The Lindfield Preservation Society

Founded 1961

Promoting and encouraging the preservation and development of the village

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  Presentation to Lady Hunt

Chairman (2002/03) Chris Bosker makes a presentation to Lady Hunt who opened her gardens to members for their summer party on 20 June 2003

  

Danger!

Landfill site threatens Lindfield

West Sussex County Council are considering the Freshfield Lane Brickworks site at Horsted Keynes as a landfill waste tip. Rubbish would be brought there from as far away as Uckfield, Burgess Hill and even Crawley, much of it via Lindfield.

The lorries used are almost twice as big as the dustbin lorries the council uses. All the approach roads through our village would be used.

A comparable landfill in Walsall – the same size and opening hours as are proposed for Freshfield – averages EIGHT LORRIES AN HOUR entering and leaving throughout the working day. Proposed opening hours for Freshfield are 7am–6pm, Monday-Friday, and to 1pm on Saturdays.

For more information, go to Horsted Keynes

  
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Postal Campaign Success At Last

Postal campaign leaders celebrate

After years of campaigning, Lindfield's name was at last added to Royal Mail's Postcode Address File.
Pictured (left to right) are Malcolm Wykes, Lord Blaker and Rev Michael Davies who spearheaded the fight to a successful conclusion

 

Cash for the Fight

Michael Anstey signs the cheque		 

A group fighting plans for a waste tip in the countryside has reached a £50,000 milestone in its fund raising target. The Treasurer of the Lindfield Preservation Society, Michael Anstey, is pictured above signing a cheque for £500 for the Freshfield Action Group and watched by group members.

Elaine Seear of the group said “This has helped to boost our fund to over the £50,000 mark. We are most grateful to the Preservation Society for their donation and their continued support. We would like to thank the many residents of Lindfield who have also donated to our campaign fund.” The group is opposing plans to use brickworks near Danehill and Horsted Keynes for waste. It hopes to raise a total of £125,000 to pay for expert representation to fight its case .... More

 

Chairman's message, January 2003

 

The Lindfield Preservation Society is alive and well and wishes all who live in the village a Happy New Year.

Last year our survival was in the balance and the need for our existence was questioned by some. A majority strongly disagreed and the new committee now hopes to gain the support of a wider membership.

Chris Bosker, our new Chairman, believes that we should give greater emphasis (quoting from our Rules) to “developing and improving public amenities" and "promoting charitable schemes" to help remove the perception that we simply exist to prevent change.

Our determination to fight for the conservation of all that is best in our village will continue as before under the Deputy Chairman, Peter Lawson and his committee.

Chris Bosker says we want to preserve and enhance not only the fabric of Lindfield but also its institutions, its clubs or anything else that is important to the social life of the village.

 

We should support the previously planned A272 around Haywards Heath to encourage traffic to use the A23 for north /south movements and hence not the High Street or the rat runs onto and off it. The present congestion in Haywards Heath encourages traffic to bypass the town, using Lindfield.

We should encourage the planners and engineers to use new technologies to reduce traffic noise. New road surfaces are available that dramatically reduce road noise, a significant part of the total.

Chris would also like us to be known as just The Lindfield Society rather than the Lindfield Preservation Society (which is not our registered name) to project a more positive image.

Socially we plan regular visits to places of interest as well as a major event. We will almost certainly have a garden party this year; next year a festival or a ball perhaps. The AGM may well be kept to a short formal meeting, followed by a first class speaker, wine etc.

January 2003
 
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Programme Report, Spring 2004

 

The Dickens Festival

In old Rochester

in old Rochester

This subcommittee organised the last year's very successful series of Wednesday evening social meetings at the King Edward Hall. The programme ranged from the presentation on the Freshfield landfill proposal to a talk on Charles Kempe. Some of our members asked last year if our winter meetings could be held in the afternoon. As a result this year's January and February meetings have been held on Thursday afternoons and have been well supported.

On 20th June last year Lady Hunt kindly invited 140 of our members to a Members' Summer Party at Old Place, which was a great success. Meanwhile George Murrell organised three very successful coach outings for us, the last of which was to the Dickens Festival at Rochester in December.

So far this year we had a talk in January on Funfairs in Sussex and in February on The Importance of Trees. The remaining Wednesday evening social meetings for 2004 are: 14 April, Masts & Barns. Two short talks by Tim Berkley from Mid Sussex District Council on the planning application process for telecommunications masts and by John Garrett on the recent restoration of Sennott's Barn. 15 September, A talk on Lindfield & the College of Canons by Rev. Tony Way. 20 October, A William Allen Evening with Margaret Nicolle and special guests. 17 November is our Annual General Meeting. All these meetings start at 8pm in the King Edward Hall

Alan Gomme, Programme Subcommittee

 

Memories of Lindfield video is available again

Rare archive films in colour, including: “Yesterday’s Lindfield,”
“Coronation Celebrations 1953” and “Jubilee Celebrations 1977”

Front cover of the video

 

This Video is at last available again from:

The Bookstop in Lindfield

or from our Secretary
at any Society event,
or you can order
by emailing the society

 

During the 1980s a number of cine films of Lindfield were presented to the Preservation Society by the family of the late Cyril Hayworth who had shot them during the 1940s and 1950s.

The Society is deeply indebted to Dick Rawling of the Haywards Heath Cine Society who edited the films and added his own excellent up-to-date footage and commentary. However, both these films (Yesterday’s Lindfield and Coronation Celebrations 1953) had suffered from the passage of time, and expensive remedial work was necessary in order to preserve them. The Society has received enormous assistance from West Sussex Record Office (WSRO) through their membership of South-East Film Video Archive who shared the high cost of the restoration. Both films together with the Society’s film of the 1977 Jubilee Celebrations were sent to the new high-tech BBC laboratories at White City, and the Machine Room in London, a technical company used by the major TV companies. This has brought about the excellent colour enhancement and sound improvement.

The Society wishes to place on record its most grateful thanks to all who have assisted us in this enterprise. In addition, of course, to Dick Rawling, Alan Readman of WSRO and Ian Spalding of the editing and sound studio of the University of Brighton, who have given to us unstinting time and advice. Grateful thanks are also due to Claudia Gaukroger for her charming cover picture of Lindfield. The film Jubilee Celebrations 1977 was produced by members of the Preservation Society with a commentary by the late Alan Street.

 
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Members’ Survey Results

At the Society's meeting on 19 March 2003, members discussed the future of the Society and took part in a survey
Here are the questions discussed and a summary of the views given

Question discussed

%

Views expressed

The Society should object to any planning proposal that would adversely change the character of the village56Agreed, with the emphasis on adversely
The Society should press for traffic speed reduction measures58Especially in terms of a mini -roundabout at the Post Office. No speed ramps. View on parking restrictions varied from wanting more to wanting none
The Society's web site should be developed as an important means of communication (including planning issues)52Agreed, as long as traditional forms of communication continue
“I would like social meetings to be held in the King Edward Hall every winter month, in the evening”31Generally agreed, but afternoon meetings also requested
“I would like outings by coach to London theatres, art galleries, and historic houses”28Generally agreed, but to include other destinations
The village should enter the South-East in Bloom competition in 200449Agreed
The society should give prizes to young people to encourage their participation44Generally agreed
The Society should encourage members to write or paint about local interest subjects and assist in selling their work14Not much enthusiasm, but the idea was not explained at the meeting
The Society should be involved with Village Day and Late Night Shopping52Generally agreed.
The Society should promote a new major event to be held each year on the common, with a view to raising money and awareness of both Lindfield and the Society28Some support for a charity celebrity cricket match, beating the bounds, a summer ball
The annual subscription should be affordable for all residents, and increased to £5 (from £2.50)41Generally agreed, but several asked for a pensioner's discount
“I would like a newsletter twice a year”50Generally agreed, but more often if possible.
The Society should sponsor an information point with a map showing places of interest, surgeries, chemists, car parks etc34Very mixed response, some much in favour, many not.
The campaign to insist that Lindfield be properly recognised by the Royal Mail will continue64Only one person disagreed
Other general comments Make new members welcome, attract younger members
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Minutes of the Special General Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Lindfield
held at 8.0 pm on Wednesday 2 July 2003 at The King Edward Hall, Lindfield

Present: Chris Bosker (Chairman), Michael Anstey (Treasurer), Alan Gomme (Secretary), Graham Campling (Membership Secretary) and 47 other committee members and ordinary members of the Society.

Chris Bosker opened the meeting by explaining that the management committee of the Society had to call this Special General Meeting under Rule 3 in order to increase the Society’s subscription rates with effect from 1st August 2003 as previously discussed with members at a meeting in February 2003.

Michael Anstey then explained the resolutions under Rule 7 that needed to be voted on to the members. The resolutions were proposed by Michael Anstey and seconded by Graham Campling.

Resolution 1. Amendment to Rule 7 so that the first sentence reads as follows: Members shall pay such annual or life subscriptions as may be determined from time to time at any General Meeting. Resolution was passed.

Resolution 2. The management committee recommends to members the following revised rates of subscription, effective from 1st August 2003 be adopted by the Society:
Annual Individual Membership £5, Annual Household Membership £10 and New Life membership to be a multiple of 10 times the revised Annual Individual Membership. Resolution was passed.

Resolution 3. Amendment to Rule 7 so that the second sentence shall read as follows: All annual subscriptions are payable on joining the Society and thereafter on the first day of January in each year, excepting that a member joining after the 1st November shall be deemed to have joined on the 1st January following. This amendment to be effective for subscriptions relating to the year 2005 which will become due on 1st January 2005 rather than 1st August 2004 as under the current rule. Resolution was passed.

3: Any other business. George Murrell reported on bookings for the two coach outings.

The meeting closed at 8.20 pm.

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