure, whilst still o@ering exceptionalpower Agures with 148bhp and a colossal380Nm torque.Prices for the all-new Mazda6 start at£19,595 for the SE-spec saloon with the143bhp petrol engine which comes with17” alloys, cruise control, air-con, front andrear electric windows, Bluetooth and anintuitive multimedia system all as standard. The motoring world have already startedto sing the new family saloon’s praises,with Auto Express saying during a recentgroup test; If you’re in the market for a stylishsaloon with a sporty edge, then the Mazda6 is the one for you.

The catwalk looks are like nothing else inthe class, but what’s so special about thiscar is how it makes you feel behind thewheel.Order books are open for the new Mazda6and Lifestyle Horsham have models availableon site to view and to drive.For information on Lifestyle Europe’srange of Mazda vehicles, please visit theBishopric-based dealership or call 01403282700. Alternatively, see www.lifestylemazda.co.ukwhere a full list of new and used vehicles,dealership locations and contact detailsare available.

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With wedding season coming up, I thought itwould be a good idea to look at the history,traditions and symbolism of wedding rings.We all know that the fourth 8nger on the lefthand is the ring 8nger, but do we know why?Down through the ages, wedding rings havebeen worn on di7erent 8ngers, includingthe thumb, and on both hands. Some believe that the fourth 8nger waseventually chosen because the Egyptiansand the Romans both thought that a veinfrom the 8nger, referred to as the ‘VenaAmoris’, was directly connected to the heart.Another theory has its roots in the practicesof early Christian marriages. As the priest recited ‘In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’ he wouldtake the ring and touch the thumb, theindex 8nger, and the middle 8nger; then,while uttering ‘Amen’ he would place thering on the ring 8nger, which sealed themarriage.However the practice started, it became atradition passed down the generations andwhilst the vein theory proved to be wrong,the fourth 8nger became known as the ring8nger. But not universally. Countries including Norway, Russia, Greece,Bulgaria, Poland, Austria, Germany, Portugaland Spain place the wedding ring on thering 8nger of the right hand, whilst in Jewishtradition, the groom places the ring on thebride’s index 8nger.What about the shape of rings? The simple circle represents an unbrokenpromise of commitment. Thousands of yearsago, people used shaped twigs or plant

stems into circles and placed them on theirbrides’ ring 8ngers. It was not until the 9th Century that Christiansused rings in marriage ceremonies, but it wasusually decorated with engraved doves ortwo linked hands. It was simpli8ed to a stan-dard ring around the 13th century. People initially used leather, bone and ivory,before moving on to stone, aluminium andmetal. Today, wedding rings are usually madeof gold, silver, palladium or platinum.Here at Sakakini, we have one of the largestselections of wedding rings in Sussex, andeverything we do is made to order.

You can’t come in, buy a wedding ring andwalk out of the shop. We have hundreds ofblank designs, so customers can choose fromany metal in any shape or size, as either asolid ring or in an eternity ring style or withdiamonds.We also o7er a buy one ring, get the secondhalf price deal on wedding rings and that is ahugely popular o7er.

If you would like more information on this orany of our other services, do visit us at 45 TheCarfax in Horsham or visit our website at www.sakgems.com

51

Much has changed in Billingshurst since theSecond World War, and few communities havehad to ;nd maintain its identity to the extentthat Billingshurst has.But for about 70 years, Billingshurst DramaticSociety has been ever present, putting onplays then as they do now in the Women’s Hallon the High Street.The Hall had initially been given to the villageby two ladies who felt women needed a sanctuary free of men and alcohol, but duringthe Second World War men were reluctantly allowed inside. In 1941, the Workers Education Association organised some drama classesand this led to a production of The Rivals inthe spring of 1942.The success of this show led to the transformation of the Society, which held its;rst production, Tobias and the Angel. With

most of the men at war, Frances Crisp dressedas a man to take the lead role. A decade later, the Society had developedinto a successful village group, boasting ;ftymembers. They included some very talentedperformers such as Doctor Challis (Bill) Bous;eld, Jack Leaman and Ron Oulds.Frances produced most of the plays andwould be a familiar face at the Society fordecades to come.Throughout the 1960’s the Society continuedto prosper, with Pamela Leaman, in particular,raising the level of performance. Once a professional actress, Pamela produced andacted in many of the Society’s plays, startingwith The Deep Blue Sea in 1959. No, not theshark movie with Samuel L. Jackson, but aplay by Terrence Rattigan. The Society waseven known to cause controversy – not every-

one agreed with their decision to perform thecontentious play, Al;e, in 1968.In the 1980’s, the Society broadened its production spectrum to include musicals forthe ;rst time and even performed pan-tomimes, but as time has developed thegroup has returned to its roots of putting onpredominantly plays. They have recently performed When We Are Married, a periodcomedy by J.B Priestley, for three nights at theWomen’s Hall.Whilst some have been with the Society formany years, a number of younger membersare now involved and it is hoped that they willcarry on providing good quality amateur dramatics for the village for many years tocome. We caught up with the cast duringdress rehearsals for the latest play, When WeAre Married...

