Exploring the long lost schools of West Sussex

Horsham author Howard Malleson explores long lost schools with Teaching The Heathens (Grosvenor House Publishing Limited, £12.99, available from all the normal booksellers and Amazon).
Howard MallesonHoward Malleson
Howard Malleson

Howard, aged 83, who lived for 40 years in Mannings Heath before moving to Horsham, said: “Buildings, however modest and remote, are repositories of the memories of generations of folk who lived, worked or learned in them.

“In the case of the schools that once sat in the West Sussex village of Mannings Heath, the bricks are long gone but the research, writing and publication of this book has ensured the memories remain and are shared.

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“It was the Nuthurst Local History Society who discovered the three volumes of the head teacher's log books for one of the long lost schools and this provided me with the starting point for this book. And it was just a starting point for what turned into a ten-year voyage of discovery. Members of the History Society were all well aware of the largest of the long lost schools but we were all totally unaware of the other three schools – and that was the first real discovery. After that, as the author, I found myself being drawn into the life of the village spanning about 180 years from 1800 to the second half of the 20th century.

“The story of the schools gave me the focus for the larger story of the real life of the village and, beyond that to big events such as riots, rebellion, disputes between the churches, Whitehall and Local Government politics worthy of the best of Yes, Minister, a long distance love affair, two World Wars and much, much more.

“As an engineer, I have been involved in many development and research projects that resulted in stories that centred on the inanimate. In my retirement, this opportunity to research and write up a story that, at its heart, was centred upon people was an opportunity that I grabbed with both hands. And it was this opportunity, plus the availability of the log books, that was the starting point. My want and the availability of the challenge formed a very happy happenstance – much too good to let it pass me by. I planned my authorship to do two things. Firstly, I have tried to write the history in a style and with a content that was lively enough to keep the readers reading on and secondly I have recorded the results of my research with 120 references that other historians can use to dig a little deeper into those bits that spark their interest.

“The writing of my book has taken me to so many places in my search for information I must, by now, be fully qualified as a resident of all the record offices in Sussex and Surrey and the National Record Office at Kew. And, to any aspirant researcher and writer, you can be sure that the staff in these offices will welcome you with open arms – no question is too inane and they will support you every step. Putting the results of the digging, delving and questioning into the form of a book is a matter of ten per cent inspiration and 90 per cent perspiration but, in the end, leaves one with a feeling of quiet satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”

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