Lynchmere

The parish lies at the north west corner of West Sussex and is bounded by Surrey to the north and Hampshire to the west. Unlike many parishes, it does not have a village centre. The hamlet of Lynchmere consists of a number of large houses, mostly clustered around the church and the green, but the parish also embraces Hammer, part of Shottermill, part of Marley and part of Camelsdale. Areas of interest include the church, Shottermill ponds, Lynchmere green, two ancient iron works and lowland heath. The church of St Peter dates back to Saxon times and throughout its thousand year history has been enlarged several times. It stands at one end of Lynchmere green which has huge oak trees dating from the reign of King John. Just over half a mile away are Shottermill ponds, so named because they once provided water power to run a mill owned by the Shotter family. They are now owned by the National Trust and are home to swans, geese, ducks and seagulls, and may well be the most photographed ponds in the south. The iron works date back to the time when Sussex was the centre of the iron industry. The one at North Park is owned by the Barnes family, who have restored it so that the original pit where gun barrels were cast is still recognisable. The one at Pophole has deteriorated, but the sluice is still visible. Much of the land around the parish is owned by the Lord of the Manor, Viscount Cowdray. A few years ago he sold some of the local lowland heath to the Lynchmere Society, which was formed with the aim of preserving the beauty of Lynchmere for local people to enjoy. Much clearance of birch, bracken and heather has been done and wildlife is returning. The parish has a pub, church, two recreation grounds and a shop, and come a boundary change will soon have a school.