West Sussex hotel celebrates its history as a training base for underground resistance units

Tottington Manor in Edburton was chosen for its isolated location, within easy access of London and the south coast. It was requisitioned by the Government and became the regional headquarters of the Sussex Home Guard Auxiliary.

The work there involved the preparation and development of special underground resistance units in the event of a German invasion, and a good deal of 'hush-hush' work took place here.

Narrow underground passages and rooms, designed for the planning of secret operations if the enemy were to land, still survive from the 1940s.

Military historian Stuart Angell gave talks on the hotel's history during a VE Day afternoon tea on Bank Holiday Monday, with music from The Ronnie Smith Big Band.

He explained the manor became a hub for training patrols, hosting weekend sessions, inter-unit competitions and storing plastic explosives.

As a fully-functioning resistance base, it housed drivers, a cook, a clerk, a Royal Signals operator and a Royal Engineers Corporal. The hidden bunker, built by Corporal Frank Mayston, featured bunks, supplies, electric lighting, water and a 43ft escape tunnel disguised as a drain.

Tottington Manor was bought by the 3rd Earl of Egremont in 1827 and remained under that ownership for almost a century, when it was released by the Leconsfield Estate in the 1920s.

Following the wartime activities, private ownership was eventually restored. For some years it was a residential home for the retired and elderly, before radically changing its use and direction.

It is a Grade II listed building and the earliest parts of the present house are more than 400 years old.

The first identifiable owner and probable founder was a Saxon chieftain called Totta, who gave his name both to the farmstead and the adjoining dwelling.

In 1066, William the Conqueror in 1066 lost no time in personally acquiring the most attractive properties and the Domesday record clearly states he held Tottington Manor. In the passage of time, it passed into private ownership.