Lindfield Christmases over the years

By Richard Bryant with Janet Bishop, Lindfield History Project Group

The Christian festival of Christmas began to be widely celebrated in the Middle Ages and many traditions established at that time have been carried forward into today’s festivities. Some could, perhaps, be even older with roots in the celebration of the winter solstice, such as using evergreens as decorations. Across the country, in the 17th century much drunkenness and other misbehaviour became associated with Christmastime. In the increasingly puritanical climate of the Commonwealth, the Puritan rulers in 1647 banned Christmas, regarding it as a Catholic invention. This ban was widely unpopular and its effectiveness questionable.

In 1660, following the restoration of the monarchy, the ban ended. The old English traditions of feasting, merriment, dancing, carol singing and decorating homes and churches with evergreens joyously resumed. All the elements of the modern Christmas festive season were brought together and popularised thanks to Queen Victoria and Albert, and Charles Dickens’ popular novel A Christmas Carol.

The modern Christmas brought the introduction of the retail bonanza, which today starts in October. On the 25th December 1888, Mid Sussex Times published an article describing the ‘treasures for the delectation of the public’ available in Lindfield’s shops. The following are a few extracts.
Masters (site of Coop) had ‘an admirable display of fruit and biscuits’ together with ‘charming drapery and a capital assortment of china and earthenware’. Similarly, Durrant’s (Lindfield Eye Care) ‘thoroughly enters into the spirit of the season with a show of Christmas cheer both liquid and solid’, also the shop’s showroom under the New Assembly Room (site of Medical Centre) ‘boasts of a rare collection of novelties, including, baskets, aprons, wraps, cushions, screens, pottery, lace goods. Nearby, Miss Simmons’ shop (Tufnells Home) was ‘replete with a capital assortment of children’s toys, ornaments, fancy articles, stationery and favourite new booklets’.

Holman’s (95/97 High Street) ‘stock of geese, turkeys, duck and game is sufficiently large and varied to satisfy all who want a good roast’, also ‘fruit and nuts as a dessert’. Across the street Henry Simmons’ shop ‘looks after those fond of nuts, bon-bons and the narcotic weed while general grocery is not forgotten’. Humphreys and Charman’s (74 High Street) bakeries were both praised, and the latter’s ‘cakes iced and plain and confectionary, will be sure to make the public part with their bawbees’ (an old Scottish low value coin). In a similar vein Wearn’s shop (Somers) provided ‘a trinity of temptations in the shape of toys, Christmas fruit and hosiery’. Box’s butchers (Cottenhams) had a ‘capital show of beef, mutton, pork, veal, lamb, turkeys and geese’. Food a plenty was available!

Feasting, for those with money, has been at the centre of the celebration and today the turkey has become the most popular meat for the festive meal. Turkeys were introduced into this country from the Americas in the mid-1500s. Early references to turkeys in Lindfield at Christmastime include, in December 1660, William Older being brought before the courts ‘for the felonious taking of one turkey hen’ belonging to ‘Walter Brett, gentleman of Lindfield’. Three decades later, in March 1691, Sarah Edsaw, a widow living in Lindfield, entered into a lease for various lands in the parish belonging to Walter Burrell at an ‘annual rent of £50, and at Christmas two fat geese and two fat turkeys’. For centuries goose was the favoured meat.

For many in the parish such meats were beyond their means, but a little seasonal cheer was brought to even the poorest. Inmates at the village poorhouse, as an addition to their usual meals of gruel and pottage, were treated to plum pudding on Christmas Day 1782. Over the centuries for many midwinter was a difficult time and charity featured strongly. The Mid Sussex Times on 19th December 1882 reported that in Lindfield the winter weather was ‘throwing many of the labouring poor out of work’ resulting in many needing assistance from the Poor Relief Fund, and at the first distribution of soup there were ‘ready purchasers for soup at a penny per quart throughout the day’.

Christmastime was recognised as a time for giving and charitable deeds, as portrayed in Dickens’ story. It is also a time for carols, with old carols such as ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ traditionally having been sung in the street long before being taken into the church. The Lindfield Waits Benevolent Society, founded in December 1894, kept the old tradition alive singing carols ‘grievously early on ye morning of ye Xmas all through ye village in aide of ye Firemen’s Widows and Orphans Fund’. This was an annual event by the Lindfield Fire Brigade; the illustration is their 1912 poster.

Christmas festivities were austere during the Great War years, due to hardship and shortages of food, goods and, of course, menfolk away fighting the war. Increasing number of casualties and fear of bad news was ever present. However, Lindfield ladies devoted their time to charity and good causes. The focus each autumn was ensuring men in the military were not forgotten by the village. Money was raised for Christmas puddings, gifts and comforts such as knitted woollen scarves, mittens and socks. In 1917 the Women’s Institute (WI) made or collected 92 gifts of soldier’s comforts for the Royal Sussex Regiment. Similarly, the WI was very active in making children’s soft toys as their availability had ceased.

Two decades later and once more Britain was at war and Christmas festivities curtailed. The Women’s Institute organised that every Lindfield man and woman serving in the forces would receive a gift parcel together with a Christmas card produced by Helena Hall. In 1942 the men’s gift comprised writing paper, pencil, a Penguin story book, shaving stick, razor blades, a new 2/6d piece, a game, pack of cards, woolly socks or scarf with hood end and a printed letter from the vicar. To give Christmas cheer to local children, the Canadian soldiers arranged Christmas parties in King Edward Hall as a thank you for being made welcome in the village.

Children’s treats have always been a seasonal feature, earlier instances being a show entitled ‘Entertainment for Children’ at the New Assembly Room, Lindfield (Medical Centre site) on 30th December 1884, comprising a ‘Celebrated Company of Marionettes’ and ‘A Musical Medley by Two Clowns’. On a less grand scale in 1895, the Sunday School organised a children’s party at Lindfield School. The Mid Sussex Times reported ‘In addition to an excellent tea, a Christmas tree was provided, and each juvenile received something in the shape of a present’.

Needless to say entertainment was not solely the preserve of children. Adults participated in all sorts of fun such as on Boxing Day 1901 when ‘a grand match’ of the ‘noble game’ (football) was played on the Common between Lindfield Veterans and Haywards Heath Old Crocks. A good crowd watched the ‘capital fun’. Since being established in Lindfield, the churches have delivered the story of the nativity and the birth of Jesus, albeit the form of the services have changed over time. Special services and carols are now a feature of the Christmas festival today. Perhaps the true reason for the festivities is too easily overlooked among the increasing commercialism.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Humphrey's Bakery

Richard Humphrey standing outside the shop

By Richard Bryant with Janet Bishop and John Mills, Lindfield History Project Group

The August (2019) local history article in Lindfield Life explained that the Common and Pond uniquely defined Lindfield and challenged that similar features could not be identified elsewhere in the country. It would be remiss not to pay tribute to another Lindfield icon, Humphrey’s Bakery, about which a similar claim could be made. Namely, does any other community have a bakery that traded continuously from the same premises for 223 years?

At 65 High Street, Humphrey’s shop front proudly proclaims the bakery was ‘Established 1796’. Perhaps equally remarkable, it has been run by only three families since that date. Having regard to the bakery’s history, it is appropriately located in one of Lindfield’s oldest medieval buildings; Humphrey’s, Bower House and Carriers were all constructed between 1300 and 1343. Its age is evidenced by the massive arched timber framing on the building’s northern side, into which, rather quirkily, three tiny windows have been cut. When viewed from the street it will be seen that Humphrey’s shop is the cross wing of No 63 High Street, known as Wyncote. This is also of medieval date, although its age is not apparent having been re-fronted.

The early history of the building is yet to be fully discovered. However, a receipt document dated 1453, found during redecoration in the late 1940s, states the property was then occupied by ‘Thomas atte Ree’, probably a farmer. He was paying rent of seven marks per quarter to his Lord of the Manor, the Dean of the College of Canons, South Malling. A mark was a unit of currency with a value of about 67p.

Returning to the bakery business, John Meads (1759–1826), a baker, first appeared in Lindfield parish records in December 1791, when with his wife, Ann, their daughter, Mary Ann, was baptised at the parish church. In 1793, he took on a William Murrell as his apprentice. John Meads appears again in the Poor Rate records as a ratepayer from 1797 at Humphrey’s, which he rented from Thomas Blaker, a cordwainer. Accordingly, the claim that the bakery business at 65 High Street was established in 1796 is fully justified.

By the time of John Meads’ death in November 1826 he owned both Humphrey’s and Wyncote, having bought them from Thomas Blaker. Under the terms of John Meads’ will, his wife Ann inherited all his property and goods. She continued to run the business until about 1838, when control passed to her daughter Sarah Smith and husband Edward Smith, also a baker. Ann Meads lived with Edward and Sarah Smith in the house until her death. In 1844 Edward Smith bought the business and property from her executors for £500. During their marriage John and Ann Meads had nine children. Together with some of their children, they are buried in All Saints’ northern church yard. His headstone forlornly reads:

Afflictions sore long time I bore
Physicians were in vain
Till death did cease and God
Did to please to ease my pain

Their extended family became involved in many businesses up and down Lindfield High Street. Edward and Sarah Smith and other family members ran the bakery business for some 40 years. The property was sold around 1883 to Henry Gasston, a local miller. It is at this time the eponymous Richard Humphrey appears. Richard Humphrey senior was born Brighton in 1855. The Mid Sussex Times noted ‘as a boy he was employed on the same premises by the late Mr Smith, who was widely known for his gingerbreads and brandy snaps. Mr Humphrey assisted in making vast quantities for the Lindfield Fairs’. Subsequently, as a Master Baker, he worked as a bread and biscuit maker in Haywards Heath. On returning to Lindfield, in October 1883, Richard Humphrey senior entered into an agreement with Henry Gasston to rent the shop and dwelling (65 High Street) for £45 per year. Likewise his son Richard, also working in the business, rented the adjoining Wyncote, which at that time housed the bakery.

An advertisement in Clarke’s 1884 Directory announced ‘R Humphrey, fancy bread and biscuit maker, pastry cook and confectioner, High Street, Lindfield. Brown and home-made bread. Families waited on daily at Haywards Heath’. Henry Gasston, as owner of both properties, in 1896 built the first detached bakehouse replacing the bakery in Wyncote. When Henry Gasston sold the properties to Richard Humphrey, senior, in 1912, this facility was described in the sale particulars as ‘Bakehouse and Flour Room, fitted with Webber’s 8-bushel Iron Oven, and Truck Shed, Stable for three horses, Van and Cart Shed, W.C., and Manure Pit. Well of Water.’.
Richard Humphrey senior and junior were still listed as running the business in early 1940. Following his father’s death in March that year, Richard junior took control but sadly died less than two years later.

Richard Humphrey senior had been well respected and active in Lindfield, having served on many local committees and as a Parish Councillor. Like his father, Richard junior was a keen cricketer playing regularly for Lindfield Cricket Club. Consequent upon the Humphreys’ death, Clayton Wiles took over the bakery, having previously been a Master Baker and Confectioner in Guildford. He ran the business throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. Following his passing in 1968, his son, David Wiles, took over the running of the bakery, having worked with his father for many years.

The name Humphrey’s has continued and the beautiful old style shop front retained, but one major change was made. The modern bakehouse we see today replaced the old 1896 building. Unfortunately the bakery closed this summer, it is understood, due to ill health. The Wiles family having provided excellent service to Lindfield for the past 77 years. There cannot be a resident, of any age, in Lindfield who has not enjoyed bread, cakes, pastries or a snack baked by David Wiles, our Master Baker. His doughnuts are legendary – thank you. The community can only hope a bakery of similar quality will continue the 223 years of tradition established by the Meads/Smith, Humphrey and Wiles families.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Lindfield's evacuees: The friendly invasion

Party given by the Canadian soldiers - Russell (mentioned in the article) is one of the evacuees in the photo.

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

Eighty years ago this September (2019) saw the start of World War Two. As tensions between Britain and Germany increased during the 1930s the Government started making plans for a major war. In 1938, Cuckfield Urban District Council, the local authority responsible for Lindfield, commenced planning for an evacuation. The Government scheme provided for the dispersal of schoolchildren and under school age children with their mothers from ‘crowded towns where the result of air attack would be most serious’ to safer rural areas.
A survey was conducted to identify households with space to accommodate evacuees; everyone was expected to do their bit. Households taking in children with board and lodging would receive 10s 6d (52p) per week for the first child and 8s 6d (42p) for each additional child. Mothers with children under 5 years were provided with accommodation only, the payments being five shillings (25p) per week for the mother and 3s (15p) a child.

The first real sign that a war was imminent and inevitable was on 1st September 1939 when Mid Sussex received the first wave of evacuees; the war started two days later. Children were evacuated by schools, and all travelled by special trains to Haywards Heath station for distribution around the area. Evacuees in the Cuckfield UDC area at the beginning of the war numbered 951 unaccompanied schoolchildren, 223 young children accompanied by 148 mothers, 95 teachers and helpers. It is thought over 300 evacuees were assigned to Lindfield. Further evacuees were received during the war.

After being given a drink and biscuit by the Women’s Voluntary Service, Southdown buses transported all the evacuees allocated to Lindfield to King Edward Hall. The unaccompanied children waited in the Hall to be chosen by residents. Most host families only wanted a single child not siblings. Some were prevailed upon to take two or more children, with a couple at Butterbox Farm, who had no children of their own, taking six evacuees. A temporary dormitory was provided at Old Place for children who remained unchosen until the Billeting Office placed them with suitable families. Unplaced children were then accommodated in a communal home at Sewell’s Cottage (today St Johns Lodge), owned by Maud Savill, opposite the church.

Gladys, aged 13 stayed at St John’s Lodge which was run by Mrs Marx, recalls ‘we sleep on camp beds with one pillow and a blanket. There was no furniture apart from blackout curtains, trestle tables and benches. I used to help with the younger children, bathing the girls and washing their hair. Mrs Dennett with her son moved into help, as nine children were too much for one woman to look after. The soldiers had a cookhouse in the Mission Hall and they used to give us meat to help our meagre rations. Children paid a penny a week for treats such as jelly. We used to shake an apple tree behind the house to get apples.’. After about a year Maud Savill wanted the house and the children were found local families.

An evacuee, Lionel, who came to Lindfield accompanied by his mother and young sisters, recollects ‘after arriving with our Jewish school we were taken to live in a tack room above stabling belonging to Mr McNaught at Little Walstead. We shared the tack room with Mrs Cohan, another mother and their children. My mother asked the Billeting Officer where food could be obtained. He kindly promised to take care of this and returned with milk for my six week old sister and various provisions including bacon. This was the first time I had encountered and eaten bacon. While at Walstead, Mr McNaught’s daughters taught me to ride, it was a revelation that people rode for pleasure. In London we had only seen horses pulling carts.’.

The Lindfield School role in September was about 180 and they were joined by some 200 pupils from Henry Fawcett School, Kennington, London. The schools operated separately with their own teachers, and in theory shared the school facilities, although Lindfield always had priority! The Reading Room and King Edward Hall provided extra classroom space. If a room was not available the children had to do gardening, collect acorns for pig food or blackberries for the Horsted Keynes jam factory. As the war progressed the number of evacuated children reduced as many returned to their families. In May 1943 those that remained were merged with Lindfield School.

Scaynes Hill School hosted St Gabriel’s School, Westminster. The newly opened Haywards Heath Senior School (Oathall Community College) welcomed St Matthew’s, Westminster and Senrab Street School, Stepney, these formed the LCC Schools Unit which operated separately to the end of the war. The private schools also took in evacuated schools at various times. Lindfield Women’s Institute, the Town’s Women’s Guild and Women’s Voluntary Service rallied to help by establishing a clothing depot, a canteen and playroom for mothers and their children, and social meetings with a penny being charged for a cup of tea and a bun. Similar support arrangements were made by Scaynes Hill women.

For both the residents and evacuees there was a bit of a culture shock. On the one hand there was an influx of inner city children and families, many from an impoverished background with ‘Cockney’ accents and ways. For the others a small village surrounded by field with animals, woods and country noises presented new experiences. All quickly settled into their changed life. One girl had the novelty, and anxious times, walking across a field of cows on her school journey. Another billeted with a family in America Lane used to walk their goat to its field each morning and learnt how to milk. After school the evacuees met up on the Common, their new green playground, and increasingly mixed with the village children; who found it useful to blame the evacuees if anything went wrong.

Russell, who came with his school from Kennington Oval, was billeted in a council house in Eastern Road ‘with Mrs G, her son and daughter, there were seven of us in the small house. Then from time to time my elder brothers would stay. Also her husband when on leave, to say nothing of the generous hospitality to Canadian soldiers – though not at the same time! How we managed I can’t think. I only know I had never been as happy before.’. Russell and other evacuees have fond memories of Lindfield, playing on the Common and in streams, enjoying entertainments, film shows and Christmas parties put on by the Canadian soldiers in King Edward Hall.

However, there were also unhappy memories. Three sisters and another girl were billeted in a house where they were poorly fed, not well looked after and badly treated. The woman used their rations to feed her son and had black market sugar under her bed. They were not allowed upstairs during the day for fear of wearing out the carpet! Unhappy, it was not long before they returned to London. To end on a happier note, some friendships were established that lasted many years and two girl evacuees, Gladys and Dorothy, met their future husbands while staying in Lindfield eventually marrying after the war ended.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Lindfield Common and Pond history

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

It could be said that Lindfield is defined by the Common and Pond. Many communities have a village green or at least the remnants of one, and some a village pond, others have a common remote from the village. How many communities can you name that has a large common with its impressive pond abutting their High Street?

Within the old parish there was also a large common in the area today known as West Common, owned by the Manor of Ditchling; not to mention sizeable commons at Walstead and Scaynes Hill. The fact that Lindfield Common and nearby West Common were owned by two different manors, suggests the Common could date back a thousand years to the time when the manorial system was being established in Sussex.
Unfortunately the early history is unknown, nevertheless it has certainly existed for very many centuries as unenclosed land. Lindfield Common, historically called Town Common, has remained largely intact due to the stewardship over the centuries by the Lords of the Manor of South Malling Lindfield and latterly Lindfield Parish Council and Mid Sussex District Council. However, it was originally larger than today. Even as late as 1830 it extended a little further up Black Hill and to the west over the High Street to join with the pond. Similarly it extended a short distance on the northern side of Lewes Road. Manorial documents generally describe common land as ‘waste’ as the land did not provide rental income. To increase their income the owners sold off plots either as agricultural land or for erection of buildings.

The first major encroachment of Lindfield Common was in the late 1600s when leasehold plots for dwellings were made available in the area bounded by High Street and Lewes Road for the expansion of the village. These houses were demolished mainly during the 19th century and the land used for the buildings we see today, including King Edward Hall. Lindfield School, the houses on the western side of High Street, Blackhill and northern side of Lewes Road were subsequently built on land once part of the Common.

Historically the freeholders and copyholders (leaseholders) of the Manor had rights to use the Common, mainly for grazing cattle and sheep but all use was strictly regulated. The Pond provided water for these animals and those passing through the village. Any unauthorised or stray animals would be placed in the village pound situated in the area of the Bowling Club.

In 1899 Lindfield Parish Council took control of the Common and Pond and duly issued a booklet entitled By-Laws, which prohibited practically everything from setting traps, nets or snares to taking birds’ eggs and shooting animals; from riding horses or driving any vehicle other than hand propelled vehicles to removing turf or dumping earth. One by-law of particular note was ‘The exclusion or removal of gamblers, cardsharpers, vagrants, sellers and exhibitors of infamous (later changed to obscene) books, prints, photographs or pictures, or persons guilty of brawling, fighting, or quarrelling, or improper language, or any idle or disorderly persons’. Surely not in Lindfield! Increasingly the use of the Common was moving solely towards recreation, although cricket had been played since 1747. In 1907 Mr H L Durrant, the village watchmaker, who organised the sheep pens for the annual fair complained to the Council ‘that the new cricket ground considerably encroached on the ground hitherto used for the pens’. The same year the recently formed Bowling Club and Tennis Club sought permission to erect a ‘small rustic pavilion within the enclosure surrounding the tennis courts and Bowling Green’ for their joint use. Permission was granted subject to the clubs agreeing to remove at any time if requested. The Lindfield Football Club and other teams, and to a lesser extent stoolball teams, have long played on the Common.

Despite the increased usage for recreational purposes, even as late as 1912 the Parish Council was continuing to rent out sheep grazing rights for one guinea to James Box, subject to him cutting ‘the grass on the Common all over during July each year’ and the right for the Council to cut the grass ‘for a distance of 30 yards outside the Cricket Ground Enclosure’. Each year the Lindfield Bonfire Society’s firework display to commemorate Guy Fawkes Night is an immensely popular event, as is Village Day.

The Common and Pond have been the focal point for major village celebrations. Sports Days have been one of the traditional ways to mark Coronations, royal anniversaries and weddings, with events ranging from children’s running races to adult tug of war. The Pond hosted swimming and aquatic fun events such as boat racing, climbing a greasy pole and ‘miller and sweeps’; the two combatants would straddle a pole, armed with a bag of flour and soot, the winner being the first to knock their opponent into the water. Similar events and bonfires have been held to celebrate the ending of the World Wars. Some royal events were also commemorated with permanent features on the Common, such as the horse drinking trough, by the High Street and Backwoods Lane junction, marking the 1911 Coronation of George V and the nearby Lindfield sign erected in 1935 for his Silver Jubilee.

The ancient August Sheep Fair traditionally held in the High Street outgrew this venue and moved solely onto the Common. Thousands of sheep were sold during the major eight day long fair. Entertainment and pleasure always a part of the fair, took over when animal sales ceased due to trade transferring to the Haywards Heath Cattle Market, on the site now occupied by Sainsbury’s. The entire Common would be taken over by rides, sideshows, amusements, stalls and refreshment tents. A fair continues to visit to this day as does a circus. At times of war, or when there was an invasion threat, the Common has been used by the military. The first known use was by the Lindfield Company of the Sussex Militia formed when Napoleon threatened the country with invasion during the 19th century. It was similarly used for drill and exercises during the Great War, by the Royal Army Medical Corps when stationed in the village and also the Volunteer Training Corps, forerunner of the Home Guard.

It was used again during World War Two by British and Canadian regiments and the Lindfield Home Guard. Most notably on 29th February 1944, several thousand troops assembled to be addressed ahead of D-Day by General Bernard Montgomery, the Allied Commander. The Pond was used to wash army vehicles until residents complained, and it was also designated an Emergency Water Supply in case of a major fire caused by incendiary bombs. An earlier much talked about military event was the landing on 20th April 1912 of H.M. Airship Gama on a training flight commanded by Captain Broke-Smith, whose father-in-law, Admiral Twiss, lived at Lindfield House. Lindfield and its Pond reflects the story of the village.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Walstead Place and its burial ground

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

This month’s article looks at the reason why there is a burial ground at Walstead and its design. Until the early part of the 19th century burial facilities were mainly provided by the Church of England in parish churchyards and, for some high status burials, inside churches in vaults sunk into the floor. All Saints Church, like many other parish churches across the country, had existed for close on a thousand years and its churchyard had become full. Existing burials were frequently disturbed by new graves with the consequent fear of risk to public health. Similarly new interments within the church also gave rise to health concerns. There were also issues concerning the burial of non-conformists and members of other religions, as parish churchyards were exclusively Anglican. The churchyard at Lindfield was so full, it is said, new burials were being interred on top of existing graves, which accounts for the raised ground in the northern part of the churchyard.

The government, recognising the widespread nature of these problems, passed the Burial Acts 1853. This Act allowed for the Parish Vestry, forerunner of a Parish Council, to form a publicly financed local burial board to establish a burial ground. Furthermore by ‘her Majesty in Council’ an order could be made that required the discontinuance of burials at specific locations. Such an Order in Council passed on 30th January 1854 applied to Lindfield, requiring ‘burials to cease at once under the church and from and after the first of May 1854 in the churchyard burial ground’. Lindfield churchwardens and parish overseers were faced with establishing a burial board together with the urgent and difficult task of finding a new burial ground.

Their aim was to acquire land near the parish church but owners were not willing to sell. Two grants extending the closure date for the Lindfield churchyard were given, to allow time to find a site, with the final deadline being 1st September 1854. A two-acre plot on Walstead Common on the northern side of East Mascalls Lane was eventually identified as a suitable site. Walstead Common at that time covered over 35 acres and was part of the Manor of Walstead held by the Earl of Chichester, who made the land available. A Vestry Meeting held on 11th May 1854 agreed that the Lindfield Burial Board could borrow the money ‘required for providing and laying out the new burial ground’ and for it to be charged to the parish poor rate. It was further agreed that the Board should ‘provide fit and proper places in which bodies may be received and taken care of previously to internment and to make arrangements for the reception and care of the bodies to be deposited therein’. At a further Parish Vestry meeting on 29th June 1854, the Burial Board was authorised ‘to expend the sum of Twelve Hundred pounds for the purpose of providing and laying out the New Burial ground.’ The following are examples of the Burial Fees set by the Parish Vestry to apply from 19th October 1854:

Vaults 4ft
Minister £1 15s 0d
Clerk £0 7s 6d
Sexton £0 3s 6d
Registering £0 0s 6d
Total: £2 6s 0d

Children under 12 Years of Age buried in a Common Grave
Minister £0 1s 8d
Clerk £0 0s 9d
Sexton £0 0s 9d
Registering £0 0s 6d
Total: £0 3s 8d

Persons Buried at the Expense of the Parish
Minister £0 1s 0d
Clerk £0 1s 0d
Sexton £0 1s 0d
Total: £0 3s 0d

There was no tradition of cemetery design to draw upon and small burial grounds, like Walstead, were often utilitarian but with design references drawn from small country estates that is to say, an entry lodge, some landscaping, boundary walls and the mortuary chapels taking the place of the country house as the focal point. These four elements can be seen to this day in the Walstead Burial Ground. Two mortuary chapels, stood a short distance behind the Entry Lodge, formed the focal point of the burial ground. The identical adjoining chapels each having their own porch and doorway, were dedicated for the separate use of the Church of England and Nonconformists. The Church of England chapel was on the eastern side. They were described, in language of the day, as being for ‘Episcopal’ and ‘Dissenters’ respectively.

The simply designed brick chapels with tiled roofs in the traditional ecclesiastical style had wood lined tunnel vaulted ceilings and tall stone framed, three light arched windows. By the 1900s the Chapels and Lodge were heavily covered in ivy. Today the Chapels have been sympathetically restored to retain their original character and are used as offices. The Entry Lodge built of brick with a tiled roof had living accommodation on either side of the central arch and gabled entranceway that ran through the middle of the building. This archway, with sufficient width to permit the passage of a horse drawn hearse, aligned with the Mortuary Chapels behind, which had pathways running to their respective porches. The arch, although now bricked in, remains visible in outline at the rear of the lodge.

The original boundary wall enclosing the ground was built to a strict specification requiring a uniform height of five feet and one brick thick. This wall was replaced, when the burial ground was enlarged and the boundaries realigned, with the more substantial walls that largely exist today. The original two acre site was laid out with two wide curving pathways running northwards across the burial ground from each mortuary chapel. Trees were planted around the perimeter and the ground generously planted with evergreen bushes such as yews and rhododendrons. Remnants of this planting can still be seen.

In the original layout the ground to the east was consecrated land for Church of England burials. A central area was given over to common graves, burials without headstones and those buried at the expense of the Parish. The ground on the western side was non-consecrated ground for Nonconformist and other burials. In 1905 Lindfield Parish Council, the owners at the time, acquired an additional two and a quarter acres of land to enlarge the burial ground to its present size. The two footpaths extended to the new northern boundary have since been removed. Although perhaps not as pristine as in years past it remains a tranquil resting place, now under the care of Lindfield Rural Parish Council.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Lindfield’s hidden horticultural industry

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

During the first three quarters of the last century horticultural businesses thrived in and around Lindfield providing much employment. The demand for house building land, the rise of garden centres, large scale commercial growing and other local employment opportunities contributed to their demise. Before it became Linden Grove, the land had been used as a nursery. First in about 1906, it became home to the Orchid Nursery run by Andreas Jensen, who imported and grew orchids in a range of heated glasshouses. After the Great War he sold his entire stock of 16,000 orchids by auction. The nursery was then taken over by Christopher Jupp and traded as Phurah Nurseries growing summer bedding plants, pot plants and vegetable plants for over four decades.
Another nursery that began early in the 1900s was located behind the houses in Compton Road, in what today is the Tollgate car park. Like Phurah Nurseries it had a range of glasshouses and cold frames. According to Ordnance Survey maps it had disappeared by around 1950. The owner or what was grown is not known and if you have any information about this nursery please do get in touch. The name Appledore Gardens suggests the road and houses were built on what might previously have been a market garden or an orchard, but again information has not been found. However it is known that nearby French Gardens took its name from a small market garden business of that name established on the land by the French brothers in the early decades of the twentieth century. It specialised in growing salad crops under glass, for sale at market and by greengrocers until the mid 1960s.

The largest nursery in Lindfield was Box’s, a name perhaps better known in recent decades for the butchers and greengrocers in the High Street. Their land stretched from behind the High Street, Lewes Road, and Luxford Road up to the line of Brushes Lane, north of today’s Dukes Road. Originally this land comprised four fields, Great Tainter, Upper Tainter, Lower Tainter and Farm Mead. It is said the Tainter names were derived from tenter, as in tenterhooks, being the frames used in processing flax to become cloth that stood in the fields in centuries past. Like the other nurseries, it opened around 1900 and continued until the land was sold for the expansion of Lindfield. At its peak up to 50 men were employed in growing trees, shrubs and perennial plants. The Box Nursery regularly won prestigious awards at major horticultural shows.

In 1935, Frederick Smith, an employee at Box’s, acquired an adjoining field, off Luxford Road, and established his own nursery. His speciality was roses and he had a stock of over 4,000 bushes. With the advent of the blackout in World War II everyone needed a torch. To meet the demand for batteries Frederick Smith established a small factory employing 12 women in a shed on his nursery to make ‘No 8 batteries’. Smith’s Nursery (Lindfield) Ltd closed in 1976 and the land became Harvest Close.

Nearby, also in the mid 1930s, a Mr Slack purchased the land to the east of Eastern Road, behind Noahs Ark Cottage in Lewes Road, with plans to develop the site to primarily grow mushrooms. Lindfield Nurseries Ltd came into existence although locally it was better known as the ‘Mushroom Factory’. It was a major undertaking, with eight 90 feet long windowless growing sheds, a packing shed and a covered yard plus ancillary buildings. Each growing shed comprised three rows of growing beds that ran the length of the building, with the beds having four tiers. Manure was delivered from farms and stables, but had to be well rotted before it could be used. On becoming rotted it was transferred to the covered yard, known as the turning shed, where it was constantly turned until ready for use as the base for the growing beds, and topped with compost or soil.
To ensure a constant supply of mushrooms the sheds were used in rotation. The filled beds when sown with mushroom spores did not take long to germinate in the dark, humid conditions maintained in the shed. In a matter of weeks the mushrooms could be harvested and sent to the packing shed for grading and packing. At peak times, up to three tons a week were despatched to market. When each crop had finished the beds had to be emptied and refilled ready for the next crop cycle. The spent mushroom compost was transferred to the market garden section of the nursery, adjacent to the sheds, where it was used to grow rhubarb and salad crops. After a few years Mr Slack sold the business and shortly after it changed hands again when it was bought by the Filmer brothers. The business continued to trade successfully until the late 1960s and following closure, the land became the Noahs Ark Lane housing development.

Towards Lindfield parish’s eastern boundary in Sluts Lane, latterly renamed Snowdrop Lane, and close to the Inn was Snowdrop Gardens, a nursery specialising in summer bedding plants, fruit and vegetables, run for many years by Mr H Cross and his son. On nearby Lyoth Common was the site of Charlesworth & Company’s renowned orchid nursery. Joseph Charlesworth while involved with the Yorkshire wool trade had pursued the cultivation of orchids as a hobby. In 1886, he decided to convert his hobby into a business opening an orchid nursery in Bradford. His passion was to create hybrid orchids and to obtain new varieties, he toured South America collecting new species and studied how they grew naturally. The nursery quickly prospered and Joseph Charlesworth decided to open a small nursery at Valebridge, Burgess Hill, to compare how growing orchids in the milder climate of Sussex compared with Yorkshire.
The results were very favourable and Joseph Charlesworth, in the early years of the 1900s, moved his entire orchid business to a new site at Lyoth Common. This nursery became a major and renowned grower of a large range of hybrid orchids which were exhibited at major horticultural shows, winning many awards. Examples of ‘Charlesworth’ varieties found their way into all major collections and continue to feature to this day.

A significant number of young Lindfield men found employment at the nursery. At the outbreak of the Great War, Joseph Charlesworth, as a proud patriot, offered his young employees a bounty of five pounds and guaranteed re-employment if they volunteered to join the Army. Sadly, not all who served ‘King and Country’ returned. Following Joseph Charlesworth’s death in 1920, aged 68, the company continued for a further 50 years.

In 1971, McBean’s Nursery at Cooksbridge, near Lewes acquired the stock and business of Charlesworth & Co. Resulting from the acquired collection, McBean’s produced two new hybrid orchids, Royal Wedding and Royal Occasion, which were proudly supplied for the wedding bouquet of HRH Diana, Princess of Wales. Like most of the other nurseries, on its demise growing gave way to housing although its past usage is recognised in the names Charlesworth Park and Orchid Park in nearby Northlands Wood development.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Bedales History - A different kind of school

Hidden between the A272 and the road from Lindfield towards Scaynes Hill, stands Bedales, a grand house with its origins in Elizabethan times. It is perhaps an unlikely location for the founding of a revolution in education. In 1893 John Haden Badley, aged 28, rented the house and founded Bedales School as a humane alternative to the authoritarian and harsh regimes typical of late Victorian public schools. His vision was to establish a co-educational boarding school for nine to 18 year olds with the ethos of ‘head, hand and heart’ and the development of ‘intelligence, initiative and individuality’ within a sense of community.
The education provided was to be profoundly different from that available at other schools. It was not until decades later that schools such as Steiner and Montessori were founded with a not dissimilar ethos. On formation, Bedales School was groundbreaking.

Corporal punishment, so prevalent in all other schools, did not feature; instead pupils had to run up and down the drive for the required number of times. Whilst the regime was described as humane, school life was by no means soft. The dormitories’ windows were kept open in all weathers, and before getting into bed, washing water was poured into the hip baths under an open window. Not infrequently, in consequence, a sheet of ice had to be removed in the morning before washing. A run to Scaynes Hill before breakfast followed, then bed-making. It was essential to make the bed correctly, failure resulted in bedding being thrown on to the floor. Boot cleaning also required exacting standards. Lessons were held each morning except Sunday, with a curriculum that included Latin, French, German, Ancient History, Classics and Surveying, plus, unusually, free study time.

Behind the house was the stable yard with a fine range of buildings that contained the woodworking room, chemistry laboratory and natural history laboratory. Three afternoons a week were devoted to sports, swimming, football or cricket, initially on a pitch levelled by the boys. If wet, a run to Chailey Common. The remaining afternoons were spent learning practical skills like woodworking and undertaking outdoor work such as gardening, digging, hoeing, lawn cutting, haymaking, gathering leaves and renovating school buildings. Not to mention the weekly task-force detailed to clean the earth closets!

A stream running through the school grounds was dammed with clay and wood to make the bathing pool about six feet deep, including the deep muddy bottom. It was equipped with diving boards and touching the bottom was to be avoided at all costs! Outdoor activities at weekends included expeditions and bicycle outings to explore Ashdown Forest, the South Downs and local countryside in quest of wild flowers, birds’ eggs and village churches for sketching and brass rubbing.

Pupils regarded Bedales as standing supreme for the quality of its food; the mushrooms and asparagus in their respective seasons being particularly unforgettable. The feeling of semi-starvation experienced by pupils at their previous boarding schools was not repeated. At dinner, Mr and Mrs Badley sat at the High Table on a raised dais in front of the oriel window, with seniors taking it in turn to eat with them. