Creative Connections

In this episode of Creative Connections, we explore the origins of some familiar English place names using examples from Sussex, including Angmering, Ferring, Petworth and Littlehampton. We look at what old place-name elements can tell us about the landscape, settlements and people who lived there — and why the same clues appear in names all across England.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with others who enjoy the natural world and the stories behind it.

The video version can be found at: https://youtu.be/2x1CPt3C8uU

Image Credits

Some of the images in this video were created by Creative Connections. Additional freely reusable images were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and are listed below with full attribution and licence details.

Village sign at Findon by Shazz, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Station Road, Angmering by Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sign entering Worthing on Titnore Lane by David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

South_Downs_Way_sign_near_Eastbourne, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Chris Shaw / Clapham Wood / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Entering Midhurst, A272 by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

An "n" gaging sign in Petworth by Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Petworth House by Oscar Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fishbourne, Trish Steel, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A29 entering Pulborough by Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Flooded Fields at Pulborough, Sussex by Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pulborough church by David960, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

#placenames  #englishhistory  #sussex  #localhistory  #creativeconnections

In this episode of Creative Connections, we look at some of the history hidden inside Sussex churches. From tide dials and leper windows to gargoyles, misericords, anchorite cells and medieval wall paintings, we explore the strange details that reveal how people worshipped, lived and used these buildings centuries ago.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with others who enjoy the natural world and the stories behind it.

The video version can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR_lm-mEWlM

Many of the images in this video were created by Creative Connections. Additional freely reusable images were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and are listed below with full attribution and licence details.

Apuldram st marys squint, U1097x, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Gargoyle depicting Hodgetts, Chichester Cathedral, Martinvl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Grotesque, Winchelsea church by Julian P Guffogg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Arundel Castle, Fitzalan Chapel: Choir stalls by Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Arundel Castle, Fitzalan Chapel: Choir stall misericord 2 by Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Oratoire du Louvre stalls with Misericorde, Djkeddie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Anchorite's cell, St Anne's, Lewes, Antiquary, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

St James Shere quatrefoil window and squint of anchorite cell, BabelStone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

St Botolph's Church, Hardham.jpg, Lula2488, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Hardham wall paintings, Antiquary, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

#churchhistory  #hiddenhistory  #medievalhistory #creativeconnections

Welcome to Creative Connections — where we join the dots between songwriter meanings, across the decades, and spin them into a new narrative.

Today’s episode is The Architecture of Silence: seven songs about the things we don’t say, the things we can’t say, the things we’re afraid to say, and the people waiting for someone to ask the question that lets the story begin.

Watch the full music-in-sequence video version of this podcast including the seven songs at: https://unmask.us/creative-connections/.

Individual Song Links on YouTube:

Simon & Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

You can watch all of our Creative Connections episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeConXPod

Welcome to Creative Connections — where we join the dots between songwriter meanings, across the decades, and spin them into a new narrative.

Today’s episode is Stepping Stones: seven songs about crossing from one position to another. Not in one leap. Not by suddenly becoming wise. Not by winning an argument and declaring the stream crossed forever. But step by step — one stone, then another — moving from a closed world towards a more generous one.

Watch the full music-in-sequence video version of this podcast including the seven songs at: https://unmask.us/creative-connections/stepping-stones/.

Individual Song Links on YouTube:

Merle Haggard - Irma Jackson

You can watch all of our Creative Connections episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeConXPod

Welcome to Creative Connections — where we join the dots between songwriter meanings, across the decades, and spin them into a new narrative.

Today’s episode is Shipbuilding: The Price Is Paid Elsewhere - seven songs about profit, comfort, labour, inequality, moral distance, and the terrible convenience of not having to see who pays the cost of that which benefits us.

Watch the full music-in-sequence video version of this podcast including the seven songs at: https://unmask.us/creative-connections/shipbuilding-the-price-is-paid-elsewhere/.

Individual Song Links on YouTube:

Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding

You can watch all of our Creative Connections episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeConXPod

In this episode of Creative Connections, we look at some curious buildings and structures whose original purpose is no longer always obvious. From dovecotes and ice houses to village pounds, lock-ups and lychgates, we explore the practical jobs these places once did — and the hidden histories that still survive in the buildings around us.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with others who enjoy the natural world and the stories behind it.

The video version can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4KnucjHnKs

Image and video credits:

The video and some of the photographs were created by Creative Connections.

Additional images were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and are listed below with full attribution and licence details.

Finger Post Signs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

South Downs Way, dew pond nr Ditchling Beacon_AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kissing gate, Henbury by Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The dovecote at Nymans by Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nymans, March 2020 5, Poliphilo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nesting boxes, Kinwarton Dovecote by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nymans House by The Saunterer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Muntham Court Ice House, Hurk87, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

An illustration from Curtis, Charles Henry, 1869- The book of topiary, by Charles H. Curtis ... and W. Gibson ... London, New York, J. Lane, 1904. Illustration is credited to: "(By courtesy of “The Agricultural Economist”)", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Brighton Pavillion - panoramio, ianpudsey, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Interior of the High Elms Ice House, Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Illustration of the Ice House at Muntham Court, Ivan Bandura, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Oast House by Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cocking Lime Works 018, Daemonic Kangaroo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cocking Lime Works 012, Daemonic Kangaroo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Village Pump at Birdham by Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Isfield Pound by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Isfield Pound (3674430377), Simon Harriyott from Uckfield, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

West Clandon Village Pound by Brian Henley, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lock up on Church Road, Wheatley by Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lych Gate, Hunston Church, West Sussex by Jeff Gogarty, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lych Gate for All Saints Church in Beckley, East Sussex by John P Reeves, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lych gate at All Saints church by Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

#britishhistory  #hiddenhistory  #historicbuildings #creativeconnections

In this episode of Creative Connections, we look at some of the clues to the past that are still sitting quietly in the countryside around us. From fingerposts and milestones to benchmarks, trig points and dew ponds, we explore what these familiar — and sometimes easily missed — features were actually for, and the stories behind them.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with others who enjoy the natural world and the stories behind it.

