RUDGWICK PRESERVATION SOCIETY SPRING 2013 Page 1

SPRING 2013

Chairman’s ReportThat was the year, that was! Remember lastSpring’s drought? The rest is best forgotten, but notso easily if you are a farmer or a gardener, trying topreserve our landscape or, more so, make a living.The rain and deep mud have played havoc with ourcropping and with our livestock, such that farmersreckon it will be another year before even thefarming calendar is normal, let alone incomes – onlya few crops sown in Autumn, fertilisers leachedaway, smaller and fewer lambs, potentially fewerbees this summer,. Those of us with solar power onour roof will have noticed the difference too. And stillfew signs of improvement as I write, with the rainlashing down outside.

Fortunately, RPS is not vulnerable to a summerwashout such as the Gardening Association, andCranleigh Show, experienced, but we were unableto attend the former as all we had to offer was onpaper…! We did however have some verysuccessful opportunities to show our Coronationand Royal Jubilee exhibits at the Golden Jubileeevent in Bucks Green in June, and put it up againfor the Friendly Club and for our Autumn Meeting.Incidentally, we were very pleased with thefeedback on the excellent talk at this meeting fromJohn Manley on the Archaeology of the SouthDowns.

Please, therefore come to support yourPreservation Society at the AGM, details on theback cover. You can get a preview of Francis Frithat the website:http://www.francisfrith.com/rudgwick/photos. Here,there are 23 photos of Rudgwick and Ellens Greenfrom their huge collection. Most of us like to see oldphotos with their nostalgia for an older simpler worldin black and white. Frith was a truly great name inphotography, the alliteration a great marketing tool.

The year has also been one of frustrating lack ofprogress both with the pig farm and the Windacres

A book of photographs of old Horsham from theFrancis Frith collection. The picture on the frontreminds us of a Carfax long gone.

Farm development. Nevertheless, there will be notraveller site, and no development at Summerfold(for the time being anyway). Ideas once in thepublic domain have a habit of regeneratingthemselves in new guises.

The future of our brickworks is one such. Therewill be no more bricks made, and planning hasbeen approved for limited development of thebrick buildings by the Harrison family business, aventure in which we wish them well. The partialinfilling and restitution of the clay pits, which hasbegun, is a little more questionable as noenvironmental appraisal of the existing water

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bodies and cliffs was undertaken (as far as we know). RPS made representations about this to WSCC,English Nature, and the Environment Agency, but in these days of cutbacks this site was simply toounimportant – never mind the finding of Polacanthus rudgwickensis there in 1996. One thing I believe wecan be sure of is that the Harrisons will do as good a job as possible, but it will be years before the landfully supports intensive agriculture. In case you are wondering, the new owners have a legalresponsibility to return it to use, but we will never see the return of historic woodland or Hobbs Barn. UKPLC has considerable experience of the restitution of open-cast coal mine workings.

This has been a year, too, of loss in Rudgwick. Several members of RPS who had made names forthemselves locally or nationally have been taken from us. We remember Jim Harrison, Anneke Adorianand Peter Bargman from the farming community, and Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who undoubtedly didso much for cricket that he richly deserved the explosion of column inches in the newspapers for whichhe wrote. We send their families our sincere condolences.

Rudgwick walks? – Oh, no they didn’t! Oh yes they will! No one can remember a season like it forwalks, and so last year our numbers were often down on the usual, so well done to those who braved thefrequently wet and muddy evenings, especially the leaders, but this year we hope to see you back,enjoying the better weather and the lovely local scenery, and of course getting to know each other a littlebetter. See Geoff’s programme on page 11 or check the website.

Our website could be better. Do you know anyone who might be able to assist us in replacing andimproving our website? We are searching for a willing volunteer with some experience and enthusiasm.We know what we want, butlack the right combination oftime and expertise to makeit happen. We have nowbegun to upload our historicnewsletters, back to the1980s. This has been abumper winter for outsiderscontacting me from thewebsite to discuss localhistory. We have gainedmore than we have given,as we add photos andinformation to our archives.Keep the comments andquestions coming!

We have purchased agazebo! With this, we cannow attend outdoor eventsin the dry. It has optionalwalls and is supposed to bewaterproof. If you would liketo hire it for your gardenevent, for a voluntarycontribution to our funds, tohelp offset its cost, wewould be pleased toarrange this with you.Please contact us throughthe website, or contact thechairman direct.

Roger Nash

It is time to pay your subscription! No increases are proposed,so we remain a bargain. The trouble is, some good folk ofRudgwick give us a low priority as a result, and forget to pay (orthink they have when they haven’t). We respectfully ask that youpay, or our simple response will be to stop delivery of yourNewsletter. Many of you paid on being reminded in the Autumn,but some of you did not! If you did not pay last year, or this, thenmembership ceases. Two misses and you are out! It is only fair.

The number of subscriptions paid by Standing Order hasgrown steadily and we are very grateful to members whonow use this method of payment. If you are not one of thisnumber, please do consider it. Those who have an existingSO will have the letters “SO” written on the front of yourNewsletter – no further action required.

Here are the details you need to send to your bank to set upthis Standing Order:Name of payee:Rudgwick Preservation Society

Bank branch sort code:40-18-50

Account No:01406884Reference your full name as the payer

Subscriptions: Family - £5; Single - £3; Retired (over 60) -£2 per person.Payment date: as soon as possible, and annually thereafter on1st April.

If unable to attend the AGM, you may pay by BACS, details above,or send your remittance as soon as possible to Mr D Rigby,Buttonwood, Church St, Rudgwick, RH12 3EB (Tel 822522).

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Horsham District Council will publish its DraftHousing Strategy 2013 – 2015 in April. Thisdescribes how the Council intends to meet thehousing needs of its residents making the best useof their resources whilst achieving the priorityidentified in the Horsham District Plan. It is a longdocument so I have only summarised those partsthat are relevant to this Parish

Horsham has commissioned a Strategic MarketAssessment in partnership with Mid Sussex DCand Crawley Borough Council. This provides anevidence base for a mix of all kinds of housing –market and affordable – based on current andfuture demographic trends and the needs ofdifferent groups in the community. The Council hasset out a clear vision of housing need against thenumerous challenges to be overcome. It predictsthe number of affordable homes needed across theDistrict is 240 per annum broken down into a mix ofrented, shared ownership and retirement homes forthe elderly.

HDC has an empty property strategy which aims tobring long term empty properties back into use andin the past year have persuaded 20 home ownersto participate. Over 300 homes are known to belong term empties and there is a corporate groupwithin HDC working together to find solutions.

Current planning policy sets a target of 40% ofaffordable homes on all new developments of 15units and over. This target is split 25% rentedhousing and 15% shared ownership. Between nowand 2015 new planning policies will beimplemented in the HDC Planning Framework tosecure appropriate levels of affordable housing.It is likely that proposals will be drafted to retain40% affordable housing on sites providing 15 ormore dwellings or on sites of over 0.5 hectares.On sites providing between 9 – 14 dwellings theproposal may be for a requirement of 30%affordable housing and 5 – 8 dwellings may require20% affordable housing

HDC makes reference to the Government’s Growthand Infrastructure Bill currently going throughParliament and the right of developers to appealdirectly claiming that the numbers of affordablehousing requirement makes a site unviable. ThePlanning Inspector will then review the applicationto determine the number of affordable homes thatneed to be removed to make the developmentviable and the original Section 106 agreement willbe set aside for 3 years.

Planning MattersVanessa Sanderson

For planning agreements made before 2010 theGovernment is already consulting on legislation thatwill allow developers to renegotiate S106 agreementsfor a temporary period so they do not have to deliveraffordable homes on new sites where they can provethat the project is commercially unviable. TheGovernment hope that this will unlock 75,000 newstarts which have stalled. HDC takes a realistic andpragmatic view and fortunately there do not appear tobe any sites that have stalled because of prohibitiveprovision of affordable housing.

Thriving rural communities

The provision of affordable housing has a significantrole in supporting rural communities. The lack ofaffordable housing means that rural communitiesbecome socially exclusive and households on low toaverage incomes have to move away. This has animpact on the Council’s aim to promote balanced andsustainable communities and it has severeconsequences for the social and economic well beingof rural areas.

The key challenges are• Identification and procurement of suitable sites –

landowners unwilling to release land due to anexpectation of a higher return

• Misconception of affordable rural housing and whois qualified to occupy the homes

• Anxiety that an affordable housing scheme is thethin end of the wedge and will lead to increasingdevelopment.

HDC are working in partnership with Parish Councilsand Action in Rural Sussex to raise awareness ofaffordable housing in rural communities. There is acontinuing programme of updating Housing NeedsSurveys where villages have not been surveyedwithin the last 3 years and this could includeRudgwick. The Housing Strategy & DevelopmentManager at HDC is currently discussing carrying out anew housing needs survey for Rudgwick and hespoke about this at a recent Rudgwick Parish CouncilMeeting. He confirmed that priority in the allocation ofany new affordable scheme would go to Rudgwickpeople in housing need enshrined in a S106 legalagreement.

HDC are currently exploring with their HousingAssociation partners a mixed tenure model for localconnection schemes (such as Rudgwick) but theidentified risk is local opposition to development insmall villages which can be very well organised andeffective in delaying or even stopping affordablehousing development.

HDC have achieved recent success in delivering ruralhousing schemes to meet local need in Amberley,Lower Beeding and Ashington. Hopefully Rudgwickwill not be too far behind.

