Watching O S Dunlop At Barnham

A Memory of Barnham.

As a Chichester High School girl who lived in Yapton, I used to change from the 65 bus at Barnham and catch the Chichester train in the morning, and vice versa in the afternoon. The 20-minute bus wait at Barnham around four pm was incredibly boring, so I used to sit on the seat outside the pub opposite the station. If it was raining, I'd wait inside the railway station ticket office.
I'll always remember watching the famous artist RO Dunlop who used to be there waiting for the bus every Wednesday, with his canvas, easel and case of paints. He was an enigmatic, burly, bearded character. Taciturn, he fascinated me because I could never tell what he was thinking behind that bushy beard of his. Although I was only 12-14, his immobile face fascinated me. I wondered why he chose Wednesdays to go painting, and I've always regretted the fact that I was too shy to speak to him, although I very much wanted to do so.
Recently I've been searching eBay for one of his paintings to remind me of my hours spent waiting at Barnham Station.

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