I SHOULD imagine that beacons have been used for many years as a means of communication. This was particularly the case to warn us good Sussex folk from invasion against the French.
The first records of these devices in England date from the 14th century when we were at war with the French – the Hundred Years War. There would have been a beacon, ready to be lit on Seaford Head. In July 1545, a French fleet headed by the French Admiral Claude D’Annebault attacked Seaford. Locals, under the command of Sir Nicholas Pelham of Lewes used farm implements and stones from the beach to pelt the enemy into a hasty retreat. How did Pelham raise this makeshift army so quickly? I am sure his motley army was warned by beacons. The French went on to attack Brighton and Hove and a contemporary print shows the “ye Towne Fire Cage” lit on high ground where Kemp Town is now located.
Other beacons were more substantial. Orders issued in 1585 stated that beacons would need to be ‘in the accustomed places’ and that five households would be appointed for each pair of beacons. Two people were needed to watch the beacons at all times – a rule that lasted until after the Spanish Amada passed in 1588. In 1584 an entry in the Seaford Town Records says: “Robert Best will not watch at the sea-side according to the laudable custom.” This indicates that there was obviously a form of coastal watch at Seaford.
The beacons were all the way along the Sussex coast. At Beachy Head (the most southerly part of East Sussex) a series of beacons were constructed in-land at Willingdon, Wilmington and Firle (Beacon) to send warning quickly to Lewes, the County Town.
By the Victorian era, more sophisticated means of communication had been developed but beacons still used – not for warning but for celebration. Bonfire beacons were lit on Seaford Head to commemorate Royal jubilees and coronations. When George V was crowned on June 22, 1911, both Seaford and Newhaven celebrated with beacons lit at 10pm. The one at Newhaven was so big it was still alight the next morning! The teenage girls of Ladycross School decided they were going to watch a beacon being lit – not at Seaford but Firle!
They set off from school in pelting rain at 8.30pm and by the time they reached Blatchington Golf Course their shoes were waterlogged and they were soaked through. They soldiered on and finally reached the huge bonfire in the pitch dark. At first there were just a few people there but by 10pm a large crowd had gathered. On the stroke of 10pm a rocket and a loud bang was heard from Newhaven. Two men with flaming torches ran to the beacon, pulled aside large branches that covered openings and applied the torches to the dry gorse underneath. Soon the whole bonfire was ablaze and lit up a large area (and hopefully dried the girls!). One of the party, Miss D Patterson said she could count 18 other beacons from Firle and was sure she would have seen more if it was not for the bad weather.
After nearly an hour, the girls decided to head back to Seaford, lit for a short distance by the beacon. The weather was still bad, the Firle beacon was soon out, it was pitch black and they had no torches. They got lost. They were aiming for Alfriston race course but were too close to Newhaven, some fell in rabbit holes or tripped as they walked through dark fields of barley, climbed fences and stumbled through gorse hedges. Eventually, led by Miss Brunton, they heard St Leonard’s Church Clock strike midnight and saw the Seaford beacon, which guided them back to their school an hour and a half later. I am sure they deserved the hot cocoa and biscuits that were waiting for them.
Isn’t that a fantastic story? I am sure every girl remembered the beacon and their adventure until their dying day. Can you imagine the Health & Safety implications today?
This leads me to the special beacon built by Seaford Bonfire Society for her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee last Monday where unfortunately red-tape prevented a bonfire being built on its traditional spot. The beacon however was built on the retaining wall of the old Splash Point Hotel and was clearly visible from the east end of the town. Following the excellent concert on Martello Fields which every one seemed to really enjoy there was a laser light show from the top of the Martello Tower. A few minutes earlier the huge golden orb of a full-moon hoved into view from behind the cliffs, a truly beautiful spectacle.
At 10.15pm a shaft of green laser light sliced through the night air to the beacon which was soon alight to the cheers of the thousands of Seafordians.
As I was caretaking at the Martello Tower I was able to see the beacon on Castle Hill, Newhaven and the glow of the Firle and Alfriston Beacons. Michael Ann was the Beacon Master for East Sussex and reports that about 300 people witnessed the lighting of the Alfriston beacon which he believes was the largest in the county. There were over 50 official beacons in East Sussex and our beacons will be added to a list which will be presented to Her Majesty.
I would have liked to ended this report by saying there was no sign of the French – but I can’t. I spoke to a part of two French families who were visiting us. They said that they had had a fantastic evening and it was. Thank you to all concerned.
Email to a friend
Print this pageSource: www.sussexexpress.co.uk
Provincial titles for Spartan duo - icDerry
TRACK AND Field dominates again this weekend with local clubs City of Derry Spartans and Olympian heading to Antrim on Sunday for the first round of the National League.
And Connor Bradley, fresh from his 1,500m Provincial title success at the same venue last Monday, will be in Watford tomorrow for the BMC Grand Prix meeting.
In New York Jason Smyth will face a top class field in the Diamond League 100m with the pressure on the Spartan to deliver that elusive Olympic qualifying standard of 10.17s.
Hopefully the weather conditions will favour the Eglinton man this weekend. He is certainly capable of running the required time and thus making athletics history as the first to contest both the Olympics and the Paralympics. London hosts both championships and all sports fans would be delighted if Jason can make it to both later this summer.