The Final Curtain Call?

Don’t be so Dramatic!Billingshurst Dramatic Society is still going strong after 70 years in the Women’s Hall

52

“I’ve been with the group for about ayear. I joined because Tom and KateRollings at Fishers Farm were in a playcalled Sweet Charity. When I went towork for Tom at the farm he asked mewhere I could see myself in /ve years’time and I told him that I had wanted tobecome an actor. I was trying everything I could do to getin to acting and he recommendedBillingshurst Dramatics Society. I cameby and I found it a lot of fun, as it involved acting and singing in a variety

of di.erent parts. I’ve been here eversince. We work well as a team; we get a textmessage from Giles (Jackson) to say weneed to do shed repairs or that there aresets to be built and we all come in tosort it out. I like that side of the Societyhelping on all sides of theatre work. Atthe end of the day, you feel like you’veput a lot of work in to each show. It’s not just been arriving, stepping onthe stage and acting; you’ve helpedmake it all possible too.”

Benjamin Howarth as Gerald Forbes

Group Discussion

‘We are not so concerned about attracting people with the sole ambitionof treading the boards. We want peopleprepared to build scenery!”

“I’ve been with Billingshurst Dramatic Society for about 33years. When I moved to Billinghurst Ididn’t know anybody so I joinedthe Society and have been hereever since. It’s a great way of meeting awhole range of people fromacross the community. The Women’s Hall has alwaysbeen our home and we have costumes, props and scenery allhidden away here. We do two productions a year, inOctober and February, and wealso do a review for our patronsat Fishers Farm. If it’s a show thatmight be a real crowd-puller wemight put on four or ,ve showsbut it’s typically three nights and

we don’t normally have a problem,lling the seats. We’re always onthe lookout for new memberswho are willing to be active, rollup their sleeves, build sets and beinvolved. We are not so concerned aboutattracting people with the soleambition of treading the boards.We want carpenters and peopleprepared to build scenery and liftheavy items. What we are lackingare people in the 30-50 agegroup, particularly men, as weoften ,nd we have to use thesame leading man! People are so much busier andconsumed by work and commitments these days andcannot spare the time. That’smodern life I’m afraid.”

Jackie Charman as Lotty Grady

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“This is the second time I’ve been involvedin a Billingshurst Dramatic Society production of ‘When We Are Married. Thelast time was 40 years ago and I was RubyBirtle, and this time I play Mrs Northrop. Itdoesn’t seem so long ago. I’ve been in many shows, and I even directed the 6rst musical we ever did inthis hall, Jorrocks (in 1986). In the past Ihave written pantomimes too, such as Aladdin (1980) and I also write pantomimesfor Fishers Farm, where I work. The group goes through phases. It’s beendi5cult lately as it’s hard to attract new,younger people to come and join, butthat’s starting to change. People used tostay in the area they lived in and work locally, but now they go to University andnever come back. We still have a good community feel, butit’s the old part of the village which supports us. The ‘new’ parts of the villageall seemingly stay inside and play withtheir iPads. When the new estate was builtwe tried to invite them in and we had oneresponse, which was Claire. I think every society is going through thesame problems but we manage to keepgoing.”

Sue Pollard as Mrs Northrop

‘The ‘new’ parts of the village all seemingly stay inside and play with their iPad’

Group Discussion

“I’ve been here since 1958 andI’ve probably acted in or directed 150 productions.When I 3rst came here, it wasa typical village society, but ithas blossomed. At about the time I came wehad three or four really goodpeople who were enthusiasticand very capable of taking onlead roles. There were peoplelike John Farmer, and JohnHumphreys who was quite themost talented actor you couldsee and could surpass moston the London stages. It was a crime he never gotthere. Another one of the very bestwe’ve had was Pamela Leaman who really raised thebar here. Hopefully, the

Billingshurst Dramatic Societyis getting back to its best. Ifyou have a few keen people,the standard goes up, and wenow have a few young peoplecoming in. When only one young personjoins, there is a real di2cultyto keep them interested as ofcourse they are isolated. Youdo not want a clique of oldpeople who have known eachother for years. I have madesome wonderful friends and ithas given me much happiness,but I am knocking 83 and I’mjust delighted when there is apart for me. Most of us older ones are feeling like it’s time we satback a bit and let the youngerones take it on.”

