Thank you for all the support for this video and the channel. I'm glad this video has been popular. It was a tough one to make, not great weather and covered 14 km to film. Then it took 6 edits to get to this version. I have uploaded the original to the second channel as a comparison. Don't forget to subscribe to the second channel.
Hi, i'm Steve and glad I have found your channel, I grew up in W. Sussex, but left there when I was 21, going to Switzerland for a year... that year was almost 50 years ago now, and i'm still here. So, I hope i'm going to see and hear a few things that I remember, and discover a lot that I didn't know, through your channel. I have pressed the Sub button and definately hit the Like. Thanks "Exploring Sussex" for having me here.
Hi Steve welcome to the channel and Exploringsussex community. I hope you enjoy the future content. I’m sure Switzerland is an amazing place to live. A visit to Switzerland might be suitable for the second channel XtraExploringsussex.
We always used to go up Balsdean Road from Woodingdean, which leads straight down past the Dew Pond, and down into Cowslip Valley. When the Brighton Rocket Group was active (!) we fired home-made rockets from that site. The destruction was done during the war because of training for our Army (much like Tyneham in Dorset). Much more information in the book "The Hunns MerePit" by Peter Mercer, with paintings by the late Douggie Holland.
Thank you for your memories of this place. Do they still launch rockets there? Seeing all the paperwork I had to do to fly a small plastic drone I would imagine the government would make it different to do that these days
Love it over there ,my local area ,the metal is a winch from ww2 and the church alter is before the farm buildings ,and m it's a little slab marks the spot
The metal winch-like object is a Myers pumping engine from Ohio. It was installed by the German/American engineer and entrepreneur Oscar Selbach in the early 1920s, shortly after he bought Balsdean Farm. It sits on top of a water bore hole, apparently drilled by a Mr Dando. It was a self-oiling 'bulldozer' engine. The company still makes pumping engines today. Oscar Selbach had most of Balsdean Farm compulsory purchased by Brighton Corporation in 1925. He was left with just a few tens of acres northeast of the Downs Hotel, Woodingdean, which he worked from Wick Farm (originally part of Balsdean Manor). When he died in the mid-1950s the last of his estate was also purchased by Brighton Council, who demolished Wick Farm to build the Woodingdean Business Park. My information was from Peter Mercer's books, 'The Hunns Mere Pit' and 'The Hunns Mere Way', and partly from my own research which I have published; southdownhill.com There is a concrete base near the post-war barns that may have been the foundation for a WW2 gun. It would have had an excellent range of fire up (and down) 4 valley bottoms to shoot potential enemy parachutists.
As a kid brought up in Woodingdean this is where I spent my time,especially in Summer,we took our bikes and go karts we made down there. GREAT DAYS WITH MY MATES 😃
Thanks for showing up again. As you probably know some days filming can be tough especially that day. I coved 14km. I was fasting too. It was worth it. I love finding new parts of the downs.
@Traveler13 yep it was fun. Even found what I think is a Stone Age tool. Maybe I will do a short about it on the second channel to see what people think of it
Spent most of my childhood on walks all around sussex great videos x just a shame to see so many dog Pooh bags left on the path happening in so many areas now :(
Thanks for watching and commenting . I thought I had lost the footage, but it was saved to a different google drive. i have just uploaded it on my second channel here ua-cam.com/video/vNc8wWwlWhE/v-deo.html Let me know what you think?
Thank you for all the support for this video and the channel. I'm glad this video has been popular. It was a tough one to make, not great weather and covered 14 km to film. Then it took 6 edits to get to this version. I have uploaded the original to the second channel as a comparison. Don't forget to subscribe to the second channel.
Hi, i'm Steve and glad I have found your channel, I grew up in W. Sussex, but left there when I was 21, going to Switzerland for a year... that year was almost 50 years ago now, and i'm still here. So, I hope i'm going to see and hear a few things that I remember, and discover a lot that I didn't know, through your channel. I have pressed the Sub button and definately hit the Like. Thanks "Exploring Sussex" for having me here.
