CASPER JOHNSON

  MR CASPER JOHNSON WAS THE COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGIST AT EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

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Casper Johnson was one of the officers in Sussex to come to the rescue of the old generating buildings at Herstmonceux after Andrew Woodcock. He was extremely helpful, open and honest in 2016 and simply wanted to ensure the ongoing survival of a significant historic find on the doorstep of East Sussex County Council.

We imagine that his helpfulness was not rewarded by East Sussex County Council chiefs who were more than likely inclined to back Kelvin Williams and his henchmen, who had been perpetuating a different yarn for many years after Ashley Brown's and Kenneth Wilson's feigned ignorance's from 1982.

Rather than become personally embroiled in a disputed matter, Dr Woodcock had the good sense to instruct the University of London's Institute of Archaeology South East to survey the site in Lime Park.

The resulting Report was to confirm beyond doubt that the wooden generating buildings were largely intact save for being covered in corrugated iron possibly during the 2nd World War hostilities, though no machinery was surviving.

Subsequently in 2016 Peter Townley applied for consent to convert part of the Old Rectory outbuildings to a granny annex in application WD/2016/0890/F. Casper Johnson replied to concerns over a party wall issue that were finally incorporated in the grant of permission, so protecting the generating buildings from foundation disturbances. Big thanks then to Mr Johnson, an honest and decent man who did the right thing, but left ESCC soon after to be replaced by Greg Chuter, then assistant County Archaeologist, who had missed the significance of the application and raised no objections - when of course he should have been wise to the issues.

As you may imagine, the Report from 1999 did not please Victorio Scarpa, Christine Nuttall and David Philips who for years had been supporting the dishonest contentions of George White and Thomas Hoy that the electricity generating works at Herstmonceux had been demolished and replaced by another building that was a pump house. This was of course a calculated lie on the part of George White and his long time colleague Ian Kay, to part the then occupier from the premises by way of a long-term and secret agenda to disadvantage that person in violation of his Human Rights.

The story continues into 2019 with planning permission having been granted by Wealden District Council for up to 70 houses on the adjacent field. Given the lies perpetuated by this council over more than 30 years of wasted taxpayers money totaling more than £500,000 pounds, the scale of the hypocrisy is staggering.

If you pay Council Tax, this is an example of how councils waste your hard earned money, yet still have the cheek to increase charges. All of this is contrary to the United Nations principles of sustainable development as per the 17 SDGs aimed at a global Circular Economy and World Peace.

F.A.O. Greg Chuter MA MCIfA                                                                         TRACKED POST
The County Archaeologist
Archaeology Section
Environmental Advice Team
County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes, BN7 1UE 

                                                                                                                   23 July 2018
Dear Mr Chuter.

LAND ADJACENT TO LIME CROSS RECREATIONAL GROUND
BN27 4SX - WD/2015/0090/MAO

Thank you for your letter dated July 18 2018 and for letting us know about Mr Johnson.

We note that you have found that there were old wells recorded in this general location, previously recorded, but none of those surviving.

You might be interested to know that nobody knew about the wells within the Generating complex until 1983, when they were uncovered. They had been blanked off with substantial beams, layered over with earth and flora.

There are in fact two wells side by side. So, twin wells.

In relation to historic finds, previously unrecorded, we would remind you that your Council did not know of the Generating buildings until 1999 and that their originality was confirmed by way of an independent survey that your council commissioned, after Wealden had done their level best to hide the inconvenient facts over many years – and at considerable cost to the taxpayer.

It is not surprising then that Wealden appear not to have mentioned about these wells, or referred the existence of these wells to your department for proper investigation, though one of the wells is visible in Figures 20, 21 and 41 of the Assessment of Heritage Assets by CGMS Consulting, Fiona Williams and Jason Clemons. In this Report they make mention of the Manor of Lime in 1655, while Lime Park was marked on a 1683 map. As you say there was no well associated with this general development, which is curious to say the least. Although CGMS had recorded the existence of at least one of the wells photographically, they make no mention of it in their assessment – to our mind invalidating that document – as a failure to properly take account of what they were looking at. Incredibly, ESCC missed it also.

From our latest researches, it appears that Wealden worked with other agencies to thwart an appearance from the former occupant, who wanted to tell the planning Committee of the importance of these wells at the planning meeting where this application was passed by one vote in 2015; but he was barred from their Hailsham premises. Suggesting that the apparent coincidence of two parties failing to mention the well element, may not be a coincidence at all.

You are telling us that contamination is not an archaeological matter, but depriving the well of ground water and poisoning it at the same time, as will happen if houses are built as per the outline plan, certainly seems to us to be straying into archaeology territory. Hence, it must fall to be considered by the Department of Culture Media and Sport, and/or the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, English Heritage and Historic England.

Perhaps they might be more interested in sustainability and the NPPF than ESCC and WDC?

Would you agree with that, and who might be concerned about contaminating the water supply for several concerns, which have relied on this sustainable water supply for over 35 years? We were under the impression that new build housing had to fit in with the ethos of the Circular Economy and respect historic elements. We fail to see what is sustainable about depriving these users, including ourselves of this reliable, and we should say, their only source of water.

We are also concerned at the ramifications of claims against the purchasers of the proposed houses, the developers and all of those in the consultation chain, for and including Wealden DC – where such claims might have been avoided if Wealden had not sought to steamroller the grant through despite hundreds of local protestors.

If we do not receive any reply in the next fourteen days we must assume that your department and perhaps others executives and members within East Sussex County Council were party to the banning of the former occupant by Wealden District Council (working with other agencies) with the express intention of allowing Kelvin Williams to get away without mentioning the existence of these wells to the Committee, or any other challenge concerning the heritage assets – such that the wells and groundwater contamination do not feature in the Conditions.

We look forward to your reply and thank you in anticipation for your cooperation.

Yours sincerely,


for Herstmonceux Museum Ltd 

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