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80-457: Administratively, Baiersbronn consists of the following nine villages: In its current form, Baiersbronn was created in the 1960s and 1970s by joining five municipalities. Its main industry is tourism. Baiersbronn is twinned with Midhurst in West Sussex, England. Reichenbach Priory , a medieval monastery building, is located in the village of Klosterreichenbach. Baiersbronn is famous as

160-442: A 'family fun day' for young children, theatre and dance performances, a local Gardeners Question Time, a short story competition and numerous workshops on creative skills, plus a range fringe events such as exhibitions, beer festivals, quiz nights, treasure trails and others. The event brings together the whole community to manage the box office, arrange workshops, help with PR and social media, provide security and everything needed for

240-665: A Midhurst-based mixed Morris Dancing club, meets regularly to practice, and appears in numerous country festivals. The Midhurst Players present 3–4 amateur dramatic productions each year, the Midhurst Art Society and the Midhurst Camera Club each hold summer exhibitions each year, and the Midhurst Choral Society gives periodic recitals. Filmography: In 2010 Midhurst featured as a set for the television series Foyle's War . In 2014

320-558: A centre of haute cuisine in Germany, having 8 Michelin stars in total. According to the New York Times of April 2013, Baiersbronn has the same number of Michelin three-star restaurants as London and twice as many as Chicago. According to the New York Times, "Baiersbronn is now on its way to becoming recognized as the world’s most unexpected restaurant capital." Midhurst Midhurst ( / ˈ m ɪ d h u r s t / )

400-780: A firm controlled by the Cowdray family, on land owned by Lord Cowdray . S. Pearson & Son traded as public works engineers and had been involved in the construction of Dover Docks , the Blackwall Tunnel , the East River Tunnels in New York and Vera Cruz Docks in Mexico. Initially, sand for the bricks was extracted from a sand pit close to the works on Midhurst Common. Following the First World War,

480-452: A fitness room with state of the art Technogym equipment; two squash courts and a squash viewing area; a dance studio with mirrors that is also used for fitness and community activities; a health suite, including a sauna, steam room and a spa pool; a multi-purpose community hall and community rooms; and a bar and café with Wi-Fi access. The facility overlooks South Pond, with an outdoor seating area. Community health facilities are provided at

560-435: A major expansion programme, both at Cocking and Midhurst. At the brickworks, a 25.9 m (85 ft) high chimney was erected and £30,000 was spent on new plant, including an excavator and locomotive, two Sutcliffe Duplex brick presses, two new 160 psi autoclaves and a Lancashire boiler . Cloke had hoped to acquire a contract to supply bricks to London County Council but the contract failed to mature and eventually Cloke

640-513: A market house near the church, as a focus for commerce in the Old Town. This was built in the market square in 1551, and although much altered since, it probably looked similar to the market house currently at the Weald and Downland Museum, with open bays on the ground floor, and an upstairs room for official use. In 1605, the owner of Cowdray House , Anthony-Maria Browne, 2nd Viscount Montagu ,

720-519: A new sand pit. The works was closed in 1985. The sand for the bricks was extracted from pits on Midhurst Common, close to the brickworks. The sand was extracted by a Ruston steam navvy and loaded into small wagons to be towed by engine to the manufacturing plant. There the sand would be screened before being conveyed into one of two Polysius mixing drums, to be mixed with chalk, which had been delivered from Cocking in 1 cwt sacks, and water. The mixing process lasted about 30 minutes after which

800-489: A railway track built in to enable the bricks to be inserted into the autoclave on a bogie wagon. The fine-ground lime came from the lime works at Cocking . In 1935, Cloke introduced the Midhurst White facing brick, as a cheap substitute for glazed brick especially for internal areas. He embarked on an extensive advertising programme, spending £3,000, offering the new white bricks at £5 per thousand against £30 for

880-509: A result houses built with them needed to be rendered . The bricks did, however, have a much greater compressive strength than ordinary "red" bricks and could bear heavy loads without fracture. In 2012, the Midhurst Conservation Area draft plan described the bricks as "not attractive", preferring traditional red bricks. The bricks were used in the light wells of Battersea Power Station , and at Broadcasting House and