Meanwhile the big meet of club athletics, the National League will once again see City of Derry and Olympian take the first steps in this year’s competition in Antrim on Sunday. Both local clubs will have men’s and women’s squads in action with qualification for the National Finals the targets.
Both women’s squads will be in direct opposition in Division One and will have Tallaght AC, Sligo County, Louth County, and Sli Cualain AC from Wicklow as the opposition on Sunday.
The Spartans are targeting promotion to the Premier Division and will have to perform consistently over the two qualifying rounds and the Final itself to realise their goal.
The squad is a good mix of youth and experience and looks strong enough across the board to make the final and then push on for one of the two promotion places on offer. Olympian have a less experienced squad and will be keen to blood their athletes in the cut and thurst of major team competition.
The Olympian men did very well last year to make the Division One Final and would have been boosted by John Coyle’s excellent 100m bronze medal last Monday in Antrim.
They will need cover across all 15 scoring events in the League and with Lagan Valley, Sligo County, Louth County, Sli Cualain and Kildare County to contend with, big performances will be required.
The male Spartans have retained their Premier Division status and will hope to have a better campaign this time after a depleted squad struggled last year.
Again a mix of youth and experience will carry the colours but a few key men will be missing and this will shift responsibility onto, in some cases, less experienced shoulders.
Connor Bradley will be in Watford and the selections from 800m through to 5,000m and the 3K steeplechase have had the club mentors scrambling somewhat this week.
The Jumpers and Sprinters are all expected to be teenagers and the club has an emerging group to draw from. The experienced steeplechaser Colin Roberts has gone down with a back injury and will be difficult to replace while the Throwers remain thin on the ground but the scoring 17 events will be covered and each individual event will be fiercely contested for the maximum possible points.
The opposition includes some of the big names, Raheny Shamrock, Clonliffe Harriers and North Down with Tallaght AC, St Abbans and Meath County another trio who will pose tough tests for the Spartans.
NI/Ulster Medals
Connor Bradley saw off all the opposition at last Monday’s NI/Ulster senior championships to storm home a convincing 1,500m winner.
The Spartan bided his time in a tactical race to out-kick Armagh’s Stephen Kerr and posted a 4m 05.77s gold medal winning time and Mary Devlin claimed the Spartans second senior title of the day when she got out to 11m 63cm to lift the women’s Triple Jump crown.
Mary had earlier taken Long Jump bronze and Declan Reed and JP Williamson finished second and third in the men’s 5,000m. Defending champion Reed was surprised by North Belfast’s Connor Magill who took gold on 14m 58.42s, ahead of the two red vests on 15m 03.51s and 15m 09.82s.
Caitlin Ketelar claimed the women’s Javelin silver medal and Andrew Bolster senior bronze and U18 gold in the 400m Hurdles with a 58.26s clocking.
Olympian’s John Coyle put in a blistering finish to grab the senior men’s 100m bronze in 11.18s and Amy Jackson built on her Irish Schools 1,500m bronze to finish 5th overall in a competitive women’s 800m, her 2m 19.51s giving her the U18 silver medal.
Ryan McParland ran 11.42s for 100m to take the U18 silver; Mark McGarvey leapt 6m 44cm for silver in the U19 Long Jump and there were also underage medals for Tamara Boyle in the 400m, Fiona Mallett in the Triple Jump and Olympians Bronagh Doherty and Olive Webb.
Source: www.derryjournal.com
Sussex make inroads at Horsham - wscountytimes.co.uk
Sussex have taken two wickets this morning as their County Championship match against Surrey at Horsham remains finely poised.
Nightwatchman Stuart Meaker and Mark Ramprakash (37) have fallen as Sussex strive to force a result on the final day. Surrey were 39-1 overnight, and Meaker and Ramprakash added 22 runs before Steve Magoffin made the breakthrough when Meaker played on.
Ramprakash and Steve Davies put on 35 for the third wicket, which fell when Ramprakash was trapped LBW by Monty Panesar when attempting a sweep.
Sussex were left to rue a couple of dropped catches though, perhaps most tellingly when Chris Nash put down a sharp chance at short leg off Zander de Bruyn shortly before lunch,
Surrey will begin the afternoon session 129-3, still 98 runs adrift of Sussex’s first innings total.
Source: www.wscountytimes.co.uk
Parade revamp plans go live to public today - Watford Observer
Parade revamp plans go live to public today
9:00am Saturday 9th June 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter
Residents in Watford will be able to get a closer look at and have their say on plans to revamp the top end of the town centre today.
Watford Borough Council is planning to spend over £4m on renovating the northern end of The Parade to attract more business to the town.
Among the proposals are a new bridge over the pond as well as a spruce-up of the waterfeature.
Designers have also come up with plans for a much less cluttered Parade with less street furniture and more greenery.
The company behind the plans, BDP, is holding a drop-in session today in Shop 15 of Charter Place (between Gibsons and Orange) between 11am and 2pm.
The designs will be on display in Watford Town Hall Customer Service Centren and Watford Central Library from today.
The designs will also be going live on the web today at www.whatifwatford.wordpress.com, where residents can leave their comments and feedback.
Comments can also be emailed to whatifwatford@bdp.com or by telephoning Jenny Wilson, at BDP on 0207 812 8344.
Comments(2)
OAC Bailiff says...
10:24am Sat 9 Jun 12
TRT says...
11:15am Sat 9 Jun 12
Source: www.watfordobserver.co.uk
Comment now! Register or sign in below.
Or