The Greenwich Meridian

Currently viewing images from 08 Jul 2012

Click to choose image set

There isn’t a marking here yet, but one has been proposed. The Spring 2012 edition of Hamsey News, carried the following report about the Hamsey Heritage Project. It is quoted here in its entirety.

‘Prospective sites for “interpretation boards” have been researched in conjunction with the South Downs National Park Authority. Only sites within the park boundaries are being considered at this stage and the provisional selection is as follows: Chalk Pit Inn, Hamsey Church, Cooksbridge Station, Beechwood Hall, Offham Village centre, Greenwich Meridian at the junction of The Drove and Ivors Lane.

Park Ranger, Mark Hayward, and Interpretation Officer, Stephen Sibbald, are now considering how to link the sites with circular routes. They will also identify sources of funding to add to the £700 retained from Village Day 2008. Children from Hamsey School will be involved in creating some of the material for the boards, helping to raise their awareness of some of the special features in our parish. The interpretation boards may also be complemented by information sheets and on line sources of information.

The project is being driven by Brian Bates from the parish council and Michael Bell from the trustees of Beechwood Hall, with clerk Jenni Toomey doing the coordination. Timetables have yet to be finalised, but it is hoped that the school children can begin work at the start of the new school year in September.’

On a different note and somewhat intriguingly: Amongst the records deposited by Hamsey Parish Council at the East Sussex Records Office, there are references in 1984 and 1985 to ‘Greenwich Meridian Centenary tree-planting’. There are no trees at present which look as though they were deliberately planted on the Line and although these records might shed some light on the matter, they have yet to be consulted.