Seaward Sussex: The South Downs from End to End — Edition Insights

A Guidebook’s Voice: Between Observation and Anecdote

Holmes writes in a conversational yet precise style, often blending topographical description with historical or folkloric digression. For instance, in the chapter on Arundel, he notes that the town has a 'feudal air' and that its appearance is 'almost unique in England,' comparing it to Bridgnorth and Rye but emphasizing its 'foreign' look due to the towering church of St. Philip Neri. He does not simply list sights; he offers opinions and comparisons, such as preferring Bartholomew's 'half-inch' map for its contour colouring. The reader is treated to asides like the story of three sons born on consecutive Sundays at New Place, or the annual visit of a 'Beccafico' bird to the fig orchard at Selsey. These details give the text a personal, unhurried character, as if Holmes is sharing discoveries with a walking companion.

The Landscape as a Palimpsest of History

Holmes consistently reads the Sussex landscape as layered with historical traces. In the opening chapters, he points out Norman and Transitional church architecture at East and West Preston, an Early English church at Rustington with a 'squint and rood-loft steps,' and a Perpendicular church at Poling containing a fourteenth-century brass. He notes that the fig orchard at Selsey is said to date from 1745, with a central tree called 'St. Thomas'—though he adds that this attribution is 'of course impossible.' The Great War is acknowledged in the introduction, where Holmes remarks that many war memorials are unfinished due to lack of labour or material, and that future local historians will close family records with 'the brief but glorious inscription on the common tablet.' This awareness of recent history adds a somber note to the otherwise pastoral journey.

Architectural Details as Waymarks

Holmes uses architectural features as both navigational aids and points of interest. He notes the 'one of the four stone spires in Sussex' at East Preston, and the 'Transitional tower' at Rustington. At Poling, he records a chapel of the Knights of St. John that has been 'converted into a modern dwelling house.' The descriptions are often terse but evocative: at Angmering, the rebuilt church 'retains its old chancel and tower with an inscribed stone over the doorway.' These observations serve as anchors for the reader, allowing them to identify landmarks while walking. Holmes also includes sketch maps and recommends specific Ordnance Survey sheets, reinforcing the practical, route-based nature of the guide.

The Role of the Illustrations

The book is illustrated with one hundred drawings by Mary M. Vigers, and the list of illustrations—ranging from 'Hurstmonceux' to 'Beachy Head' and 'The Pavilion, Brighton'—suggests a visual complement to Holmes’ textual journey. The frontispiece is 'Hurstmonceux,' a castle that appears in the contents as part of the Lewes to Eastbourne route. While the excerpts do not describe the illustrations in detail, their inclusion indicates that the reader is expected to move between text and image. Holmes himself provides maps and plans, and his references to the 'contour colouring' of Bartholomew’s map imply a reader who is visually oriented, perhaps using the book as a field companion. The illustrations likely reinforce the sense of place, capturing the churches, lanes, and downland views that Holmes describes.

Holmes’ guide rewards a reader who moves slowly, attending to both the landscape and the layers of history embedded in it. The book is best used as a companion on the ground, where its architectural notes and local stories can be verified and appreciated. The author’s voice—curious, slightly antiquarian, and occasionally wry—makes the journey feel like a shared exploration rather than a dry itinerary.

For years I’ve kept Seaward Sussex near my chair, its walker’s pace a comfort. Yet my mind often drifts to an older traveller’s journal from 1814, another patient observer of roads and ruins. Both share that unhurried way of noting a half-hidden lane or a village’s quiet corners, as if time itself lingered between their pages. There is a real kinship there: A tour through some parts of France, Switzerland, Savoy, Germany and Belgium, during the summer and autumn of 1814 — Text and Context.