Sussex Floods In Pictures.

Sussex Floods

The Sussex countryside has had its fair share of rain and floods this winter.

We visited two locations over the weekend when the sun shone, on Sunday at least.

Below is taken from the road which runs from the small village of Bury towards the bridge over the River Arun at Houghton. It is on the north side of the South Downs near the towns of Pulborough and Storrington.

Many of the fields appeared flooded but the houses we saw seemed OK.

Electricity power cuts are always a worry out in the countryside as many of the rural properties don’t have mains gas. So if the electricity goes off, then everything does from the time clock on the central heating to the cooker.

Our second location is Coultershaw Bridge, a mile south of Petworth on the Chichester road. In years gone by a water powered beam pump supplied water uphill to Petworth. It has been restored by a group of volunteers.

A new walk way was recently opened so visitors could walk out over the river and admire the view. Sadly the floods wrecked it.

The march of history. Great efforts were made in the 18th century to create a viable canal network to transport Britain’s goods. But no sooner were they finished than along came the railways, only in turn to be replaced by lorries and roads.

The flooded river banks are a timeless scene. Perhaps made immortal for many by the book ‘The Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame and published in 1908.

Can you image rat and mole messing around in a boat?