A BOLD YOUNG MIND

In 1880, Sarah Neal, mother of prolific writer Herbert George Wells, returned to Uppark country estate near Midhurst, to work as a lady’s maid. Though the young H G Wells was not permitted to live with her, he paid many visits, spending much of his time immersed in books from the extensive library. In 1881, he took up a position as an apprentice chemist at Samuel Cowap’s on Church Street in Midhurst, but abandoned the post after little more than a month, deciding that the cost exceeded what his working-class parents could afford. He began work at Midhurst Grammar School as a pupil-teacher, relishing the opportunity to study while earning a living. In 1884, he secured a scholarship to study biology at the Normal School of Science, now Imperial College London, and left for Kensington. Though he did not return to live in Midhurst, he later wrote: “This broadening out, bucking up and confirmation of my mind by the flood of new experiences at Up Park and Midhurst, were immensely important in my development.” The Invisible Man is set largely in Iping Common, and Midhurst and Uppark feature in many of his books in various guises.