Hi Steve welcome to the channel and Exploringsussex community. I hope you enjoy the future content. I’m sure Switzerland is an amazing place to live. A visit to Switzerland might be suitable for the second channel XtraExploringsussex.
We always used to go up Balsdean Road from Woodingdean, which leads straight down past the Dew Pond, and down into Cowslip Valley. When the Brighton Rocket Group was active (!) we fired home-made rockets from that site. The destruction was done during the war because of training for our Army (much like Tyneham in Dorset). Much more information in the book "The Hunns MerePit" by Peter Mercer, with paintings by the late Douggie Holland.
Thank you for your memories of this place. Do they still launch rockets there? Seeing all the paperwork I had to do to fly a small plastic drone I would imagine the government would make it different to do that these days
Love it over there ,my local area ,the metal is a winch from ww2 and the church alter is before the farm buildings ,and m it's a little slab marks the spot
Thanks for watching and commenting. I would love to revisit in summer. Lovely coombe. The weather kicked my 🫏 on that day.
The metal winch-like object is a Myers pumping engine from Ohio. It was installed by the German/American engineer and entrepreneur Oscar Selbach in the early 1920s, shortly after he bought Balsdean Farm. It sits on top of a water bore hole, apparently drilled by a Mr Dando. It was a self-oiling 'bulldozer' engine. The company still makes pumping engines today.
Oscar Selbach had most of Balsdean Farm compulsory purchased by Brighton Corporation in 1925. He was left with just a few tens of acres northeast of the Downs Hotel, Woodingdean, which he worked from Wick Farm (originally part of Balsdean Manor). When he died in the mid-1950s the last of his estate was also purchased by Brighton Council, who demolished Wick Farm to build the Woodingdean Business Park. My information was from Peter Mercer's books, 'The Hunns Mere Pit' and 'The Hunns Mere Way', and partly from my own research which I have published; southdownhill.com
There is a concrete base near the post-war barns that may have been the foundation for a WW2 gun. It would have had an excellent range of fire up (and down) 4 valley bottoms to shoot potential enemy parachutists.
As a kid brought up in Woodingdean this is where I spent my time,especially in Summer,we took our bikes and go karts we made down there. GREAT DAYS WITH MY MATES 😃
I bet it is beautiful in the summer, I will be heading back to check out some of the barrows.
WUG RULE
interesting explore, you got there in the end😆 easily done hey
Thanks for showing up again. As you probably know some days filming can be tough especially that day. I coved 14km. I was fasting too. It was worth it. I love finding new parts of the downs.
@@exploringsussex ye it doesn't always go as planned, it's part of the fun I guess
@Traveler13 yep it was fun. Even found what I think is a Stone Age tool. Maybe I will do a short about it on the second channel to see what people think of it
@@exploringsussexi like the sound of that
Spent most of my childhood on walks all around sussex great videos x just a shame to see so many dog Pooh bags left on the path happening in so many areas now :(
That’s a bigger problem with society. People would rather have dog than children 😟
It can be so tricky to find these places, really interesting video and channel ❤
Thanks for watching and commenting. It’s great to get feedback from people who also make content.
Thank you, very interesting video 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting
Rottingdean is quite famous for Rudyard Kipling's house as well. Other famous people lived in Rottingdean.
I have wanted to do a video on Rottingdean at some point. Thank you for the information
A nice walk is over the Downs to Kingston-near-Lewes; then you can get a drink in the pub.
Thank you for your suggestion, I do need to do more videos in the east of Sussex
Another great video! What’s your second channel so I can subscribe to that channel?
youtube.com/@Exploringsussex-ef6hb?si=cYABVIaoDEt2F6cf
Thank you. I’m spreading myself a little thin.
Did you photo the thing you thought was a but of a gun
Thanks for watching and commenting . I thought I had lost the footage, but it was saved to a different google drive. i have just uploaded it on my second channel here ua-cam.com/video/vNc8wWwlWhE/v-deo.html
Let me know what you think?
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you
CRAP!!!!
Thanks for your feedback