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960-455: A smooth-running festival. The Midhurst Medieval Festival takes place annually in the Old Town, in early May, featuring re-enactments, falconry, spinning and weaving demonstrations, have-a-go archery, medieval music, stalls and medieval food. The architectural heritage of Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings in Midhurst is considerable, with 94 listed buildings . The Midhurst Society

1040-565: A year in the Tower of London, died in 1629 and is buried in Midhurst Church. Later in the 17th century, this influence began to wane. By 1621, there were about forty households of recusants in Midhurst. In 1634, one John Arismandy appointed John Cope and Richard Shelley to administer certain moneys after his death to provide a priest for the poor Catholics of Midhurst, to say masses every week for his soul and 'my lords ancestors'. This deed

1120-766: Is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex , England. It lies on the River Rother , 20 miles (32 km) inland from the English Channel and 12 miles (19 km) north of Chichester . The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as Middeherst , meaning "Middle wooded hill", or "(place) among the wooded hills". It derives from the Old English words midd (adjective) or mid (preposition), meaning "in

1200-706: Is an annual community event that brings together the creative, artistic & musical talent of Midhurst. It takes place at multiple venues in and around Midhurst for ten days every summer, culminating on August Bank Holiday in a Carnival Parade (organised by the Town Council) and Grand Finale celebration with stalls, a music festival, clowns, food and more at the Midhurst Sports Ground. The programme for each festival varies from year to year, but typically includes evening and lunchtime concerts (classical, swing, folk and jazz), an art trail, an artisan fair,

1280-457: Is from 1841 to 1880; and one (a telephone box ) is from 1914 to 1945. As this is a K6 model, introduced in 1935, it must date from the latest decade of this period. Midhurst Brickworks Midhurst Brickworks is a former brickworks situated to the south-west of Midhurst , West Sussex in England. The works were sited close to the (now closed) Midhurst Common railway station on

1360-549: Is in 1223. Many of the early buildings were grouped around the market area. These houses were built of highly perishable materials, and none have survived. Most would have been about a perch wide (about 5 metres), with long gardens at the rear, opening onto back lanes. On market days country people would bring their produce to sell at stalls in the open air. Apart from foodstuffs, the principal trades were in wool, cloth and leather, and related trades such as weaving, whitening, quilt-making and cobbling. These were largely determined by

1440-639: Is part of the Chichester District of West Sussex County, governed by the Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council respectively. Midhurst is represented by two councillors on the Chichester District Council, both of them Liberal Democrats, Jess Brown-Fuller and Hannah Burton. The Midhurst Town Council meets monthly and comprises 15 directly elected members. The May 2015 election

1520-591: The A272 (east-west) and A286 (north-south) routes. There may have been a village there since Roman times. After the Norman Conquest Robert de Montgomery ordered the building of a motte-and-bailey castle on what is now called St Ann's Hill, a strategic bluff on a curve of the River Rother, overlooking the cross-roads and a long stretch of Rother Valley to the north, east and the west, protecting

1600-593: The Midhurst to Petersfield ( L.S.W.R. ) railway line. The works were established in 1913, on land owned by the Cowdray Estate , and closed in 1985. From 1938, the company traded as Midhurst Whites after their main product, white bricks made of sand and lime, which was obtained from the Cocking Lime Works , 5 km (3 mi) south. The works were established in 1913 by S. Pearson & Son,

1680-640: The River Rother , in the parish of Easebourne , is the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House . The former Parliamentary Constituency of Midhurst is now an electoral ward of the Parliamentary Constituency of Chichester, and was represented in the House of Commons from 2017 to 2024 by Conservative MP Gillian Keegan . Since the 2024 elections, it is now represented by local Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller . Midhurst

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1760-550: The 1,027 economically inactive residents, 673 (65.5 per cent) were retirees. Between 1913 and 1985, the Midhurst Brickworks , famous for producing "Midhurst White" bricks, was situated close to the former Midhurst Common railway station . There is an area of light industry in the south of Midhurst, between the Holmbush Estate and Little Midhurst. The Midhurst Music, Arts and Drama Festival (MADhurst)

1840-583: The 17th century. Nevertheless, the Fitzwilliams were courtiers who maintained generally good relationships with the royal family and benefitted from considerable enrichment during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, at its height between 1536 and 1538. They were therefore able to inject vast sums of money into the property and its mansion. Completed about 1540, the estate had a major impact on