Nevin Davies as Rev. Clement Mercer

Bunty Raymond plays the role of Maria Helliwell

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“I joined in 2005 and this is myeighth or ninth production. Icame to the Society when I arrived in the village as I wasself-employed and didn’tknow anybody. I hadn’t beenin a dramatic society before,but I was involved is puttingon productions when I was atUniversity, mainly doing backstage work. I joined tohelp backstage, but peoplehere were so welcoming and Iended up on the stage too.You see Midsomer Murdersand you have visions of allthese actors going aroundkilling each other for mainparts! But it’s been great andI’ve never looked back. I’vetaken on lot of di,erent roles.In one production I wasslapped on stage as I played awomen abused by her husband, and in the next showI got to slap the same manback! I’ve written a bit in theprogramme for ‘When WeWere Married’ about how Ijoined. I have two small children and I’m at home allday, so just being able to getout and do something di,erent is great. There aretimes when it is hard work,when the shows are approaching and you’re constantly rehearsing andlearning lines, but for me it’s arelease to come out and dothis.”

Claire Hiley as Clara Soppitt

58

If you’re thinking that Alex Reed looks a littletoo young to drive, you would be right.Aged only 14, Alex still has a few years before he can jump in the car and drive tothe shop at 30mph, keeping a safe distanceto the car in front and remembering to signal before each manoeuvre. But thanks to the glory of sporting competition, he is allowed to put on a helmet and drive around race tracks at100mph whilst racing bumper to bumperwith a dozen other schoolboys!Alex, who lives in Horsham, is about to embark on his 9rst full season in the newFord Fiesta Junior championship. Having

already competed in two rounds of thechampionship, he is aiming for podium 9nishes this year with his team, Advent Motorsport.Eventually, Alex hopes to progress to GT racing or to the British Touring Car Championship, with the ultimate goal ofracing in the Le Mans 24 hour race.By today’s standards, Alex started racinglate. He was 12 when he 9rst participated ina competitive race, after just a few experiences of go-karting.Hurstpierpoint College pupil Alex said: “Iwent karting when I was six but didn’t goagain until my 10th birthday party. I went tothe go kart track in Crawley, and I beat

everyone else by quite a way. It looked likethere was a bit of talent there.“I went karting again for my 12th birthday atthe 800m track at QLeisure in Albourne. It’sa great track so I started competing in achampionship.“I took part in an eight round summer season and 9nished second, and then Imoved up to the senior class for a six racewinter season, which I won. For the championship rounds it was only £40 so itwas a8ordable, and we could just arrive anddrive, so it was a great start to racing forme.”After his initial success, Alex looked to take ahuge step up to the Ginetta Junior

Schoolboy has his

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Championship, but was wisely encouraged togain more experience in karting before movinginto car racing. So instead, Alex joined AmbitionMotorsport and competed in 70mph Mini Maxkarting.He enjoyed mixed fortunes in Mini Max, winning races at Forest Edge and Bayford Meadows, but su.ering a big accident at Buckmore Park.He said: “The Mini Max Championship improvedmy race craft by a massive amount, but therewere a lot of younger racers. The eleven-year-olds had a weight advantage and were still veryquick! But it was brilliant fun and a real jump upfrom the 40mph karts.“You also have to pay to race in the

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championship, and the cost shootsup to about £10,000 a year, which is ahuge jump up from the corporatekarting we were doing previously.“Because it was a national competition,people were not as friendly. The parents are the worst – some of themgo out of their minds.“I won a couple of races, but at Buckmore I ended up sat in an ambulance. There was a race with 30cars on the track, and at the start Iwent round the <rst corner andsomeone went straight into the sideof me, used me as an embankmentand T-boned me. “His car went over my helmet andhand, and the tyre went through theglove. I’ve not been to Buckmoresince then.”After a year and a half in Mini Max,Alex moved over to Ford Fiesta Junior, as he had turned 14 so couldrace. It didn’t start too well, as Alexcrashed on his <rst track day at Snetterton.“It was quite a big shunt,” recalls Alex.“I hadn’t learned much about cars,but in the last hour of the day I wasgetting a bit tired and frustrated as Iwas not getting the times I hadwanted. I went round the corner,started drifting and crashed into the

