Parham House is a fine Elizabethan manor, although partly spoilt by some modern additions; built by Sir Thomas Palmer about 1520 it passed to the present family in 1597. The house is famous for the magnificent collection of works of art, early printed books and ancient illuminated MS.; permission to inspect these may be obtained by written application when the family are not in residence and for purposes of research this important collection is always available. Some time since the most valuable items were removed to the British Museum for safety. The house contains a priest's hole, the entrance to which is from a window seat in the long gallery; one of the Babington conspirators—Charles Paget—was hidden here. South of the house is Parham Church, possessing one of the three leaden fonts of Sussex.
It is now proposed to visit Pulborough and the valley of the Rother. Though rather far afield from Seaward Sussex and the chalk lands, this district comes naturally within the Down country, but must have a chapter to itself. From Parham we may either go direct to Pulborough by the highroad or, more profitably, by Greatham to Coldwaltham on the Roman Stane Street, the great highway from Chichester to London; here we turn north east and in a mile (just past the railway) note the scanty ruins of Hardham Priory on the right; another mile and, crossing the old Arun bridge, we are in Pulborough.
[ CHAPTER VII ]
THE VALLEY OF THE ROTHER
Pulborough on Stane Street was once a Roman station. Relics of the occupation are constantly turning up in the neighbourhood. Near the church is a mound, on which stood the "castellum." A glance at the map will show the commanding position the station held over the meeting of the Arun and Rother. There are traces of a Roman villa at Borough Hill north-east of the village.