Hi Everyone, I am new to this forum but I have some interesting information regarding Hotham Park. Whilst visiting the park 2 years ago with my son, I was walking past the clock tower and the house and could hear raised voices coming from the side of the house which was being converted into flats I believe. I peered through the bamboo screening and saw a man appear from the basement area with a very large cat which was wearing a harness with rope attached. The man drove a stake at the end of the rope into the ground allowing the cat to roam in a circle. The cat looked to be a wildcat (it was too big to be domestic and the markings were different). Above the basement stairs was an overhang and on top of this was some very large scats again too big for domestic animals. The man was shouting at fellow workman to clean up the mess, at this point another man appeared next to me and asked very abruptly what I was doing and that I should not be here. At this point I removed myself from the area and left the park. The above image is the area I am talking about with the stairs to the left in the picture. I know this sounds strange but it was true, I have only just discovered this forum and thread so am sharing this with everyone.
The House has been converted into flats since the 1970s and has been occupied by a variety of flat owners since. The work being done a couple of years ago was just maintenance. The garden you have photographed is a private shared garden and the residents get fed up with people peering in, which is probably why you were not welcomed.. One or other of the flats comes up for sale every now and then and plenty of people visit etc. so enticing though it is, it is pretty unlikely that anyone living there has a wildcat. Best guess would be a workman with a bengal or bengal cross. There are a number of breeders who advertise in this area.
This film is magnificent, I understand there is more... Detail 4002 – Screen Archive South East Not yet made available.... 1) Title ID 6402 Collection ID 855 Title: [Hotham Park Country Fair] 2) Title ID 3143 Collection ID29 TitleHoliday at Bognor Regis 3) Title ID 4001 Collection ID116 TitleThe Tramp: Lonely Race Towards and Early Grave Date1974
Magnificent indeed! Many thanks for posting. Only the most tenuous of zoo connections, sadly, but a great film - this is my childhood here! I can’t believe how crowded the beach was....
This one may be of more interest; some much loved favourites here and, the only image I have of a Bognor zebra. Detail 5336 – Screen Archive South East