West Sussex has had more than its fair share of momentous 'Events'. Most of them captured the headlines, but some were hardly noticed in their day. The book deals with 'single events' such as 'Acts of God', for example, fires, floods, hurricanes, accidents; 'series of events' which in combination became flash points such as emigration, bare-knuckle prize-fighting, smuggling, riots; and 'repetitive events' including epidemics, murders, processions, and commemorations. The author concentrates on the period since the birth of photographs and uses images and well-researched 'word pictures' to distil the essence of a 'special county'.
West Sussex is essentially rural, punctuated by market towns. More than half of it is 'protected' while the coastal 'conurbation' and the Gatwick/Crawley axis in the north-east corner are very recent phenomena. It is perhaps surprising to learn to how many famous or infamous characters the county has played host; and it is intriguing to observe how national 'events', such as civil unrest, protests, crime, war, disease and religion were played out on the local stage. The response to events, their causes and outcomes provide clues to the sense of the place that is West Sussex and the character of its inhabitants.
This very thoroughly researched new book will both stir memories and associations and stimulate general curiosity to delve further into local happenings. The book is a mixture of the expected and surprising, the traditional and ground-breaking innovation; it involves the reader in the excitement of discovering something new, different, unusual – or even ordinary, seen in a fresh light and in so doing, coming to know and understand West Sussex the better.
Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
1. Acts of God
2. Health and Safety
3. Protest
4. Crime and Punishment
5. War and Peace
6. Leisure and Pleasure
Index
