Clive Agran visits Midhurst to try to discover why the town has twice missed out on the title of best place to live in Britain.
Not long after I meet Dave Rudwick he proudly informs me that Midhurst was considered by both the Sunday Times and Country Life to be the second-best place to live in Britain. He doesn’t know what was first. As he escorts me around town it transpires to be just about the only question this lifelong resident of Midhurst and proud member of the Midhurst Society is unable to answer.
It’s such a pretty place with so much going for it that it’s hard to imagine anywhere better, so why didn’t it come first? Having no railway station won’t have helped. There used to be two but the last passenger train pulled out in 1955. And, perhaps crucially, there’s no Waitrose either. But was there a castle on the top of St Ann’s Hill? Dave is one of those who thinks there was a motte-and-bailey sitting on top of a strategic bluff overlooking a crossroads and the River Rother. Something of a romantic, I believe him. There are certainly ruins there today but the doubters suggest they are just the remains of a manor house.
The other major property that’s played a hugely significant role in the history of Midhurst is Cowdray House. Built at the bottom of the hill in the first half of the 16th century, it was the principal employer in the area. Although frequently improved, it retained its Tudor character and was regularly visited by royalty including Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth allegedly shot a deer with a bow and arrow while staying there, an event which was once celebrated on the blazer badge of Midhurst Grammar School pupils.
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Sussex Life.
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This story is from the April 2019 edition of Sussex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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