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Rudgwick’s parish church, Holy Trinity, stands on aprominent position overlooking the village. There is aspot height marker carved into the stonework nearthe west door, which I understand is two hundred andfifty feet above sea level. I have heard that the top ofthe steeple of Wisborough Green’s church has beencalculated to be also two hundred and fifty feetabove sea level. This difference in height of the twoparish churches is really in evidence when one looksat the view south west across the Arun valley fromHoly Trinity.Rudgwick’s distinctive church tower has seen variousalterations through the centuries. There is evidencewithin the stone work of the building that it once hada castellated tower before the steeple was added.The exposed position of the tower and its roof meansthat it has had to stand the worst of the westerlywinds for many centuries. The support timbers of thetower are of immense proportions which is evidencethat the roof was originally made of Horsham stone,which is extremely heavy, the same material as therest of the church roof. I must point out that at presentthe Horsham stone roof is now only placed on theouter visible sections of the roof, the rest is nowcovered with normal tiles. This was the only answersome years ago to the problems of roof repairs whenthere was no source of replacement of Horshamstone roofing; the best of the stone roofing relocatedto the outer roof. Since then quarrying of this rarestone has started again near to Broadbridge Heath.It was in Victorian times that the tower’s stone roofwas replaced with slates. It seems that this was notsuccessful as records show that those slates onlylasted for fifty years before oak shingles were thenfitted. The following excerpt from a letter from RevWynn, who was Rudgwick’s vicar at the time, to theparishioners dated 15th June 1936 shows there wereproblems again before the second World War;“The Church council last year started a Repair andMaintenance Fund, the first charge on this was therepair of the shingles on the Tower roof. We haveraised nearly enough for the roof but nothing towardsthe cost of the Electric Lighting. We want to doElectric Light this summer, to do this and the roof wewant to raise another £120”In those days the church’s repairs were done by thelocal builder Harold Tate. The roof repairs that werecarried out in 1936 were successful as those oakshingles lasted until the 1970’s.On a personal note my father worked for Harold Tateand on the day of my parent’s wedding, which was ona Wednesday 7th October in 1936, my father neededto speak to Harold Tate, who was working on thetower roof. My father recalled that he climbedRudgwick church tower roof in the morning and thenwas married at Dunsfold church in the afternoon.The specialist company that repaired the roof in 1972fitted cedarwood shingles. The company was basedin Midhurst and I struck up a friendship with the

Head for HeightsMalcolm Francis

owner Paul Harknett. One Sunday evening a friend andmyself managed to climb the ladders to the top of theweather cock, as a practice, as I wanted to film thesteeplejacks at work on my 8 mm cine camera. Therewas a small platform just below the weather cock so thatthe steeplejacks could abseil onto the roof to do theirwork; it was an ideal viewing platform. When I arrived acouple of days later, with my cameras, I asked whether Iwas allowed up and they said “come on up” (I am glad Ihad practiced the rather scary ascent beforehand).The old oak shingles had done quite well but a lot ofthem were curling up in the same way as an old pinecone. It was interesting filming the men at work andrealising how securely their ladders had to be attachedto the walls and roof of the tower. Paul Harknett carriedlarge bundles of the new cedar shingles on his shoulder

and as he climbed theseries of ladders I noticedthat each rung of the longladders bent under theextreme weight that hewas carrying. Icommented on theirweight and he told methat each bundle wasover one hundred weightas they were soaked inpreservative. At a laterdate I visited PaulHarknett at his home inMidhurst to give himcopies of thephotographs I had takenand show him the cinefilm. His house was very

interesting, being full ofsteeplejack memoriblia; various weathercocks, ornatetiles, etc. even the TV was positioned on top of a smallstand that had started life as a weathercock.The vicar at that time at Rudgwick was the Rev JohnHart and he had been forbidden by his wife to even thinkof climbing the scaffolding on the tower. He confided inme that his wife asked him one evening why he seemedto be very pleased with himself, and she then retorted“you’ve been up that tower”John Hart had been a pupil at St Paul’s Cathedralschool in London and recalled that one of the choir boys’games was to run in and out of the recesses in thestonework high up on the outside of the church, a veryillegal game of dare . He was running along a narrowledge high above the ground when he missed his footingas a startled pigeon flew out of one of the hiddenrecesses, in front of him; luckily he managed to hang on….he had a head for heights!…The cedar wood shingles stood the 1987 hurricane verywell but in later years there have been some problemswith some of the nails that were used to secure them.It is only in the last ten years that the church has beenfitted with a lightning conductor; it is rather puzzling thatone had not been fitted in earlier years. I think it is now arequirement under new fire insurance regulations. Thesmall church at Abinger Common had a lightning strikeback in the 1960’s and its small wooden bell tower wascompletely destroyed by fire.

Paul Harknett at work on the roof

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This is the third and final article on the Braby family.In the first two, (Newsletter, Aut 2010 and Aut 2011)the family was traced through to James Braby ofMaybanks, who was a significant member of theRudgwick community in the second half of thenineteenth century, and his children. This article willgo back to James’s grandfather in Lambeth to followthe life and times of his second son, John (who hassurprising connections with Rudgwick himself),together with his son Frederick, before finishing withsome 20th century Brabys in Rudgwick.

John Braby [1799-1881], was the second child ofJames and Hannah Braby of Ockley, and the first oftheir children to be born in Lambeth. He marriedMaria Churchman at Rudgwick in 1829,coincidentally the same year her sister, Mary Ann,who had married his brother James, died inchildbirth. Also that year Caroline Churchmanmarried Thomas Child of Slinfold. The Braby-Churchman-Child connection was a strong one. Itcreated a bond which cemented business andfinancial affairs, among a class which was relativelythin on the ground in rural districts. John’s sonFrederick (above) would later marry a daughter ofThomas and Caroline Child, further cementing theserelationships.

