Eau-de-Cologne fountains and half a cat! – Indian Temple

A fascinating response to our article on Southwick’s Indian Temple http://www.shorehambysea.com/southwicks-indian-temple/  from Miranda Bowen nee Sweet who lived there in the 1960’s and well worth including here:-
‘My family moved into Ivy lodge in 1955 and I lived there until my marriage in 1967. My Mother and Father continued living there for several years afterwards. I remember digging up colourful mosaic tiles from the back garden and was told that these must have belonged to the remains of the foundations of the Indian Temple. There was an eau-de-Cologne fountain under the floor boards of the ‘long room’ in Ivy Lodge. This was circular and also mosaic with Eastern influences. The reservoir was still in the cellar when we lived there. The present owners who bought the house from us may or may not know of its existence.
Ivy Lodge was haunted by several notables. An elderly gentleman, a little girl and half a cat. (The tail end). Other apparitions were seen or felt by my family and we became quite used to them. It all made for a colourful childhood. MB’