1920-550: The Castle. To the west the South Mill was in existence by 1284, and used initially to grind corn. In 1634 it was converted to a fulling mill, and in the mid-1800s it was converted again to leather production. The pond is prone to silting due to its underlying greensand geology, and has in recent years become polluted and lifeless, in large part due to over-population of ducks as a result of artificial feeding. The South Pond Group

2000-477: The First World War, together with their service or regiment, are inscribed on panels of limestone which have been fixed to the north and south faces of the pillar. In 1929 a proposal to install oak posts and chains was dropped due to cost. In April 1947 it was decided to add the names of the dead of World War II, and Mr Oliver was asked to fix a tablet to the War Memorial. However, it was not until 1960 that it

2080-786: The Midhurst Community Hospital in Dodsley Lane. The former Midhurst Sanatorium, founded by King Edward VII, closed in 2006 and has since been converted to housing. Library: The local branch of the West Sussex County Library is housed in The Grange Leisure Centre. Register Office: The Midhurst Branch of the West Sussex Register office is housed in The Grange Leisure Centre, and is open part-time for

2160-660: The Midhurst Together Group facilitated the community production of the "Midhurst Happy Video", based on the original song by Pharrell Williams . Social Media: The town has an internet presence with a Town Council website, a "VisitMidhurst" website focused on the information needs of tourists, a community Facebook page, Twitter feed and Pinterest page. About ten community organisations are also active on social media, and many of them have websites. The South Downs National Park , established in 2011, stretches for 87 miles (140 km) between Winchester in

2240-627: The National Park and a green conference centre. It also includes the Midhurst Tourist Information Centre. The Midhurst Town Trust is a charity responsible for maintaining some of Midhurst's community facilities. The Charity Commissioners Scheme for The Midhurst Town Trust was sealed on 4 February 1910, and has governed the activities of the Trust ever since, with one amendment. Certain properties were vested in

2320-545: The Old Library (Council Offices) on Knockhundred Row. The event that had the greatest effect on the town in the Tudor period was the re-building of Cowdray House , which commenced in the 1520s. Sir David Owen, illegitimate son of Owen Tudor and uncle to Henry VII , began construction of the building that is now in ruins beside the River Rother, on the site of the former building called Coudreye, which he had acquired upon

2400-484: The River Rother crossing. St Ann's Hill may also have been the site of an Iron Age fort Although there has been a settlement in Midhurst since at least the early Norman period, and probably from Saxon times, the buildings in the Old Town, centred on the Market Square, are principally Tudor in origin. Almost every house in this part of the town dates back to the 16th Century, and parts of a few buildings, such as

2480-518: The Town Council. Midhurst is a market town servicing its rural hinterland through many small businesses, shops, restaurants and cafes. Its primary economic activities, in terms of employment, are wholesale and retail businesses including motor mechanics, construction, hotels, food and drink and office administration. In 2011 it had a population of 4,914, comprising 2,434 households (average size 2 people) and 3,477 economically active residents. Of

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2560-774: The Trust to protect, administer and care for. In addition to the Old Town Hall and the Market Square, the commissioners schedule of property included the Stocks, The Pound, The Curfew Garden, the Royal Arms, Town Mace and Constables Staves. The Trustees meet twice a year. There are currently six trustees: one representative of the Lord of the Manor (Lord Cowdray); Three representatives of Midhurst Town Council; and two co-opted trustees who reside in Midhurst. The Grange Leisure Centre

2640-847: The West to Eastbourne and Beachy Head in the East. It encompasses the whole of the South Downs , together with a significant area of the western Weald to the north of the Downs, as far north as Alice Holt near Farnham. The Park's landscapes cover 620 square miles (1,600 km ). The headquarters of the National Park Authority, the South Downs Centre in Capron House, Midhurst is a community hub, an exhibition about

2720-403: The bricks without further handling. Production continued throughout World War II, with the company acquiring War Office contracts, including Thorney Island RAF Station . By 1945, the company had a stockpile of 8 million bricks. Following the closure of the railway in 1964, transport switched to the road. At the same time, the company expanded the works, crossing over the former railbed to open

