Mystery at the Market Cross: an imposing tourer in a sleepy village

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Alfriston is one of those largely unspoilt villages which is still to be found nestling in the South Downs of Sussex, untouched by the bustle of life along the coast between Newhaven and Eastbourne. Should you be the sort of motorist who loves to tour (and who doesn't?), a trip to Alfriston by veteran or vintage car will be sure to reward the lover of history and natural beauty. Many of the extant buildings have history traceable to the 14th century or earlier, such as the Star Inn, which we can make out in the background of this postcard—even the inn sign remains in place.

One of the main attractions on the High Street is, as we see here, the market cross. This dear little structure is believed to date from the early 15th century and now survives as the only market cross in Sussex, not including that of Chichester, which is quite a substantial building in its own right. The features were once commonplace across Britain, their function being simply to mark the location of a market square.

Our postcard shows the very first encroachment of the modern world upon Alfriston, at a time when visiting motorists were expected to adapt to the historic character of the village. Later in the 20th century, the village would be forced to compromise its historic character for the sake of motor traffic. Tragically, in 1955, a lorry was reversing and backed into the ancient cross, destroying it completely; it was restored, but there is the question of how much of the original material survived. Today, one has to accept the inevitability of a steady flow of modern cars snarling at the meek little cottages, and yellow road markings and reflective signs shatter completely the illusion of travelling back in time. In other respects, Alfriston's High Street remains blessedly unchanged, and we may be grateful for the fact, considering the fate of many other villages.

The composition of the postcard is interesting, as the perspective makes the car seem small and the cross very large, when in real life the reverse would have been true. What is that grand touring car, anyway? Our best guess would be a Napier of c.1904, but we don't have too much confidence in that. The "H" registration denotes Middlesex, by the way, suggesting that the wealthy owners had driven a long way to enjoy some of the best scenery England could offer.

Update
A reader has been in touch to suggest that the car in the picture is a 1903-04 FIAT.

Words: Zack Stiling
Picture: Stiling Collection

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