Re: Summer 2015 | Page 75

of 55 per cent of stations and 30per cent of track to stem the large losses being incurred because of increasing competition from road transportation. Henfield station was closed in 1966 and is the third largest place in Sussex without its own railway station. Now there is nothing of the station remaining. The road names Upper Station Road, Lower Station Road and Station Road do remain. Ironically the homes that were built on the site of the station are in a street called Beechings. Not many villages can boast having their own museum but Henfield can. It started in 1948 and the exhibits take you through time from the Stone Age through the Middle Ages into Edwardian times and beyond. There are many local paintings and photographs of the village and its surroundings and it is worth a visit if you are interested in the county’s history. No article about the village would be complete without mentioning the famous Cat House which is decorated with cutout metal cats just under the roof line, each with a bird in its paws. The house which is situated on a path to the church was once owned by local man, Robert Ward. The story goes that a cat belonging to Nathaniel Woodard (mentioned earlier) killed one of Ward’s cherished pet canaries, which upset him so much that he planned a bizarre revenge. Ward bought a number of metal bird scarers and positioned them all round his house at ground level, threading a long string through them on which he also tied a large number of bells. Whenever Woodward passed on his way to or from Henfield Church, Ward would pull the string to jangle the metalwork and bells to remind Woodard of the crime his cat committed. The metal bird scarers now adorn the building’s upper floor. There is also a pub called the Cat & Canary in Upper Station Road which gives a nod to this piece of village history. are also environmentally conscious and Henfield went plastic bag free on 3rd May 2008. Campaigners in the village reckon that in the first 18 months they stopped more than one million singleuse carrier bags being issued, which in addition to the benefit to wildlife, saved 209 tons of CO2. Henfield was the first plastic bag free place in Sussex and this was greatly helped by having our local Budgens firmly on board. We also used to have our own fire brigade which was founded by Henfield Parish Council in 1904 with a horse-drawn fire engine which was replaced with a motorised one in 1937. Chanctonbury Rural District Council took over the brigade in 1942 and on 1st April 1948 it became part of West Sussex Fire Brigade. It is currently staffed by 12 retained firefighters, who live or work within four minutes of the station by car. Henfield has almost everything you need on one street; butcher, baker, greengrocer, chemists, café, newsagents, takeaways, dentist, opticians, charity shops, hardware store, garage, antique shops, post office, hairdressers, pubs and importantly an off licence. But despite its size Henfield still has a very villagey, friendly feel. We even have the benefit of our own leisure centre which is handy when it comes to addressing the results of fraternising in our fine hostelries. Ward would pull the string to jangle the metalwork and bells to remind Woodard of the crime his cat committed. If you find yourself in my neck of the county on 13th & 14th June, stop off, park up and have a mooch around the annual Festival of Gardens and Arts. You can pick up a map from most of the retailers and wander round our very own open house style event. Saturday 18th July sees the biannual Henfield Summer Show return to the Common. This is a proper village fair with rides, stalls, displays, shows, competitions and of course a beer tent. I have been roped in to the inter-pub tug-o-war in the past (pun intended) and the display by the ‘Red Barrows’ in 2013 was hilarious. I hope to bump in to yo in Henfield soon. By Jason Edge Talking of pubs…….Henfield, until fairly recently, had five pubs but sadly the Gardener’s Arms in Nep Town has been converted into a private home and The Bell Inn (formerly Henfield Tavern) has just been converted to a funeral directors, I kid you not! As someone who enjoys the occasional pint of Harveys, I can sometimes be found in The Plough in the dead centre of the High Street. The pub is full of friendly faces and is run by landlady Karen and her daughter Mia who offer a warm welcome and a decent pint. As well as being a hospitable bunch we 73