A British Transport Film. "Down To Sussex"

[Music] this is the most familiar Sussex of all Sussex by the sea the holiday Sussex of whelk stall and Pier deckchair and Brighton Rock sea-bathing in Sussex first established the popularity of this coast in the 18th century it was suddenly discovered to have health-giving properties and the gay world of late Georgian London was soon flocking to be dipped in the curative waters [Music] a Prince Regent himself came with his fascinating mrs. Fitzherbert and he was soon transforming a modest villa into an extravagant pavilion mixing Indian and Chinese styles in colorful fantasy in all this tinkling splendor he entertained his fashionable friends a contemporary ballot oh how disappointing that mirror of watering places assemble their honours their Lordships their Grace's nay England's first Prince and the famous game fits meet old friends and new friends and beauties meet wits [Music] but these glittering episodes were but a bright flicker on the Flint and chocolate story of Sussex often the troubled history of rebellion religious intolerance and civil strife these 17th century houses in rye saw the bitter hatred of war round head against Cavalier East Sussex declared for Cromwell and Parliament whereas Chichester and the western parts of the county held for King Charles the cathedral city was besieged successfully by Cromwell zani who damaged monuments and cast down statues in their anti papist zeal [Music] but despite civil strife and hostile theologies religious faith survived and the county became known as holy Sussex it boasts almost 300 churches and has produced five Archbishop's of Canterbury even William of Normandy built an abbey after his conquest in 1066 on a little hill with one horrible tree he gave thanks for his great victory and remembered the dead who fell on the nameless field called quite simply battle before the Normans the Saxons many Sussex churches contain sex and work we can trace it after many centuries in the little church at worth at battles near Stenning and more remarkably at something with its sex and Terra like a church in the Rhine Valley and before the Saxons the Romans here at Pevensey their defenses remain built against the sea roving invaders the Romans no part of our island story is complete without them their straight military roads marched boldly over the wide wandering spaces of the dams and before the Romans Sussex history retreats into a mysterious unknown the long Mane of Wilmington seems to tell of a looming venerian past votin at northern guards brooding on the and chanc Turnberry ring speaks to us of Stone Age man his fire and knapped Flint all that distinguished him from the savage animals that roamed the wild uplands and the deep forests of the Weald [Music] but in the Domesday fields the past lies light upon the shoulder [Music] at Sussex isolated and aloof as so long from the rest of England has come to terms with the modern age mechanized as many of them may be Sussex is still a county of country the seats [Music] the fine sweet turf of sussex was made by nature to be the home of sheep championship that yields sweet Southdown mutton championship that compete with other champions of the annual net worths show and I get a very special grooming along with all the other champions [Music] yeah in a holiday atmosphere the country and the town get together farmer and statesman meet over at top the champion Sussex trophy happy if it is to stay within the county and the All England jumping at Hixton belies its name by being truly international and setting international standards [Music] in her long history Sussex has come to represent many aspects of English life there is pride still in a smart turnip like this where nowadays the journey not the destination is its own reward in pleasure [Music] but there are faster ways of bringing the Londoner to the pleasures of the Sussex season pleasures like the race meeting at Goodwood [Music] [Applause] specialists far more exciting and hardly less popular the purlins at cadre Park [Music] white flannels on a green turf an English site by no means exclusive to Sussex cricket is played here with such a death or glory gusto but many of our greatest players think of Sussex is a very nursery of the game many parts of written of Sussex Robert bridges Lawrence Binion Rudyard Kipling among them most of all perhaps Hilaire Belloc I will gather and carefully make my friends of the men of the Sussex Weald they watched the stars from silent folds they stiffly plow the field by them and the god of the south country my poor soul shall be healed mozart on a summer evening drifting out over a rose garden [Music] this is the long interval at blind for at most English of contradictions an international opera house founded by John Christie and built into his own country home [Music] [Music] and a Titch astir in this startling modern festival theater that rises in the quiet fields another dream was more recently born it was here that Laurence Olivier began to plan the long-promised National Theatre the great houses of the Conte have sterner roots in the past the lesser eknoll age may suggest Elizabethan Gables great Tudor Timbers or medieval stonework may often be encased within elegant Georgian facades [Music] luis castle built soon after the Norman Conquest has echoed to many a troubled tread in the footsteps of Sussex history murder and martyrdom but no travel film must end on old unhappy far-off things so let Hilaire Belloc have the last word on Sussex for him the center of all good things home of happy men if I ever become a rich man or ever I grow to be old I will build a house with deep thatch to shelter me from the cold and their shallow Sussex songs be son and the story of Sussex told I will hold my house in the Highwoods within a walk of the sea and the men that were boys when I was a boy shall sit and drink with me [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: manny whippet

Views: 18,597

Rating: 4.8391962 out of 5

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Id: e5e56KXzSLw

Length: 16min 37sec (997 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 01 2019