During the nineteenth century an unknown chemist named Reginald Phillips spent many years investigating a phenomenon which became known as
The English Tropic
He meticulously kept his mysterious findings in a number of notebooks until his accidental death in boating accident in 1864
His last words as remembered by his companion Polly Preserve were
Oh the odious Solent
Oh the odious Solent
His notebooks were kept locked in a cupboard by his daughter Polly Preserve in his cottage in Herstmonceux Sussex until the residence took a direct hit from a German bomb in the February of 1943
Oh the odious Germans
Oh the odious Germans
Were Polly’s last recorded words
The dilapidated remains of the cottage remained untouched until the hot summer of 1990 when a much awaited bypass erased all trace of the cottage and its large garden
Today as I drive towards the village of Herstmonceux I am still seeking answers about the mysterious English Tropic but I feel I have driven over any evidence that remains as I can see the village clearly on the horizon
Oh the odious village
Oh the odious village