2800-601: The brickworks were closed until, in 1925, the works were sold to Robert Dunning and Eli Searle, who had acquired the Cocking Lime Works the previous year. Dunning was a brick-maker from Wales, who upgraded the plant at Midhurst and Cocking, enabling the lime works to produce a fine ground lime for use in brick-making. In 1926, the brickworks and lime works, now trading as the Midhurst Brick & Lime Co. Ltd., were acquired by Benjamin Cloke for £6,000. Cloke embarked on

2880-600: The building of the first mansion on the river-side site, now intensified. This contributed to the economic expansion, as merchants built new houses and shops on North Street to facilitate their dealings with Cowdray House. It was during this period that the Angel Hotel was built, as a coaching house in response to the growing travel. Fifty years later, it hosted many of the Pilgrim Fathers, on their way from London and East Anglia to Plymouth. The local labour market

2960-495: The castle curtain wall. The parish church in Midhurst originated as a medieval chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. In about 1216 the founding charter of a college of priests at Easebourne (re-established about 1230 as a Benedictine nunnery), lists Midhurst amongst its dependent chapels. When Easebourne Priory was suppressed in 1536 and handed to the Fitzwilliam family, the chapel in Midhurst achieved parish church status, and

3040-490: The de Bohun name, and in about 1280 abandoned the fortified manor house to build their principal home on flat land across the River Rother from St. Ann's Hill, in the neighbouring parish of Easebourne, 'at a place called Coudreye' (old French for a "hazel grove"). Between 1284 and 1311 St Ann's Castle was in the hands of the Bishop of Durham , and during that period was largely dismantled. However "the chapel of St. Denis within

3120-496: The death of his wife Mary Bohun. Her family had built the original house there between 1273 and 1284, after they abandoned their original castle on St Ann's Hill. The rebuilding continued after 1529, when Sir David Owen's son sold it to Sir William Fitzwilliam. The Fitzwilliams were a staunch Catholic family, and remained so throughout the English Reformation and beyond, making Midhurst a centre of Catholicism into

3200-471: The design of Sir Ashton Webb, who also designed Admiralty Arch in London. The War Memorial was unveiled in 1923. It is aligned on the axis of the nave of the church and consists of a square pillar set upon a square plinth which stands on an octagonal base of two steps within a kerbed, cobbled area. It has been constructed from dressed sandstone, probably from a local quarry. The names of fifty men who fell during

3280-515: The earthworks and ruins of St. Ann's Castle have been designated as a Scheduled Monument . The Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Denis and the Spread Eagle Hotel are both listed Grade II*, while the remainder are Grade II. At least 42 of the listed buildings are in the Old Town. Of the listed buildings two recognisably predate 1500; six are 16th century; 30 are 17th century; 32 are 18th century; 22 are early 19th century; one

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3360-400: The former castle of Midhurst" appears to have escaped the destruction, as it was functioning in 1291, and is referred to in 1367 as standing "in a place called Courtgrene". There is still a house called Court Green beside the current entrance to the castle enclosure. At some period after this date the chapel of St. Dennis was eventually demolished, and the re-built foundation can be seen within

3440-687: The kilns. This level was operated by another 4-wheel Simplex petrol locomotive, works number 8981, now at the Old Kiln Light Railway . The upper level carried waste back from the kiln to reclaim disused pits. A third Simplex petrol locomotive, works number 6035, operated this level. This locomotive is now at the Apedale Valley Light Railway in Staffordshire . The Midhurst White brick suffered from excessive weathering especially in coastal areas, and as

3520-488: The leadership of the South Pond Group with community support. The Midhurst War Memorial is situated outside the Midhurst parish church at the confluence of Red Lion Street and Church Hill, adjacent to the Market Square. It occupies land donated to the town for this purpose by Major Harold Pearson. Mr. Percy Oliver (1885–1949), a local stonemason, was commissioned to build and carve the memorial in accordance with

3600-568: The local economy. Enormous amounts of food were required to feed the approximately 200 servants, huge numbers of family and visitors. About thirty separate dishes were served to anything up to 500 people at the main daily meal. Similarly, the building works themselves, using brick and stone rather than the locally produced materials of other local buildings at the time (typically timber framing infilled with wattle and daub ), would have required vast amounts of transport, storage and accounting, bringing artists, craftspeople and specialists of many kinds to

3680-474: The lower level, connecting the kilns to the storage sheds and railway station; the middle level, to the sand pits; and the upper level, which took waste back from the kiln to the disused pits. The lower level had a complex arrangement of tracks connecting the kilns to the two storage sheds and also to the goods shed at the LSWR station. In 1964, two locomotives worked on this level. The most heavily used locomotive

3760-474: The main routes out of Midhurst. During the mid and late 20th Century there was significant housing development to the south of the town, in the Little Midhurst, Holmbush and Fairway areas. In 1106 Savaric fitz Cana (Fitzcane) received land in Midhurst and the neighbouring village of Easebourne from Henry I , and in 1158 his son built a fortified manor house on St. Anne's Hill. The family later adopted

3840-410: The middle", plus hyrst , "a wooded hill". The Norman St. Ann's Castle dates from about 1120, although the foundations are all that can now be seen. The castle, the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Denis, together with South Pond, the former fish-pond for the castle, are the only three structures left from this early period. The parish church is the oldest building in Midhurst. Just across

3920-413: The name of Sir John. If they failed for a whole year to hold the courts the agreement should lapse, and if they neglected to keep the streets and ditches in order the lord's manorial officers should be responsible for apprehending offenders, but were required to hand over any fines to the burgesses. This arrangement was confirmed in 1537 by Sir William Fitzwilliam, after his purchase of the manor. Midhurst

4000-623: The north of Midhurst. The solid geology in the vicinity of Midhurst is sedimentary rock, as throughout Sussex. Descending northwards from the South Downs through Midhurst towards the Weald, the rocks become progressively older. The historic core of the town lies almost entirely on the Sandgate Formation (or beds), which form part of the Lower Greensand Group (Lower Cretaceous) while the southern suburbs are built on

4080-565: The north to the Town Meadow, in the east to the River Rother and in the South to a tributary to the Rother. To the west it was bounded until the late 12th century by a 1.5-metre deep ditch, with a dyke and pallisade, approximately where Duck (or Dyke) Lane now lies. Other than the castle, the principal engine of growth for the town was its regular market, for which the earliest known reference

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4160-446: The old coaching inn that is now the Spread Eagle Hotel, date to the 15th century. Even the apparently more modern North Street is lined with Tudor buildings behind classical and Georgian façades that were added during the 17th and 18th centuries, a time of prosperity for the town. There are also several actual 18th-century buildings scattered throughout the town, and distinctive Victorian and Edwardian developments of terraced housing along

4240-409: The predominance of shepherding in the surrounding agricultural area. Midhurst was a ' free borough ' and in 1278 was said to have been so from time beyond memory. It was governed by a bailiff who was elected by the burgesses from among themselves. The bailiff regulated the market by ensuring the assize of bread and ale, appointing two ale-tasters yearly, and acted as clerk of the market. Disputes over

4320-551: The principal planning authorities ( Chichester District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority ) (meets fortnightly). The times and dates of meetings, the minutes of meetings and other information is available on the Town Council website. The Midhurst Town Council organises a community street party every December on the first Friday of December, a Summer Street Party on the last Saturday of August, various events for families throughout

4400-427: The registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Clubs and Societies: There are over fifty clubs and societies in Midhurst, covering all aspects of community life. They include groups active in the arts and in crafting activities, in environmental and heritage activities, in social support and welfare activities and in sport and leisure. Midhurst developed as a Saxon village at a strategic crossroads of what are now

4480-418: The respective rights and duties of town and manor were settled in 1409 by an agreement whereby Michael Bageley and six other named burgesses agreed, on behalf of themselves and their successors, to pay 40 shillings a year to Sir John de Bohun, Lord of the Manor, and his heirs, for the right to take the market tolls. In return they were required to hold both the three-weekly courts and to conduct two 'law days' in

4560-462: The same time, Benjamin Cloke decided on a flotation of the company's shares. This was not a success, but fortunately Cloke had retained a substantial holding of the company's shares, thus preventing the flotation from being a failure. Shortly after this, Cloke died from thrombosis . To handle the expanded production, new storage sheds were erected close to the railway station, with Southern Railway providing 150 special truck containers to transport

