"The village that comes alive at Halloween" Slindon by budapest8

Slindon Travel Guide: 17 reviews and 55 photos

Captain Pumkin ready for scarecrow competition.

Pumpkin town in W.Sussex, birthplace of cricket

Slindon is one of the most beautiful well kept villages in West Sussex, with a very friendly local community
This small old village comes alive around the time of halloween, but mind you Halloween was never celebrated as it is today except from carving out a pumpkin. There was no "trick or Treat", or scarry costumes or any of the stuff over the great pond in the USA. We were lucky on the day we visited with the weather and there were quite a few tourists/visitors from the surrounding big towns like Chichester, Arundel, Littlehampton and Bognor.
Walking up through the meandering small streets up the hill past the lovely kept gardens and many displaying their Pumpkin Guy Fawkes or does their tradition predate the tradition of burning a catholic conspirator on a bonfire?

Don't forget to read some of my tips...
The Art of duckpond watching in England.
Accom on the South Downs access on foot only!
Pumkins as never seen before!
Scarecrow competition judged by the Slindon Pudding Club.

Some history

Typical flint and brick Slindon house.

The village is built chiefly about a ring or loop of roads east of the parish church, with a tail at the south end. The majority of the buildings are of flint with brick dressings and few are earlier than the 18th century. Several are dated; such as 1707 (with initials S/LS), 1719 (with initials J M), 1728 (the former smithy, with initials W.B. for William Bateman), &c. The oldest house is just west of the north side of the loop on the south side of the road. This also is of flint with early-17th-century brick dressings; the windows are mullioned with brick labels. The east half of the house is covered with roughcast and has a 17th-century rebated central chimney-stack above the tiled roof.

Slindon is maybe the true birth place of the game of cricket. A commemorative sculpture erected by the Slindon Pudding Club can be seen on Reynolds Lane.
‘Cricket as an organised game as we know it today owes much to the Duke of Richmond who resided at Goodwood Park. In the 17th century, he developed a stable of players, mostly from his estate workers and local landowners, and included Slindon residents. The Newland brothers, and Richard in particular, were key to the development of the game, with Slindon as its focal point. Apart from being their home, Slindon Common with its clay surface on fast-draining gravel provided a level and fast pitch allowing more accurate play than the usual downland turf. When the Duke was summoned by the King to help suppress the Stuart rebellion in Scotland in the early 1700s, Newland and his fellow players formed their own club.
Slindon, therefore, can unquestionably claim to have the oldest cricket club in continuous existence.

Pumpkins galore

Much of the landscape and many of the houses are in the care of the National Trust - helping to maintain a balance between tradition and practicality for visitors and residents alike. The population of the village of Slindon is about 500 people. This past October 26th there was a Scarecrow Competition organised by the Slindon Pudding Club.

I saw a sign which read

All scarecrows to be
displayed in gardens
and visible from the
road. Entry forms can
be found on the village
website

Pros and Cons

Pros:The best place to find a pumpkin any size or shape
Cons:But so not so fun if you are a pumpkin.: )
In a nutshell:The ideal place in Sussex to experience village life

Last visit to Slindon: Oct 2009
Intro Updated Nov 18, 2009
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Reviews (17)

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Comments (3)

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BruceDunning Dec 20, 2009 at 11:53 AM

It looks as if people have a good time with pumpkins and scarecrow here. This town has such culture and beauty captured over the years. Great job.
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balhannah Nov 18, 2009 at 2:53 PM

What an interesting page! I didn't know modern cricket originated there, never too old to learn. Pumpkins, and I don't think I have see lots of those varieties before. I have just seen scarecrows in a festival near Bowral.
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JLBG Nov 18, 2009 at 12:49 PM

Scarecrow Competition! That is great! Pumpkin festival looks terrific too! Tim, do you grow potimarrons ? It makes an excellent gratin!