The video version can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzNJIfetIL8

Image and video credits:

The video and some of the photographs were created by Creative Connections. Additional images were free images from unsplash.com or if sourced from Wikimedia Commons they are listed below with full attribution and licence details.

Finger Post Signs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Dave Spicer / Finger post at junction with Hurstwood Lane / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Plaque, Toll Gate House, Spaniards Road NW3 by Robin Sones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

18th Century Toll Gate House, Spaniards Road NW3 by Robin Sones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Blue plaque - Copse Cross Toll Gate - Pauline Eccles, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Spaniards Inn and Toll Gate House, Spaniards Road NW3 by Robin Sones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Plaque and window, Toll Gate House NW3 by Robin Sones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Old Direction Sign - Signpost by Top Road, Tyes Cross, West Hoathly Parish by Milestone Society, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fingerpost, Wriggle River by Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Peter Trimming / Milestone Near Lower Beeding, Sussex, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Old Milestone by the A286, Milestone Garage, Cocking Parish by Kevin David Agent, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Peter Royle / Milestone on A22, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kissing gate, Henbury by Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kissing gate and footpath by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

All Saints Church, Church Road, Herstmonceux (NHLE Code 1353333) (September 2023) (Mounting Block)_User:Hassocks5489, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Mounting block, Herstmonceux by Maigheach-gheal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Martin Dawes / Mile Stone and Mounting Block with O/S Bench Mark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Boundary stone on Ditchling Beacon_Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Milestone Society / Old Boundary Marker by the A638, north of Tunstall, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Boundary Stone at Whitehawk Road, Brighton (IoE Code 481456)_The Voice of Hassocks, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ordnance Survey Bench Mark by V1ncenze, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ordnance Survey Bench mark by The Saunterer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fallowfield Station OS map 1899_Ordnance Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Peter Trimming / Trig Point on St.Roche's Hill, Sussex, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

CTS Tavistock 1_Colgill, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Trig point S8696: Top by Bob Harvey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ordnance Survey GPS Station by Calum Young, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Trig point S8696: GPS network notice by Bob Harvey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Galileo IOT L-band antenna at Redu ESA219283_ESA/C. Lezy, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons.

South Downs Way, dew pond nr Ditchling Beacon_AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Peter Holmes / Mile Oak Dew Pond / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

#creativeconnections  #Countrysidehistory #southdowns

Welcome to Creative Connections — where we join the dots between songwriter meanings, across the decades, and spin them into a new narrative.

Today’s episode is Necessary Dualities: seven songs about the opposites we live with, the contradictions we carry, and the paired truths that shape us.

Watch the full music-in-sequence video version of this podcast including the seven songs at: https://unmask.us/creative-connections/necessary-dualities/.

Individual Song Links on YouTube:

Janis Ian - Society’s Child

You can watch all of our Creative Connections episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeConXPod

In this Creative Connections episode, we look at what we might grow in our West Sussex garden — from vegetables and fruit we actually enjoy eating to flowers and shrubs that can cope with dry summer spells, damper winter conditions and our chalky South Downs soil. We’re also looking for plants that are reasonably low-maintenance and don’t demand constant watering or attention. This is simply a look at the choices we’re considering for our own garden, alongside some of the plants that are already growing happily here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with others who enjoy the natural world and the stories behind it.

The video version can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-OmKw9-eGs

Image and video credits:

Some of the photographs were created by Creative Connections.

Rote Beete im Hochbeet (36974382445).jpg.

Beetroot, spinach, rocket, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds salad.jpg.

Vegetable garden in The Dingle - geograph.org.uk - 5870841.jpg.

A vegetarian stew cooked using a slow cooker.jpg.

Pastinaca sativa 2018-08-29 7366.jpg.

Pastinaca sativa kz06.jpg.

Parsnip with honey and mustard.JPG.

Cucurbita pepo zucchini trattati.jpg.

Phaseolus coccineus by Danny S. - 001.JPG.

Globe Artichoke - Green Globe - geograph.org.uk - 4056091.jpg.

British apple crumble 04.jpg.

Ribes uva-crispa6 ies.jpg.

Les fruits du cassis viaouest.jpg.

Blackcurrant in basket 2021 G1.jpg.

Apple_and_Blackcurrant_crumble.JPG.

More raspberries (50111914646).jpg.

Rubus idaeus 2018-04-24 9362.jpg.

Raspberry Trellis - panoramio.jpg.

BuddlejaDavidiiStrauch.jpg.

Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue' 2016-09-04 02.jpg.

Ribes nigrum a1.JPG.

#CreativeConnections #gardeningideas #WestSussex #vegetablegarden #gardenplanning

Welcome to Creative Connections — where we join the dots between songwriter meanings, across the decades, and spin them into a new narrative.

Today’s episode is The Shape of Loneliness: seven songs about being alone, feeling alone, trying to reach someone, learning to live with yourself, and discovering that sometimes the thing that breaks the silence is another voice telling the truth from somewhere else.

Watch the full music-in-sequence video version of this podcast including the seven songs at: https://unmask.us/creative-connections/the-shape-of-loneliness/.

Individual Song Links on YouTube:

The Beatles - Yer Blues

You can watch all of our Creative Connections episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeConXPod