Old Pond Green

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 13 Jul 2013

This has been a public open space since the mid 1970s and is located off Nepcote Lane behind The Square. Prior to that the green had been a pond belonging to Findon Farm whose old farmhouse can still be seen on Horsham Road. All that survives from the pond is the flint wall in view which had been built across the middle of it in order to separate the private use of the farm and the public use to those livestock being herded up and down Nepcote Lane. The section of the pond beyond the wall is now used as a car park. The farm survived in the centre of the village until the early 1960s when it closed and its surrounding fields were sold off and subsequently developed into housing estates. This parcel of land was initially purchased by the local Catholic diocese in order to build a church. However, this was not forthcoming and the diocese eventually found a larger piece of land to build a convent. The land was put on the market again with planning permission for a couple of dwellings whereupon the locals decided to club together to save what had become the last green open space in the village and subsequently succeeded in 1973. The village sign in view was added to the green in 1977.

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