May Sisters’ Challenge: MaD

Memories and Decay

Today has been a trip down memory lane (or rather the M1, M25, A3 and the A286) as we meet up with Mollymay’s husband Glyn, who is currently visiting from Australia to move his parents from their old home in Manchester to a new one in Midhurst, West Sussex.

I grew up about 20 miles from Midhurst and spent much of my youth cycling around the area. We stop at the Devil’s Punch Bowl, near Hindhead, Surrey and I point out a big hill I cycled up when I was a lad. On the road between Hindhead and Midhurst I point out a couple more big hills I cycled up plus a cafe I stopped at one time for a cup of tea. And a Lyons apple and blackberry fruit pie. I think this helped Anniemay enjoy the journey more because she was very quiet for much of the time and only fell asleep once.

We meet up with Glyn, have lunch in a local pub and then wander over to nearby Cowdray Park. This is where the posh folks get to play Polo. Near the entrance to the park - and it is near the entrance because us plebs are not actually allowed inside - there are these ruins of the original Cowdray Manor house.

Built around 1520, this seems an unhappy place; cursed by a dissposessed monk during the dissolution of the monasteries, ”by fire and water, thy line shall come to an end and it shall perish out of this land” the house was destroyed by fire in 1793 and it was eventually sold out of the family around 1843. I wonder about the memories this place holds. It turns out that Guy Fawkes was employed as a footman for a time …..

Back at Glyn’s mum and dad’s new house, there are other memories to share. Photographs, boxes of trinkets and questions; “what dress was I wearing? … do you remember…..” Anniemay has known them since she was about 17. A lot of years condensed into a few happy hours. Photo of Glyn and parents here.