An overview of the Sullington Area
Prior to 1887 the Sandgate Estate covered about four thousand acres to the north of the Storrington – Washington Road. On the death of George Carew Gibson in 1887 and then by W. V. Felton in 1917, the estate was fragmented. The Estate, which was built up by Carew Gibson, centred on the house and park immediately to the north of the road, now owned by various commercial sand extraction companies. The house in the centre of the park ended its life as a hotel before finally being demolished soon after the end of World War 2. Only some stables and outbuildings were retained for the use as offices and stores.
Much of the land forming the bulk of the estate has been developed, a great deal of it for residential purposes. There is now an opportunity to reunite some four hundred and fifty acres as a conservation and amenity area. Some of this would remain farmland with restricted entry, but much would be open to the public to enjoy. The map below shows the seven areas which Sandgate Conservation Society believes should form the open space.
The Sullington Area
Sullington Warren - 60 Acres
The Warren was bought in 1935, partly by public subscription and partly with funds from the National Trust. (Miss) Enid Clarke – Williams led a group responsible for the public funding.
Having been saved from housing development, with a continued agreement for it to be kept as open space, this land is one of the most important heathland sites in West Sussex. Some of the land was acquired by the National Trust with the help of dedicated, fund raising residents around 1935, whilst part of it was given to the Trust by Horsham District Council in 1986. Sullington Warren is situated north of the chalk South Downs.
It has 60 acres of heathland areas mixed with pinewoods. Having both wet and dry areas on these heathlands, there is a wide variation of plants ranging from the Common Sundew to the Cross-leaved Heathers. The heathland birds include the Meadow Pipit and Yellowhammer. All three British woodpeckers have been reported in the area. If you are lucky you may even be able to see one of the resident Sparrowhawks which in the past have breed in the woodlands.
There are nine prehistoric round barrows on the Warren, all listed as Ancient Monuments and under the protection of English Heritage. Many of the barrows such as the largest barrow with a round seat at it's centre has required regular work during the past twenty years to remedy surface erosion caused by public access. Evacuation of the barrows is not allowed but Bronze Age urns were recorded in the early nineteenth century and were found on one of the barrows.
At one stage there used to be a windmill on the site which styood at the southern most part of the Warren. Destroyed by fire in 1911, only the shaft of the windmill survives. It was an open-trestle post mill and was important to the locality and worked in conjunction with Chantry water mill until the early part of last century.
Apart from the heathers and trees here are a number of other plants in the area such as the harestail cotton grass which is found in the wet heath areas, numerous lichen in the dry heaths and the field ear-mouse which although found in large numbers here is rare throughout the rest of Sussex.
The trees consist of Scots Pine, Silver Birch and Pendunculate Oak as well as Hazel with the occasional Ash and Alder Blackthorn.
The Warren is the only known home of one species of Crane-fly (Nephrotoma sullingtonensis) which is dependant on hot, dry, sandy heahland slopes. Other insects recorded in the area include Mining Bees and Wasps, Tiger Beetles (now rare throughout England and Wales) and Funnel Web Spiders. Other more rare species include the Bog Bush-Cricket and the Mottled Grasshopper whilst the Heath damselfly is very common. Moths include the Ruby Tiger, Oak Eggar and Emporer - typical heath species.
Registered in the Register of Ornithological Sites the Warren was until recently the breeding ground of Nightjars, though walkers and their dogs are probably one of the main reasons why in recent years they have not nested. Willow Warblers and Chiffhaffs are summer visitors whilst the Jays, Magpies amd Nuthatches are found throughout the year. There are three winged preditors, the Tawney Owl, Little Owl and the Sparrowhawk.
Among the reptiles to be found are the slow-worm and the common lizard, though sadly not so common these days and Britains only venemous snake the Adder or Viper as it is sometimes called. Visitors are unlikely to see any of the reptiles especially the adder. This shy creature will quickly dissappear if it feels the vibrations of footsteps and will quietly slither away to a secluded spot where it will feel safe. There is a National Trust Local Committee which oversees the site and is involved in approving the management Plan for the site.
Sandgate Park – 31 acres
This site has grown somewhat over the years. The first 16 acres were given to Chanctonbury Rural District Council by Hall Aggregates in 1974 for public use as an open space. There is a covenant which restricts public access until Cemex (the current owners) think the site is safe. However Cemex do give permission for conservation work to be carried out.
An additional 16 acres of woodland was designated ‘white land’ in the 1968 Storrington Village Plan. It was transferred to Horsham District in 1993 for use as an amenity area in return for permission for limited development in the area. A further area was acquired in the late 1980’s when Dr. Roy Armstrong donated part of his garden adjoining the woodland.
Warren Hill – 250 acres
Wholly owned by the National Trust, much of this land is farmed. However, 70 acres are open to the public and a further area has limited public access. The Society carries out occasional projects on this site.
The Adjacent Pits & Sites
RMC (now Cemex Sandpit) – Sandgate Park 50 – 60 acres
Although sand-winning will continue for many years, restoration work and tree planting has already started on part of the site. Cemex currently intend that this site will eventually become a larger water amenity area
ARC Sandpit West of Hampers Lane 16 acres
This site is now owned by Hanson It is hoped that this area will eventually join up with the RMC site (4 above) to form a further water area. A restoration scheme has been approved by West Sussex County Council. ARC envisages meandering paths in the southern section leading to the waters edge. The mounds of soil on the northern boundary will be regraded to gentle slopes to the water with the high points offering extensive views across the whole area, with a tree belt along the southern boundary.
RMC Workshops east of Hampers Lane – 8 acres
RMC Workshops east of Hampers Lane – 8 acres RMC are now called Cemex. Only the portion fronting onto the A283 is now referred to as RMC Engineering Works.
Part A - Quarry between RMC Engineering Works and Sandy Lane Permission was granted to infill this site with inert material in 1989 and is now full and a landscaping scheme has been implemented.
Part B. RMC Engineering Works. This site has been the subject of much speculation as to its future. After some argument, it was eventually designated ‘previously used’ or Brown land. This definition means that it can be redeveloped, even though it currently lies outside the Storrington/Sullington Built Up Area. In the Horsham Planning Framework, currently under discussion, HDC propose housing for the site. However, this is contingent on the owners donating the land behind (6a above) to the Council for use as public open space. Should this happen, this obviates the need for the footpath mentioned above.
The site was also identified in the initial West Sussex Waste Strategy as suitable for a waste materials handling facility and possibly a household waste recycling facility. The County Council has withdrawn the Strategy and adopted a different approach, identifying strategic requirements without specific sites being mentioned. The Society keeps watch on all planning applications that could involve the site. This proposal could still be live.