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Findon Manor itself is not a manor house at all. In fact, it's the old Rectory. The present house was started in 1584.

From the 16th Century until the 1930's, the Rectory was part of Magdalen College, Oxford's substantial Sussex land holdings. The college was also responsible for appointing the local vicar. The modest duties were handsomely rewarded with an annual stipend of £13.3s 9d, plus the house and a few fringe benefits including the revenues from certain " personal tithes".

One incumbent George Symson, took a singular approach to the exaction of the latter. In 1605, he was caught stealing two of his neighbour's chickens, as depicted in our illustration above.

Findon itself is as old as the Domesday book and prospered for hundreds of years as an important crossroads between the Lewes to Chichester carriage way and the London to Worthing turnpike.

The old carriage routes have gone and the village is bypassed to the west. But in the lee of the Downs which give Findon its name (originally Fine Downs) and watched over by the prehistoric earthworks on Cissbury and Chanctonbury Rings, the village retains it's cosy charm.

The centuries old Nepcote Sheep Fair is still held annually, but long gone are the thousands of sheep which were traditionally traded there.

The training stable provdes the focus of village life. It was at Josh Gifford's Down Stables that Aldaniti was trained for Bob Champion's fairy tale Grand National win.