Wednesday, October 03, 2007
3rd October. Pease Pottage, Black Swan & Brighton Road.
Today we went for a stroll close to home.
When I report that we toured Pease Pottage, those who know the place would want to ask us why?
Beyond the quirky name there never has been much to the village and in the last 20 or 30 years the soul has been knocked out of it by the motorway that is situated alongside it and the building of warehouses.
Very recently a new housing estate has been begun. The finished houses look very pleasant and perhaps the new residents will want to re-create some village spirit, though all work elsewhere. There is no shop and no school and no church so residents have to travel away for all their needs.
But first lets mention the quirky name - Pease Pottage. You can find recipes for it on the internet.
Many tales abound as to how the place got the name - but mostly connected with the food. The most likely explanations would seem to be that either convicts or press ganged naval men were given a break in their journey here and fed a bowl of steaming pease pudding or pottage.
The tradition for breaking a journey here between London and the coast continued into the 20th century.
Charabancs stopped at The Black Swan so that trippers could enjoy a glass of something and maybe a bite to eat. Frieda, our next door neighbour can remember doing this as a small girl in the late 1920s.
The Black Swan remains but there is little passing traffic - it all whizzes by on the motorway. I think the pub has built a reputation as an out of town eating place and seems to be thriving.
For a short while it was called The James King (after the sponsoring brewery). But the pub changed hands and so it reverted back to being The Black Swan - fortunately.
This is a new pub sign - for the new landlords. It wasn't until we got home and studied the photos that we spotted the humour of the artist.
In the background the Loch Ness Monster can be seen.
I wonder how many people have noticed that.
This plaque is on the wall by the door leading into the restaurant.
In the 20th century there has been an increase in homes in Pease Pottage - for even before the coming of the motorway it was a convenient place to live.
Along the road to Horsham there is a ribbon of 1930s bungalows.
The Old Brighton Road - now just a leafy cul de sac has attracted those with money and some desire for grandeur.
"Pretentious" was my word for these mock 1930s mock Tudor mansions.
But I shouldn't judge people unfairly.
This was the main road that linked London to Brighton with side roads off to other Sussex towns and villages. The road passed through Crawley of course - and we live at the southern end of Brighton Road in Crawley - less than a mile from this spot.
You can see on the postcard that there has been debate over the years as to whether there should be a letter E at the end of Pease - it is not shown on the card. I can remember a time when sign posts were de - faced by people wishing to express their views on the subject.
Here is the Brighton Road today - the Old Brighton Road. The "pretentious" house are strung along the left hand side with woodland opposite, which does shield the residents a little from motorway noise. We saw a huge squirrel in the woods with a really large bushy tail.
And here is the London to Brighton road today - the M23 looking North.
The spur off to the left takes us to the top of Pease Pottage Hill and from there down into Crawley, with almost the first Crawley landmark being our house!
Tomorrow (or whenever I get around to it) we will take a look at other Pease Pottage views.
When I report that we toured Pease Pottage, those who know the place would want to ask us why?
Beyond the quirky name there never has been much to the village and in the last 20 or 30 years the soul has been knocked out of it by the motorway that is situated alongside it and the building of warehouses.
Very recently a new housing estate has been begun. The finished houses look very pleasant and perhaps the new residents will want to re-create some village spirit, though all work elsewhere. There is no shop and no school and no church so residents have to travel away for all their needs.
But first lets mention the quirky name - Pease Pottage. You can find recipes for it on the internet.
Many tales abound as to how the place got the name - but mostly connected with the food. The most likely explanations would seem to be that either convicts or press ganged naval men were given a break in their journey here and fed a bowl of steaming pease pudding or pottage.
The tradition for breaking a journey here between London and the coast continued into the 20th century.
Charabancs stopped at The Black Swan so that trippers could enjoy a glass of something and maybe a bite to eat. Frieda, our next door neighbour can remember doing this as a small girl in the late 1920s.
The Black Swan remains but there is little passing traffic - it all whizzes by on the motorway. I think the pub has built a reputation as an out of town eating place and seems to be thriving.
For a short while it was called The James King (after the sponsoring brewery). But the pub changed hands and so it reverted back to being The Black Swan - fortunately.
This is a new pub sign - for the new landlords. It wasn't until we got home and studied the photos that we spotted the humour of the artist.
In the background the Loch Ness Monster can be seen.
I wonder how many people have noticed that.
This plaque is on the wall by the door leading into the restaurant.
In the 20th century there has been an increase in homes in Pease Pottage - for even before the coming of the motorway it was a convenient place to live.
Along the road to Horsham there is a ribbon of 1930s bungalows.
The Old Brighton Road - now just a leafy cul de sac has attracted those with money and some desire for grandeur.
"Pretentious" was my word for these mock 1930s mock Tudor mansions.
But I shouldn't judge people unfairly.
This was the main road that linked London to Brighton with side roads off to other Sussex towns and villages. The road passed through Crawley of course - and we live at the southern end of Brighton Road in Crawley - less than a mile from this spot.
You can see on the postcard that there has been debate over the years as to whether there should be a letter E at the end of Pease - it is not shown on the card. I can remember a time when sign posts were de - faced by people wishing to express their views on the subject.
Here is the Brighton Road today - the Old Brighton Road. The "pretentious" house are strung along the left hand side with woodland opposite, which does shield the residents a little from motorway noise. We saw a huge squirrel in the woods with a really large bushy tail.
And here is the London to Brighton road today - the M23 looking North.
The spur off to the left takes us to the top of Pease Pottage Hill and from there down into Crawley, with almost the first Crawley landmark being our house!
Tomorrow (or whenever I get around to it) we will take a look at other Pease Pottage views.