4640-483: The sandstones of the Folkestone Formation . The drift geology of the Midhurst area comprises alluvium following the course of the River Rother and its tributaries, together with associated river terrace deposits of gravels, sands and silts. South Pond is the second oldest structure in Midhurst, second only to St. Ann's Castle: it is thought to have been dammed in the early 12th century as a fish-pond for

4720-532: The six autoclaves could contain 13 bogies. Steam was then applied from the Lancashire boiler which provided saturated steam up to 160 lbs. per sq. inch . This process lasted 12 hours, following which the finished bricks would be taken on the works railway system either to storage sheds or to the railway goods depot. The works had a network of three railway lines, built to a gauge of 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ). The system operated on three levels:

4800-409: The slaked mixture would be transferred through an edge runner mill to the brick presses. There were two Sutcliffe duplex presses which exerted 100 ton pressure on each pair of moulds producing 2800 bricks per hour, and a German-made Bernhardi press, with eight single moulds which produced 1200 bricks per hour. The moulded bricks were then loaded onto bogies for transfer to the autoclaves . Each of

4880-528: The special clause denouncing the Roman Faith, as did their colleagues at Easebourne, where there was an equal number of recusants. By 1676, the estimated numbers of Conformists (Anglicans) was recorded as being 341, of Roman Catholics 56, and of Nonconformists 50. In 1831 there were only 41 eligible voters and Midhurst was considered a rotten borough . In the Great Reform Act of 1832 Midhurst

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4960-706: The sport's earliest references. By the mid-17th century, the Anglican church was well established and Catholicism apparently declining, although about a quarter of families remained Catholic, and 30 years later there were a similar proportion of Nonconformist families. In 1642, during the English Civil War , the ' Protestation ' in support of the Anglican Church was signed by 207 men in Midhurst, but 54 'recusant Papists' refused at first to sign it. Two days later 35 of these did sign, probably excepting

5040-431: The town, driving the development of a local middle class. There are two wall paintings in the town said to have been painted by artists working on the mansion who were lodging in the houses concerned. One is in the building on North Street currently occupied by the Olive and Vine Restaurant and Bar, and the other is in Elizabeth House, beside the Swan Inn in Red Lion Street. They are thought to be either practice images for

5120-405: The traditional glazed bricks. The advertisement claimed that "the texture resists the chemical erosion of atmospheric acids and gives no hold for smoky deposits. Midhurst Whites remain fresh and beautiful—giving back the sunlight year after year." The company was soon highly profitable, generating a weekly profit in excess of £1,000 and the company was renamed as Midhurst Whites in 1938. At

5200-456: The wharf just south of St. Ann's Hill. In 2002, Country Life magazine rated Midhurst the second best place to live in Britain, after Alnwick . Midhurst is situated in the Wealden Greensand that lies between the South Downs and the Low Weald: that is, between the open rolling chalklands of the Downs, and the sandstones and clays of the western Weald, exemplified by the densely wooded slopes, hills and steep valleys around and especially to

5280-422: The work in the mansion, or painted in lieu of rent. The image in North Street tells the story of King Ahab robbing Nathan of his family vineyard, reflecting the despair that the mostly Catholic population of the town felt in being forbidden by the monarch to practice their religion. The extension of the town along the former lane to Easebourne towards the new mansion, which had begun in the early 14th century with

5360-417: The year and regular 'Big Cleans'. The council is responsible for the town recreation ground and the town cemetery, and provides grants to various local clubs and organisations. In 2014 the Town Council moved from its former offices in Capron House on North Street to the Old Library building on Knockhundred Row. The building is leased from the West Sussex County Council, with a view to its eventual purchase by

5440-412: Was a Hudson "Go-Go" petrol/paraffin locomotive built in 1932, works No.HT45913. The outside frames of this locomotive covered the wheels and reached almost to the ground. This engine is now on display at the Amberley Museum Railway . The second locomotive on this level was a 4-wheel Simplex petrol locomotive, works number 6023. The middle level served the active sand pits, transporting material to

5520-440: Was briefly arrested in connection with the Gunpowder Plot . He was suspected as a plotter because of his Catholic religion and connections with several of the known plotters. Among others, he had briefly employed Guy Fawkes , a native of Lewes in East Sussex, as a footman. In addition he had stayed away from Parliament on 5 November following a warning from Robert Catesby , the leader of the plot. Anthony-Maria Browne spent about

5600-403: Was distorted as workers were diverted from their conventional tasks to work as servants or contribute to the building. Town officials were concerned at the redirection of the Midhurst economy away from its traditional centre around the market place and towards the newly dynamic Cowdray House. The bailiff and burgesses petitioned Sir Anthony Fitzwilliam to give them a plot of land on which to build

5680-449: Was established in 2012 to conserve and develop the area around the South Pond as a wildlife corridor . Activities include clearance parties, water quality monitoring, newsletters, talks and maintaining notice and interpretation boards. Major renovation works, involving dredging and establishing reed and waterplant beds to reconstitute the natural ecology, capable of supporting a full range of pond life , were undertaken in 2014– 2015, under

5760-738: Was finally agreed to add these panels, and the work was completed in 1962. In 2014 the name of a Royal Marine killed in the Afghan War in 2012 was added to the plinth. The Memorial is in the care of the Town Trust. Each year on Remembrance Sunday, the Midhurst Branch of the Royal British Legion organises a service of remembrance at the War Memorial. There are 106 buildings in Midhurst listed with Historic England as having special architectural or historic interest, while

5840-547: Was first represented in the Parliament of 1301 and was consistently represented from 1382 onwards. From these early beginnings, and until the Great Reform Act of 1832, the town had two members of parliament. The electors were the owners of certain properties, which were marked by " burgage stones", one of these stones remains and can be seen with a descriptive plaque embedded in the wall of a building just north of

5920-537: Was forced to sell off a stock of 4 million bricks made especially for the expected London contract to a local builder for £1 per 1000; these were used in the construction of new homes at Park Crescent in Midhurst. The company now concentrated on the manufacture of sand-lime bricks, in which damp sand and slaked lime (8% of the content) were mixed before being poured into moulds and heated under pressure in an autoclave. The autoclaves were about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in diameter and 12 m (39 ft) long with

6000-478: Was found in the 19th century in a box hidden in the chimney of an old house with rosaries and other religious objects. In the mid-1630s, Sir Anthony Browne employed the fashionable cook, Robert May to be the chef at Cowdray House. In 1565, he published one of the earliest British cook-books – The Accomplisht Cook . In 1637, an ecclesiastical court case records parishioners of Midhurst playing cricket during evening prayer on Sunday, 26 February (Julian), one of

6080-442: Was founded in 1969 to help conserve this heritage. The Society aims to preserve, protect and improve local features of historic or public interest. It promotes high standards of planning and architecture and seeks to enhance the local environment and amenities, in liaison with public authorities. A biannual magazine "Midhurst Magazine" is published to encourage interest in the local past, present and future. The Knockhundred Shuttles

6160-405: Was opened on 3 March 2014, replacing a nearby earlier building dating from the 1960s. It is owned by Chichester District Council and operated by Westgate Leisure. The centre provides a number of services under one roof. It is a meeting-place for a range of clubs, including bridge, badminton, gymnastics, toddlers, line-dancing, yoga and many others. It includes: a multi-purpose four-court sports hall;

6240-456: Was reduced to one Member of Parliament and the constituency was expanded to include most of the surrounding villages. Cowdray House and estate was owned by the Montagu family until 1843, when it was bought by the 6th Earl of Egmont , who sold it in 1910 to Sir Weetman Dickinson Pearson who in 1917 became Viscount Cowdray. The current owner is the 4th Viscount. There was a gasworks adjacent to

6320-457: Was substantially re-built. The additional dedication of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene to St Denis (also the dedication of the former chapel within the castle) is first recorded in 1764. The little town developed outside the castle, mainly to service it and the immediate surrounding area, and to provide a market place for local agricultural surpluses. It was bounded by an escarpment dropping in

6400-634: Was uncontested as there were 13 nominations for the 15 seats, and therefore 2 vacancies. Four of these were women (31%). Various changes have occurred since the election. The council is led by a chairperson nominated by the councillors from among themselves. The council is supported by a staff of two: the Town Clerk (and Responsible Finance Officer) and an Assistant Town Clerk. There are three Council Committees: Finance, Asset and Policy (meets monthly), Community and Environment (meets monthly) and Planning and Infrastructure, which has an advisory function only to

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