John’s career began in the family wheelwrightpartnership of ‘Braby & Sons’. In 1839, when theirfather retired, the brothers John and Jamescontinued in partnership until about 1850. John andMaria lived at 22, Duke Street, Lambeth, but by1835 had obtained a house at Mottingham, nearEltham, Kent, listed among the gentry there inPigot’s Directory in 1840. His town address changedto 23 Upper Stamford St, Lambeth. By 1841, Johnis described as Independent (capable of living on hisown means). Perhaps he was not as involved in thewheelwright’s. Mary Luff (a Rudgwick surname) aservant girl of 25 years was living in, a sign of Mariaand John’s local connections.

In 1842, he purchased 170 acres at Lynwick andCanfields, with Wellgrove (Cooks), Rudgwick, andpart of Broomhall, Cranleigh, 15 years before hisbrother James had any land in the area. He hadgained this property at the expense of some loss offace by the Butchers (who had lived there forcenturies). James Butcher had died at Lynwick withconsiderable debts to the Tickner family, farmers ofMilford, Surrey. John’s purchase paid off the debt,leaving Philip Butcher and his widowed mother ashis tenants. But the Brabys never lived at Lynwick.The deeds1 recite the change in ownership in detail.The land was sold to John Braby, in trust to ThomasChild (a mortgage from his brother in law). John paid£4200, of which £1000 went directly to the Tickners.

John and Maria will have stayed at Maybanks withher parents, and in May 1841 “Mrs Braby”advertised in The Times for a cook. Maria was at thetime the only Mrs Braby to whom the advert couldapply. Furthermore, in 1845, “John Braby, ofRudgwick, & 23 U Stamford St” supported theproposed (but never built) Brighton Junction Railwayto Horsham & Guildford. One interpretation might bethat he played up his land ownership in Rudgwick ashe hoped the railway would cross his land giving him(and Thomas Child) financial benefit; it was not tobe. Using Maybanks as a base, he attended Vestrymeetings in Rudgwick (entitled as a landowner), in1844 agreeing to write to the secretary of theCamden Society for them to send an architect tomake plans and estimates for the improvement ofRudgwick church (with an endowment from RichardBurchatt). His brother did not attend until 1855.

In 1851, John Braby and his family were in UpperStanford St, affording two servant girls, both fromRudgwick: Rhoda Dinnage, 27, and Maria Butcher,19. But he was no longer working with his brotherand had made an abrupt career change to “slate

Some More Descendents of James and Hannah BrabyBy Roger Nash

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merchant and slater, slate worker employing 30men”, in business with his sons, Frederick andAlfred at Bangor Wharf, the source of Welsh slate,just south of Hungerford Bridge, close to where theLondon Eye is today.

In 1856, John’s eldest son Frederick married JaneChild in Slinfold. She was a daughter of the aforementioned Thomas Child, who had land in bothSlinfold and Rudgwick, and was a successful timbermerchant. Frederick’s marriage was to a cousin. Hewent on to become a wealthy industrialist. John andMaria rented Holmbush in Slinfold for the marriage.

John was thinking of his retirement, so purchased25 acres from Mr Edward Tredcroft of Horsham’sHewells Manor (in the Causeway) in 1856 to buildthe house called Wimblehurst, between North HeathLane and Parsonage Road (confusingly then calledWimblehurst Road). Frederick later wrote, “Mr. JohnBraby, for a long time a wheelwright at Duke St.,Stamford St., and afterwards a slate merchant inBelvedere Rd, Lambeth has now retired frombusiness and is residing at Horsham in a largehouse built by himself upon an estate of which hepurchased the freehold from Mr Tredcroft.” This wasthe first great Victorian mansion house to be built inHorsham. Frederick mentioned family gatheringsthere each Christmas. In the mid 1860s John waschurch warden of St Mark’s church in Horsham. Inthe 1861 Horsham census, John, Maria anddaughter Alice were at Wimblehurst. Kelly’s P.O.Directory 1867 gives: “about a mile out of town, onthe London Rd., is Wimblehurst, the residence ofJohn Braby Esq.; it is a handsome mansion, in thepure Italian style of architecture. Has a commandingview, and is surrounded by stately oak trees.” BrianSlyfield wrote2, “the house had an elaborate designand was of a substantial size. It had a grandconservatory and an equally grand ballroom, andboasted a stylish Italianate tower. But surrounded bymany trees, it was one of Horsham’s less wellknown houses”.

In an early draft will, written in 1865 and kept inHorsham Museum, Braby offers fascinatingglimpses into both his family and his assets3. At thistime they had anticipated being in Horsham for therest of their lives as he specified their burial inHorsham cemetery. The most interesting facts toemerge are firstly that he retained an extensiveportfolio of leasehold property in or near Lambethand secondly that he was very strongly associatedwith railways, as was his brother James, owninglarge portfolios of stock in both SER (lines toWaterloo) and LB&SCR. The development ofWaterloo Station must have given investmentopportunities and/or land sale opportunities, aswould have the just completed LB&SCR Horsham toGuildford line through Slinfold and Rudgwick, withwhich his brother and Thomas Child had both beenstrongly associated.

In 1866, John Braby, of Wimblehurst, Horsham,Sussex, Esq, agreed and declared “in front of twocredible witnesses” to grant his farms at Lynwick tothe use of James Braby, his brother, of Maybanks,Ewhurst, Surrey, Esq, and his assigns, during hislife, without impeachment of waste (i.e., as tenantfor life, not subject to the laws of waste - damage ordestruction of the property)4. James now farmed anextensive acreage in the locality, includingGreathouse Farm, nearly adjoining. There is noevidence that John was an active farmer. It waswhilst James was tenant that the lag at Bucks Greenwas made available for the new school, for which hetook the credit, not John.

In 1871, John (71) and Maria (68) were renting anapartment in Gower St, Bloomsbury, close to hisson’s business, leaving his coachman, James Buckin charge at Wimblehurst. Wimblehurst was sold inabout 1874 to the Horsham photographer HenryPadwick jun, whose father had forced the sale of theTredcroft estates. The Horsham connection was notquite over, as their daughter Emily had marriedwidower John Stileman Bostock, a Horsham GP, in1866, and lived at 9 North Street. They now had apermanent London address, in Cambridge Square,Bayswater. But Maria died in 1877. John lived on to1881, following an illness in which he was lookedafter by two nurses and a housekeeper. In his will heleft £90,234 (Benjamin Disraeli died the same year,leaving only £76,687!). In 1882, Wimblehurst passedto Henry Allcard, whose family owned the propertyuntil 1972, after which it was sold partly for housing,partly for the car park and playing fields of Novartis(land currently for sale). The house was demolishedin the 1960s, and Allcard Close built over the site.

On John’s death in 1881, James inherited title toLynwick, which he sold in 1888 to Charles AndersonTimms, a man of independent means. It was Timmswho gentrified Lynwick House, adding to the size of

A later view of Wimblehurst,c1890, given to theHorsham Society by a descendent of Mr Sparkes,the Head Gardener at the time.

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the property, and adding the ‘y’ to the name (andindirectly to the modern street name!).

Frederick Braby [1829-1911] was John’s eldestson, and the most successful Braby entrepreneur ofthem all. His professional life also began in thefamily wheelwright’s in Lambeth in 1846, transferringwith his father to set up the slate business. He setup in business on his own account in 1854, whenaged 25, and with a temporary loan from his father,he took over the business of Charles Jack, an Irish-born zinc merchant, whom he had joined as anapprentice. Jack’s firm was started in 1839 in asmall shop on Euston Road. The company alwaysdated its foundation from this year.

Zinc was first used in buildings in the early 19th

century. The duty charged on zinc in Britain was atfirst so high as to make it prohibitively expensive forbuilding purposes, but it was reduced in 1832 to £2per ton, and in 1842 to one shilling, and then in1845 it was abolished. Thus there were greatopportunities trading in a commodity now muchcheaper. Already, in 1839, Australian colonists werebeing told that: “In consequence of the greatimprovement recently introduced in the manufactureof Zink [sic] it is at this time in very extensive use,and in many instances most advantageouslyemployed, and is particularly recommended toEmigrants to South Australia, Sydney, and otherBritish Colonies, combining the important requisitesof economy, efficiency, and durability”. At the 1851Great Exhibition, Charles Jack of London showedperforated zinc, mouldings, sash bars and otherarticles, all of zinc supplied by the Vieille Montagnecompany of Belgium, the pre-eminent Europeanprovider.

As befitted his business interests Frederick laterbecame a Fellow of the Geological Society and ofthe Chemical Society. Now sole owner, he movedthe office and part of the business from Deptford toFitzroy Works, Euston Road, in 1855, and in 1861employed 250 men and 36 boys. The watersideVictoria Works at Deptford continued in use. Edith’sStreets, the London local history blog, gave this in2010: “Ida Wharf later called Ocean Wharf was usedby Frederick Braby in 1859. They made galvanisediron and zinc. Deliveries from Birmingham by canal.Braby were to become a major industry in the field inGlasgow and elsewhere”. The canal referred to wasThe Grand Surrey Canal. Ocean Wharf was on theroad now called Canal Approach. The slatebusiness in Lambeth was left to his brother Alfred tocontinue.

In 1865, Frederick Braby & Co came into existence.He turned the 352-364 Euston Rd firm into a publiccompany the next year, raising £200,000 capital,half of which was by public subscription, A stream of

patents followed; expansion too: Liverpool (1871),Glasgow (1875), Bristol (1896), and Falkirk(1899).An advertisement from 1876 trumpeted theirexpertise in iron houses (“packed ready forexportation to all parts of the world”), in addition togalvanised sheets and tanks, wire netting,corrugated iron chapels (known as tin tabernacles)etc. By the 1870s, the company had the ability todeliver a number of complete railway stationsdesigned by the architect of the Crystal Palace toQueensland. By 1883, their catalogue illustratedmany forms of perforated zinc friezes and frets asuse of zinc became more sophisticated. Laterrecords make clear that the firm also dealt inaluminium, as well as galvanised (zinc-coated) iron.

In the 1920s Thames barges were being built atDeptford. The National Archives which hold therecords of the company from 1865-1976, describethe company as “constructional engineers, hollow-ware and sheet metal manufacturers andgalvanisers”.Frederick, married in Slinfold, retained strongconnections there, not with Rudgwick. In the sameyear that his father died, 1881, the children ofThomas and Caroline Child (Frederick and Jane, hersisters and brother, together with twelvegrandchildren of whom half were Brabys) providedSlinfold with a village hall next to the parish church.Frederick’s last address was in Teddington, whereJane “his twin soul” died in 1909. He died in 1911,the funeral being at Slinfold where they were bothburied. The funeral announcement described theneed for special trains from London owing to thelarge number expected. His brief obituary in TheTimes remarked on his generous treatment of hisemployees and his local benefactions. Frederick left£184,494.Of six children, Flora and Ida, who never married,became known as the two virgins of Slinfold! Theylived at Windalls, The Street, their mother’s

F.Braby, Fitzroy Works 1873

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birthplace, and were eventually buried in Slinfold.Windalls had been built by the Childs in 1829 andremained in their hands until 1956. After Frederick’sretirement, the company was run by the eldest son,Cyrus (1868-1948), and from 1941, by Frederick CBraby, CBE, MC, MIMechE, (1897-1983). Thecompany centenary celebrations were in 1939. TheGlasgow Herald reported it in detail. The Glasgowworks had made aircraft hangers in the 1939-45war. 1700 men were employed at the company’sEclipse Works in Springburn, Glasgow.

In 1961 they were still “manufacturers of fabricatedplate and sheet metal work; copper, zinc andaluminium roofing; constructional steel work; metalwindows, partitions, door frames, pressed steelstairs, fire escape stairs, galvanized tanks, cisterns,cylinders, gutters and pipes in steel, steel drums andcontainers, special plant for food processing andcanning, agricultural steel buildings, metal grain silosand storage bins, feeding and drinking troughs,wheel barrows, oil tanks, pressure vessels, steelshelving and metal furniture”. But the end wasalready in sight.

The labyrinthine and outdated Fitzroy Works inEuston Road had closed in 1954, with the loss ofmany skilled workers who were reluctant to transfer.The Glasgow works closed in 1960 making manymen redundant. The Deptford works had closed in1955. London work was all transferred to Crayfordnear Dartford but this too closed in 1963, after onlyeight years. Galvanised iron was going out offashion. Markets were collapsing globally.Communities were devastated. Mr Norman DobbsMP for Erith and Crayford spoke in the Commonsabout the closure of the factory in his constituency,“This situation is all the more disconcerting when it isremembered that this fine firm was responsible forbuilding 100 houses in Crayford for its employees.”As with James Braby, the family name hit thebuffers: Frederick C Braby had no children. In April2011, Braby Limited, Ashton Gate, Bristol,manufacturers of aluminium and stainless steelsilos, tanks and specialist vessels for a range ofindustries including food, plastics, chemicals andpharmaceuticals, possibly the last successorcompany, entered administration, blaming therecession, etc, etc.

The site of the old Fitzroy buildings is now part ofBritish Land’s flagship 13 acre Regent’s Placedevelopment. Over the years, WestminsterUniversity and Thames Television have come andgone. The land use is now mixed commercial, retail,leisure and residential, occupied by SantanderBank, and Hodder Education among others. In short,regeneration has removed all trace of the history ofthe area, its community and Victorian heritage, andwill be complete in 2013.

Charles Braby [1818-1884] provides one final linkwith Rudgwick. James and John had eight siblings.Charles married Fanny Wilson in 1855. Hebranched out as a hay and straw merchant, inpartnership with James Staff, at Baltic Wharf,Lambeth until 1860. The eldest of his four children,Walter (1855-1935), married Minnie Patterson. Oftheir four children, three had connections in theRudgwick area.

Herbert Wilson Braby and Sidney Gerald Brabywere joint principals of the strongly ChristianPennthorpe School in Church Street, Rudgwick.Their school had evacuated from Mead Road,Chislehurst, Kent to The Mill House at Gibbons Mill,in Rudgwick in 1939, then relocated to Gaskyns,purchased from David Jamilly, and recently vacatedby the Canadians forces, in 1948. Founded by theBraby brothers in 1930, one of its young staff inChislehurst was Preb. Kennedy-Bell, later a wellknown broadcaster. The brothers ran the schooluntil 1955-6. Compared to its current success,Pennthorpe was then very small, mostly boarding,very male, and very traditional.

Herbert’s wife, Mary died in 1948, Herbert in 1964;both were buried in Rudgwick, although he hadretired to Haywards Heath. Sidney retired toBrighton, and died in 1969, his wife, Alexandrina,having long pre-deceased him in 1940. Bothbrothers had been conscientious objectors in WorldWar 1, and had served in the RAMC.

Rev Roland Braby was Herbert and Sidney’sbother. He was educated at Sidney SussexCollege, Cambridge, entered the church, and afterspells in London and Exeter, he came to Loxwood inabout 1935, where he spent 20 years as Vicar. Heleft for a short ministry in Trotton, before he tooretired to Haywards Heath. Roland Braby died inBrighton in 1969, the same year as Sidney. He andhis wife Kathleen are buried in Loxwood churchyard.

1. WSRO Add Mss 42429, 1842-1895

2. Horsham Society Newsletter, Nov 2006

3. HM2432/3

4. WSRO, Add Mss 6291, 1880

Grateful thanks to Valerie Smith (John’s descendent),

and Tony Matthews (Allcard Close resident) for unpub-

lished material.

