Bury Parish Council has received an intriguing email from a Mr Phil Cunliffe, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mr Cunliffe is seeking to learn more about the Penfold family who hosted Phil and his mother as evacuees during the Second World War.
Phil writes: ’I am searching for some historical information about the Penfold family (of wheelwrights) who hosted my mother and me as evacuees in the second half of the war. Mr & Mrs Penfold lived at Pyracantha Cottage, close to the main road up Bury Hill, to Arundel.
‘I found this Penfold reference on the Bury Parish Council’s website’s ‘Bury of the Past’ page: ‘Within the village, Farriers, a private house in The Street was the location of the village’s old forge for many years, while across the road, Penfolds was home to the village’s wheelwright and carpentry family.’
‘Is there someone in Bury who may be able to assist me with my research?’
Mr Cunliffe adds: ‘I have very fond memories of my stay in what was then a very quiet village at the foot of Bury Hill.’
Can anyone help Phil in his research? If so, please email our clerk Mike Simpson at clerk@buryparishcouncil.
