Welcome to the Junior History page on the Cowfold Village History website!
The Junior History pages showcase the work that pupils at St Peter’s School Cowfold do as part of their history syllabus. The History Society works closely with the School, promoting an enjoyment of, and interest in, local history and the staff are extremely supportive of these links. The pages show what very valuable contributions are already being made by the next generation in continuing to document and preserve our history for future generations.
Each year, the Robert Farren Shield is awarded by the Society to the pupil who has shown the most “enthusiasm for history and advanced enquiry skills”; in addition that pupil receives a £20 book token.
The shield is named after Bob Farren who was the instigator of the Cowfold Village History Society and its first Chairman. Bob’s family came to the village around 1888, nearly 130 years ago. His grandfather worked initially as a journeyman blacksmith but after some years he and Bob’s father established and operated the only garage in the village up to the 1930s when Bridge Garage was built by Fowlers.
He was born in April 1926 and went to St Peter’s School in 1931 when he was five. He was a pupil there until 1940 before going to Collyer’s in Horsham and then enlisting in the RAF in 1944. After the war, Bob ran a TV rental business in the village as well as helping to run the garage owned by his father. The TV shop closed in the early 1970s and Bob then ran the garage until its closure in 1988.
Bob continued to make a significant contribution to village life, including serving on the Parish Council and making a major contribution to the local branch of the British Legion, ultimately becoming its President and receiving the Legion’s Gold Medal for extended distinguished service. His children grew up in the village and went to St Peter’s School in the 1950s. In 2009, Bob was one of the founding members of the Cowfold Village History Society, becoming its first chairman until 2015 and then its Honorary President. Bob died at Homelands Nursing Home in February 2017, aged 90.
So, in view of his close association with the School and his lifelong contribution to the wellbeing of the village and passion for its history, it is entirely appropriate that the shield bears his name.
The winners of the award in 2018 and 2019 were:
July 2018: Reece Ferretti
July 2019: Tadgh O’Donovan
We hope that you enjoy looking at the results of the hard work carried out by the students!