COWDRAY Estate head forester Richard Everett met with the Friends of Midhurst Common and South Downs National Park Ranger, Dan Cornell, to celebrate the repair of the ancient boundary stone on Sunset Hill, at Midhurst Common.

The stone was originally discovered approximately five years ago after the clearance of the trees in the area by the Cowdray forestry team. It is the only known remaining boundary stone in the area.

In the past there would have been many similar stones marking the boundary however over the years they have been lost or buried.

One side of the stone has the letter ‘M’, for Midhurst, and on the other side there is a ‘W’, for Woolbeding.

It had been split vertically and the damaged part was removed for safety before Stonemason Will Spankie started work on the stone.

The repair of the Midhurst boundary stone was unusual because it was a hardened local sandstone which had been broken lengthways.

Mr Spankie used steel dowels and Hilti resin to fix it back together.

Friends of Midhurst Common spokesman Jean Hicks said: “We are delighted to see the stone restored to its former glory.

“We are grateful for the work of Mr Spankie and for the support of the Cowdray Estate.”

Mr Everett added: “We were very pleased to be able to give support to this volunteer group who initiated the repair of the historically significant stone. We hope walkers will stop to look as they enjoy this public space.”

The Friends of Midhurst Common are a group whose interest is in preserving and maintaining it for the recreation and enjoyment of the local community.

On the last Friday of each month a group of volunteers from the group work in conjunction with a South Downs National Park Authority ranger to maintain and improve areas of the common, mainly the regenerated heath and wet bog areas.

Email [email protected] if you would like to join them.