Scribe Notes
From your South East Scribe
Amy Clark
Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex
07894 857 617
amy.clark44@yahoo.co.uk
SOUTH EAST SECTION SCRIBE NOTES
South East Section Scribes Notes
Once again I hope this gazette finds you all well. We have recently had two fantastic events in our sections the first was a picnic day at Leonardslee Gardens and the second our main event based at the Buxted Park Hotel.
As I am sure many of you know the Loder family have now sold Leonardslee Gardens so it was wonderful to be invited there with the veteran cars for the last time. We were blessed with fantastic weather for the whole day and many people took the opportunity to have a walk around the gardens and see the other attractions while others enjoyed a lazy picnic in the sun and caught up with friends. The event was attended by over 30 veteran and Edwardian cars. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Loder family for over 30 years of picnic and lunch events that have been held in there gardens, these events have always been highly attended and extremely enjoyable and will be greatly missed.
For our main event we were based on the outskirts of Buxted village at the Buxted Park Hotel, located in a beautiful area of the Ashdown Forest. Thirty Six cars entered the event and the sun shone for all three days without a drop of rain! I understand that this was the first event Henry has organised and it was an equal first as it was the first VCC event I have attended with a car. The arrangements for all three days ran like clockwork and Henry deserves hearty congratulations for all the effort which was obviously needed to muster cars and members on the given day.
While a number of members trailed cars to the event some of us drove, once again I had the privilege of driving Tim Watson’s 1901 Toledo Steam Car which never missed a beat on all three days, although the climbs somewhat tested the fuel and water consumption! Once we had all gathered on Sunday we set off to the Lavender Line, a preserved railway at Isfield some five or so miles from the hotel to enjoy a steam train ride and lunch at the Laughing Fish Pub. After lunch we proceeded along a number of interesting country lanes to New Place at Framfield where their annual Classic car Show was being held. Although local to the area this was a real surprise as it attracts a huge number of well preserved vehicles along with some unusual real rarities, amongst which was a spitfire engined special based on a Rolls Royce chassis!
Although a couple of cars retired due to mechanical problems Monday saw the remaining cars head for Glynde Place, a vast estate with a beautiful Elizabethan manor house tucked away in the South Downs with unbroken views down to the coast where we had exclusive access to the house and grounds and a memorable picnic lunch in an adjacent field. Although the house is on our door step I had not visited it before, all the more interesting as it threw up some local connections. Our route had passed through some of the really pretty parts of Sussex with a chance to experience some ancient narrow lanes with very high banks, including a fascinating coffee stop at Douglas Andrews’ Wheelwrights, someone who will undoubtedly be well known to most veteran car enthusiasts. I always gain the impression that many people think that Sussex is relatively flat no doubt by the time we reached Glynde this myth has been complete dispelled!
Our final morning began in glorious sunshine with a mighty climb out of Buxted towards Burwash for coffee at Nigel Parrotts’ engineering emporium and a chance to look round his workshop, once again a facility well known to veteran car owners. The route took us past Brightling Observatory at the top of the hill which descends for two miles through some wonderful Sussex countryside with great views of the Sussex Weald to Batemans, our lunch stop. Bateman’s, was the old home of Rudyard Kipling which is surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Sussex Weald, this 17th-century house, with its mullioned windows and oak beams, provided a much needed sanctuary to this world-famous writer. It is tucked away in one of the most picturesque Sussex valleys and bordering on the Brightling Park Estate once owned by Mad Jack Fuller who is supposed to be buried under the pyramid in the churchyard. He was also famous for building a great number of follies and pinnacles throughout the Brightling Park Estate.
The Toledo is a most interesting car to drive, it’s one thing driving her down on the London to Brighton but quite another in country lanes with steep hills where I was constantly trying to balance the water level and conserve fuel to ensure we could get back to the hotel, and taking every opportunity to top up with water. On paper she uses a gallon of water per mile but the consumption was much greater and some of the gradients were so long and steep that we had to stop to build steam pressure to complete the climbs! All great fun and we got there in the end!
On arrival at Batemans we enjoyed lunch in the garden before visiting the house, gardens and watermill after which everyone went their separate ways. A most enjoyable rally with a special thank you to Ron Clark, who marshalled us at the various stops and Derek Thorpe who helped Henry set some most interesting routes.
I would like to thank John Watson for his kind words about our main event.
I also attended the main event although only for the Sunday and Monday and I would agree with John that it was a great event, which was blessed with wonderful weather and a great deal of planning on Henrys part.
Other dates for your calendar are:
25th August – Ashdown Amble – Allen White
29th August – Driving for the disabled in Goodwood Park – John Morris
5th September – Picnic and suggested route by invitation of Michael and Bridget Doughty
For further information on any of the above up and coming events please look on our website www.vccsoutheast.co.uk
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