inside barrier at 60mph.”But the times eventually came downand Alex put in solid performances infour races at two Championshiprounds. He <nished sixth in bothraces at Snetterton, and at BrandsHatch <nished <fth in the secondrace after a collision in race one.The 2013 season starts at Rockingham, with 20 races held at sixtracks includeing Brands Heath, Silverstone and Donington Park. Alex said: “This season I’m told therewill be between 15-20 competitorsand I’m looking for podiums and to<nish in the top <ve of the championship.“If this year goes really well, I mightbe able to get into the Ginetta Junior.I’ll be doing my GCSE’s next year aswell, so I might have to take a breakfrom the racing. But we’ll see how itgoes.“I’m targeting touring cars ratherthan single seat racing, which is verydi;cult to get into. For me, thedream goal would be the British orWorld Touring Car Championships orLe Mans.”

You can keep an eye on Alex’sprogress atwww.alexreedracing.com/

‘I won a couple of races, but at Buckmore Park I ended up sat

in an ambulance’

The Horsham Hearing Centre � 01403 21870022 Worthing Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1SL � [email protected]

By Jonathan Ormerod of Horsham Hearing Centre

Who are we?Having originally started the Horsham Hearing Centre back in Worthing Road, Horsham, back in 1995, I returned in 2012.Hearcentres Limited operates seven centres in the South, including Horsham, buteach one retains an independent identity.

What do we do?We o2er the only ‘complete hearing care service’ in Horsham. We have three Hearing AidAudiologists based in the town, with over 60years experience between them. We even provide an ear irrigation service, which is basicallywax removal. There are only 20 dispensers inthe country quali4ed to do this job and 4ve ofthem are at Hearcentres Limited.

Do you need a check-up?Many people are unaware they have hearingloss. One of the reasons for that is that hearingloss can be a gradual process and it can be yearsbetween the time that people start needinghelp to when they actually seek help. We need

our ears as much as we need our eyes and Iwould recommend everyone to have a hearingcheck every couple of years. We o2er a complimentary initial consultation and the results can be life changing.

What hearing aids do we provide?SeboTek hearing instruments are recognisedaround the world for their magni4cent soundquality and their patented receiver in thecanal design. These hearing aids areonly available through our hearing centres and you willnot 4nd them elsewhere in Horsham. SeboTek have recently created a new HD device, which pick up a fargreater range of sounds. It isalso very comfortable and people wouldn’t even noticeyou are wearing anything.

What other new devicesare available?Mobile phonetechnology isalso helping toimprove

hearing aids. The Horsham Hearing Centre isthe sole local provider of the SurfLink Mobile, a device which streams your TV, musicor mobile phone straight to your hearing aid.This will mean people with hearing di3cultiescan use a mobile phone. It is also an excitingproduct for anyone looking for a true ‘hands-free’ mobile phone device. If you’d liketo try it call us to arrange a free demonstration.

Horsham’s ‘CompleteHearing Care Service’

62

It’s increasingly common for people to accuse Horsham town centre of being dominated by restaurants and co:ee shops.But if you look closely, you’ll see that fabricshops are giving them a good run for theirmoney.There are now four in the town centre, threeof them based in the Carfax, with The LinenShop being the most recent addition. Linen is not the most expensive fabric in theworld; that honour probably falls to vicuña, aSouth American relative of the llama and thealpaca. A Scottish textile company produces fabricwoven from 100% worsted vicuña, which isharvested from the coat of the animal onlyonce every three years. Its rarity ensures a

price tag of about £3,000 per yard.Linen’s price tag isn’t even remotely as obscene, but because it is made from the;bre of <ax plants and is labour - intensiveto manufacture, it is among the more costlycommon fabrics.The cultivation of linen cloth has declined inthe UK and Ireland over the last decade.Many of the high quality <ax cultivationmills have closed as Eastern Europe andChina o:ers cheaper but lower quality alternatives. Yet Fran White, owner of The Linen Shop, hasrefused to compromise on quality.She still o:ers highly sought-after Irish linen,as well as linen from Scotland and Belgium,which along with Northern France and The

Designer is no

Material GirlFran White recently opened The Linen Shop & Gallery in Horsham, selling her own designs woven in some of the nest mills in the world...

Fran White displays her own designs at The Linen Shop in Horsham

Netherlands now produces much ofthe world’s highest quality linen. And unlike the vast majortiy of highstreet fabric stores, Fran sells linenwoven to her own designs.

Multi Purpose

Most customers buy Fran’s linen to useon home furnishings such as curtains,blinds, cushions and throws. But the linen can also be used to create clothing items and the shopeven sells a range of clothes including kimono robes, scarves and loose jackets.With the addition of quirky gifts suchas patchwork pieces, buttons, matchbox covers, pin cushions, ponchos, and a selection of art Francreates in her spare time, The LinenShop is as unique as Fran’s own journey to the town centre.“I had a business called Linen Hire inLondon and we hired out fabrics foruse in advertising and editorial photography,” said Fran. “I had a huge collection of fabrics andthey were used for all sorts of thingsincluding adverts for Nescafe and evenphotographs in the Marks and SpencerCookery Book.“Business was okay but the workwasn’t creative enough for me, so Istarted to study part-time to learnmore about designing and producingfabric.“I ended up at college. I sold the business and began studying full timeat the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in Farnham.“I left as a mature student in 1998 and

the following year I started trying tosell my own designs locally. I met Ann Sutton, a well-known weaver based inArundel, and it was Ann who suggestedthat I -nd a mill to weave the fabric Ihad designed.“She gave me some contacts in Irelandand I found a mill that would weave methirty metres of fabric. That arrived inFebruary 1999 and I had to start sellingthat. “But the Irish mill closed down, so wetried a Scottish mill and they still weavea small amount for us. But most of thefabric we have here is woven in Belgium. “I did try hard to -nd a mill in England,but they were all closing just as I wasstarting out, mainly due to competitionfrom overseas. Initially there was adrain to India and now it’s China. “When I began researching, I found thatsome people who were having theirlinen woven in India would regularly-nd mistakes in the work. But theywould simply send it back as it is just socheap. “But I didn’t want that. I want it to beright every time. So we spend a littlemore to have it produced by the bestmills we can -nd. Also, for many people who know fabrics well, Irishlinen is still held in high regard as it’s so-ne.”

Starting Small

Eventually, Fran opened a showroomclose to her home in Nuthurst in 2003.The footfall was very small but gradually the customer base grew, untilFran decided to make the jump into the

64

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town centre. Shortly after opening at 18 Carfax, the LinenShop won the Dressed for Success ‘Best Independent’ Award for its Christmas window display.Fran believes the cluster e9ect of fabricstores is good for all of the businesses, asthey all specialise in di9erent areas. There arealso several local companies, such as upholsterers, furniture restorers and curtainmakers, working in partnership with TheLinen Shop.The location of the showroom may havechanged, but Fran continues to sell designs

very close to her original hand-woven patterns. A fashion designer called Nicole Urbanski,who has a shop in Hove, was one of Fran’svery :rst customers, and designer Jane Cattlin has made clothes from Fran’s designsthat are on sale at The Linen Shop.Fran and colleague Trudi Robb have themselves introduced gift ideas such asaprons, sew-yourself fabric kits, the ‘best teatowel you’ll ever have’ and buttons whichscooped a Homes and Gardens Magazineaward. There’s even been the occasional link to the

big screen - Fran supplied :ve pairs of curtains for use in the 2009 :lm Bright Star,an acclaimed period drama about the life ofthe poet, Keats. Ideas, initiatives and opportunities come andgo, but there has been one consistency;Fran’s fascination for the timeless, subtlequalities of linen. “The fabric is very reasonably priced for itsquality,” she said. “Our range has very subtlecolouring which can be used for both interiors or clothing.“Linen never goes out of fashion as it is veryadaptable - for instance we sell a range of

The Linen Shop features the designs of Fran White, with the fabric mostly produced in Belgium, Ireland and Scotland. The ne, high-quality

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material can be used for anything from curtains to matchbox covers, and with a little accessorising some very nice cushions can be made too!

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Crinkle Jackets that celebrate the factthat some linens are prone to creasing.“Trudi comes up with some new ideaslike pocket mice and kits, but the most recent new thing for us is our rugs whichare knotted by hand in Nepal. TheSwedish stripe is one of our most popular designs and this is the designwe have put into the rug.“I knew a weaver who had her fabricturned into a rug and I had alwayswanted to do that, so she put me intouch with someone with experience inthat )eld. He looked at the website andconverted a couple of my paintings intolinen rugs, and then the idea developed.“I suppose the big challenge for companies now is the Internet. “Recently a customer bought fabric fromus, and admitted she had )rst gonehome to see if she could buy it anycheaper on the internet.“But because this is all our own designsyou can only buy this fabric from here.You can buy it online from us, but it’s thesame price as it is in the shop.“There are a lot of people out there doinginteresting things with the fabric. Wecannot predict who the end user will be -they might be craft workers, they mightbe interior designers, they might befashion designers. “We have appeal across the board andfor us that keeps it interesting.”

