Yesterday was a trip to Arundel Castle.
The builder of Bodiam Castle, Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, seems to have been mentored by the 11th Earl. I hoped to pick up some information about the fourteenth century earls, but the castle was very crowded and the shop uninviting. A lot of the castle is rather splendid Victorian pastiche but we did get to see the impressive Norman keep and gatehouse.
We also enjoyed the medieval jousting that was going on. It whetted the appetite for Bodiam’s medieval weekend in mid-August.
If you’re in Arundel St Nicholas’ Church is worth a visit. There are the remains of some interesting wall paintings and the division of the church into two is a vivid symbol of a previous power battle.
While we were in West Sussex I gave in to an old ambition and bought a metal detector from Detecnicks in Fontwell. It may have cost too much money but the way I look at it, I’m going to earn it back in spades.
I tried it out first in the back garden on a secret site in the South of England. There were only a couple of square feet not covered by lawn, courgettes and groundsel but in twenty minutes I found this lot (see picture right).
I then took the detector to the beach at Bexhill where I found an aluminium clip. Let’s see what the British Museum make of it.
Lance Woodman 
As a newbie living in Eastbourne I bought a Ace 250 last Friday, used it yesterday and today,
Result–zero, seems as though I have one hell of a lot to learn about detecting and this complicated machine.
Have heard that Camber is supposed to be very good, so perhaps I will give it a try.
It sounds odd, but try burying a few coins, screws and bottle tops in a flower bed (with owner’s permission) and see what the different metals sound like at different depths. Try some coins on their sides as well. Good headphones might make a difference. Good luck.