Further information on the Horsham part of this story

may be found in Horsham Heritage, 21, Autumn 2012

(Horsham Museum), ‘The Building of Wimblehurst and

the Braby Family’ by Roger Nash and Susan Djabri.

Find The Braby Family, a full history, on the RPS web-

site. http://rudgwick-rps.org.uk

RUDGWICK PRESERVATION SOCIETY SPRING 2013 Page 9

I am always slightly amused when people thathave lived in Rudgwick for quite a few years aresurprised when Rudgwick Station is mentioned;the usual comment is that they were unaware thatRudgwick ever had a station. In our parish we stillhave Station road, the Sidings and some ratherbeautifully constructed bridges and the tunnelnorth west of Rudgwick . The line was a victim ofthe Beeching Axe and it finally closed in thesummer of 1965. The passenger numbersincreased towards the end of its life but its fatewas sealed. The line connected to the main linethrough Horsham at Christ’s Hospital and to theWaterloo line north of Wonersh at Peasmarsh..

The line was the epitome of a rural line; sleepystations, occasional goods trains, some weekendexcursions, all hauled in those days by steamlocomotives. When I was a teenager we oftenfrequented the woods and banks close to the line,as there was no danger of an electrified rail. Onewould always hear the train coming as it oftenwhistled when close to Baynards Tunnel. ASunday evening treat was to watch the crosscountry excursions travelling from the coasttowards Guildford and Reading.

The incline from the station towards the tunnelwas very steep, (1 in 90). The normal passengertrains, with just a few coaches were hauled bysmaller locomotives usually referred to as tankengines, i.e they didn’t have a separate tender forthe coal and water. The long excursion trainscould not stop at Rudgwick as they would neverget enough traction to restart. (the service trains

Memories of SteamMalcolm Francis

had a struggle on a frosty morning) The weight ofa long excursion train could be up to 500 tons, sothat powerful locomotives would be needed.Sometimes there would be two locomotivescoupled to the carriages to give more power(called a double header) . There was somelimitation on locomotive size that could travel upthe line towards Guildford because of platformclearances at Christ Hospital station. All I know isthat driving such a train would be a very skilledjob.

Some years ago I had a lot of contact with acompany called Oakwood video who produced ahistory of the Horsham Guildford line.(I contributed some unique 8 mm film footage).One of the train drivers on the Rudgwick linerecalled an incident, on a normal service train, thatindicated the steepness of the line towards the

tunnel and the problemswith traction. The usualprocedure on approachingthe tunnel entrance was toput a handkerchief overones mouth and lay downon the footplate, becauseof the steam and smokeblasting down from theroof of the tunnel. A fewmoments later theyrealised that the train hadlost its grip on the very wetrails within the tunnel andthey re emerged at thesouth end of the tunnel,with the locomotive stillattempting to pull themforwards !This brings me to the

present time. Often people that have a seriousinterest in a subject, that doesn’t interest otherpeople, are dubbed with the defamatory term ofAnorak. Unfortunately this is often used aboutpeople who have a burning interest in HeritageSteam. Personally I think this is very unfair whenone sees at close hand the work and dedicationthat thousands of volunteers give to maintain thiscountry’s steam heritage.

I was given recently a “Footplate experience” as abirthday present from my generous daughter, onthe Watercress line in Hampshire. One is allowedto be in the cab of the steam train whilst travellingup and down their line from end to end. I had tohave the correct safety boots and clothing as it isquite a dangerous environment, even just as anobserver. The Watercress line has to run largelocomotives to pull the passenger trains as thereare some very steep inclines to overcome.

Rudgwick Station Platform c1910

RUDGWICK PRESERVATION SOCIETY SPRING 2013 Page 10

I understand that Medstead station, on that line, isthe highest station in the south of England. Thelarge locomotive, named the Lord Nelson, has aseparate coal tender coupled to the engine, inbetween there are two steel platforms sliding overeach other, to give a flexible floor coupling. Thefireman stood on this moving platform as he fedthe firebox at very regular intervals. I think hemust have shovelled in a barrow load of steamcoal every two minutes, while the engine andtender are rocking around relative to each other.The tender has several tons of coal heaped upand is inclined so that the coal slides towards the

fireman. The motion of the locomotive causesregular avalanches of coal towards the cab. Whenthe train was climbing out of Alton station towardsMedstead the incline was even greater thanRudgwick’s climb (1 in 60), so that the aim was toproduce as much steam as possible for the longascent; by that time the firebox was running whitehot, the flames were so bright , when the fireboxdoors were snapped open, that it was as bright aslooking at the sun. The fireman had to shield hisvision with a shovel to inspect the position of theburning coal, and the heat is nearly unbearable.The firebox is twelve feet deep so that the coalhas to be thrown quite a long way on each swingof the shovel.. All the time these actions aretaking place the fireman is working with the drivercross checking pressures, water levels andlooking at the approaching signals. The waterlevel in the boiler has to be monitored continually,using glass sight tubes, because as an engine is

climbing or descending a gradient the watersloshes back and forth; imagine trying to drive avan with a bath full of water as a load. Just forinterest the water has to be forced in continuouslyat high pressure, using steam to overcome theinternal pressure of the boiler, which runs at about200 pounds per square inch , if the pressureexceeds that figure the safety valve blows ( it isvery loud!) . The maximum speed attained on theWatercress line was 30 mph, but can you imaginebeing on the footplate on the main line when theyare travelling up to about 70mph. The engine that Iwas riding has in the past been used on main line

excursions, that have becomevery popular in this country.The engine has additionalbraking systems and warningequipment that is mandatoryon main line working. Thedriver was under instructionby a senior driver, as was thefireman; they were only intheir early twenties, one wasa software engineer, the othera signalling systems designengineer, driving trains is theirhobby. One final note, theengine was built at Eastleighin 1926 and therefore is 87years old. It was rebuilt someyears ago but is in fine form.There has always been rivalryin the steam world aboutnorthern engineering beingbetter than southernengineering, but in recentyears the northern train

drivers have admitted that this southern engineperformed very well on their steep gradients.Perhaps this engine did in the past pull one ofthose weekend excursions up Rudgwicks’s steepgradients .

I looked up the performance of the engine that Irode and its consumption of water is 44 gallons permile, and 66 pounds of coal per mile. On a typical100 mile journey on a main line the fireman wouldshovel well over three tons of coal and the enginewould use over 4000 gallons of water!

One final note; the day that I rode the steamengine was the last day of the half term holiday, sothat there were many young children absolutelyentranced by the sight of a large railway enginepuffing past, as the engine was uncoupled to bereconnected at the other end of the train.

The fireman said to me “ wave and smile, it willmake their day” ………….

Steam train leaving Rudgwick Station 1960’s

RUDGWICK PRESERVATION SOCIETY SPRING 2013 Page 11

All walks are on Tuesday evenings, are open to all and start at 7-00pm.This year we are running a programme of 14 walks. The late Stan Smith started these walks to be includedin the WSCC booklet, which was an early casualty of the now ubiquitous budget cuts. But the PreservationSociety is continuing our walks, which are on our website (see rudgwick-rps.org.uk), and in the ParishMagazine.The average walk is 4 miles in 2 hours. These walks are fun, and often end in the pub. Our thanks go yetagain to the Claytons for their kind permission for our annual pilgrimage to Baynards Station. If you takeany photographs of the station, please do not post them on the Internet. Thanks also to our excellent localpubs: please support them with your custom. The weather last summer was the worst we have endured,but this year will be glorious.

Sunsets: May 7th 20.33; June 25th 21.20; Aug 6th 20.39.

Bank Holiday: Mon 6th May.

Please park considerately. At the Blue Ship & the Mucky Duck, park in the lane beyond the pub. AtRowhook the parking is up the lane next to the pub not at the front. At the King’s Head use the far end ofthe car park. The Ewhurst recreation ground CP is up Broomer’s Lane, nearly opposite the garage, notnext to the village hall. The Whitehall lay-by is at the bottom of the dip before Cranleigh, on the east side ofthe B2128. At the Onslow Arms, park in the canal car park behind the pub. The Limeburners’ Arms is westof Billingshurst, and parking is restricted, so you may need to park along the LHS of the road. Dogs willnot be allowed onto Baynards Station.Geoff Ayres

Tuesday Leader(s) Starting at Grid RefTQ-

May 7th David Buckley The Fox (Bucks Green) 078330

May 14th Keith Linscott Mucky Duck (Tismans Common) 067323

May 21st Roger Nash The Limeburners’ Arms (Newbridge) 073255

May 28th Geoff Ayres The Blue Ship (The Haven) 084305

June 4th Clive & Nicky Bush The Red Lyon (Slinfold) 118315

June 11th Roger Nash Mucky Duck (Tismans Common) 067323

June 18th Bridget & David Cozens Chequers (Rowhook) 122342

June 25th Malcolm Francis King’s Head (to Baynards stn.) 090343

July 2nd Roger Nash Onslow Arms (Loxwood) 042312

July 9th Geoff Ayres Pephurst lay-by (Loxwood Rd.) 056318

July 16th Bridget & David Cozens Recreation ground CP (Ewhurst) 090402

July 23th John Connold The Sussex Oak (Warnham) 158337

July 30th John Connold Whitehall lay-by (Cranleigh) 078380

Aug 6th Keith Linscott The Blue Ship (The Haven) 084305

Walks ProgrammeSummer 2013

RUDGWICK PRESERVATION SOCIETY SPRING 2013 Page 12

Rudgwick Preservation Society

SPRING MEETINGand AGM

Monday April 22nd 2013At 7.30pm Rudgwick Hall, Bucks Green

Francis FrithA Victorian Photographer

Inventor of the picture postcard

David EdneyFrancis Frith (1822 - 1898) was anextraordinary Victorian photographer whotravelled and photographed extensively inEgypt and the Middle East at a time whenphotography and photographic equipmentwas in its infancy. In 1859 he set up hisphotographic business in Reigate and begantaking and collecting images of towns andvillages throughout Britain. The Francis FrithCollection is a remarkable record of life inVictorian Britain. With later additions thecollection now has around 129,000 historicphotos including 23 of Rudgwick.

David is an accredited speaker with the Francis Frith organisation andwill talk about Francis Frith the traveller and photographer and include

historical pictures of local interest.ALL WELCOME

(Only members are eligible to vote at the AGM)