For more details visit www.thelinenshop.biz

‘Fran supplied �vepairs of curtains touse in the 2009 �lmBright Star, an acclaimed perioddrama about the lifeof the poet, Keats’

66

The ‘things you probably didn’t know about Horsham that are really quite interesting’ page...

Be Here Now, the fastest selling album of all time, was

made in RusperIt’s fair to say that the third Oasis album, BeHere Now, hasn’t aged well.In the 2003 John Dower documentary LiveForever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop, musiccritic Jon Savage pinpointed the album asthe moment where Britpop died. But it was nonetheless a huge success, selling 696,000 copies in it’s @rst week in theUK alone and reaching Number Two on theBillboard 100 in America. To this day, it isthe fastest selling album of all time.A great deal of it was recorded in Rusper.Singer Liam Gallagher was under heavytabloid focus at the time, having been arrested and cautioned for cocaine possession after the Q Awards.A media frenzy ensued, and the band's management made the decision to move toa studio less readily accessible to paparazzi.Ridge Farm Studio, located in the rural outskirts of Rusper, was perfect. Here theband recorded guitars and vocals as much

of the tracking had already been recordedat Abbey Road. Further recording sessionswere held at Air Studios and Master Rock.Ann Needham, who works at Ridge Farm Studio, remembers the visit of Oasis well.“There had been a bad period for studios because of dance music and record companies had started to dictate the prices.But it had started to pick up again. “We had a booking enquiry from a bandcalled Menswear but we had been avoidingcon@rming the job as they had these crazydemands which didn’t suit us at all.“It came to the Friday before their start date,and the phone rang. It was the Oasis manager and he said ‘I don’t suppose you’reavailable for four weeks from Monday areyou?’ and I said ‘yes, we are’. “They moved in three days later. They hadbeen in Abbey Road Studios initially torecord Be Here Now, because obviouslythat’s where the Beatles had recorded. But

for various reasons, it just didn’t work out.So they came out to the countryside.“But they brought new problems we hadn’tseen before. Liam was very high pro@le atthat time, and he arrived three days late ashe was trying to shake o? the press. Theystarted out with minders on the front gatebut that soon petered out. “We did though have a tabloid journalistsnooping around here pretending to besomeone else.“For lots of people, it’s still how we are bestknown. People say ‘isn’t that where Oasisrecorded?’ But at the time, it felt like something we had to just get through!”It was very exciting for the young rockmusic fans of Horsham too, and there werenumerous reports of Liam swaggeringaround town, popping into The Crown inthe Carfax for a pint, and according to theAAH editor’s best friend, shopping in Footlocker in West Street.

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We’ll further your love of academic enquiry, balance your study with a wide range of co-curricular activities, and get you prepared for life at a top university.

Christ’s Hospital is a unique and totally remarkable independent school, offering children from all walks of life a first-class education.

Behind the stunning architecture, the outstanding facilities and the electric atmosphere, you’ll find pupils achieving and exceeding their potential.

To find out more about how we make a difference, contact our Admissions team.

T 01403 246555E [email protected] christs-hospital.org.uk

OPEN MORNINGSATURDAY 27 APRIL 2013For Year 7, Year 9 and Sixth Form Entry

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A SCHOOLCONSIDER CHRIST’S HOSPITAL.

AN INDEPENDENT CO-EDUCATIONALBOARDING AND DAY SCHOOLRIGHT IN THE HEART OF SUSSEX.

Throughout the area no one has got

more lettings coverageHenry Adams is continuing to show our commitment to the ever expanding lettings market with the opening of our fabulous ‘New Standalone Lettings Of%ce’ in the heart of Horsham’s busy Carfax. Combined with %ve other local Henry Adams of%ces

specialising in Lettings, we are able to offer our existing and future tenants and landlords unrivalled coverage in the local area. Our fees are competitive and we let a range of properties from studio apartments to large town and country houses, from town centre locations

to rural areas and villages. For more information or general lettings advice please call

01403 282500

London | Surrey | Sussex | Hampshire

AAH (All About Horsham) March 2013

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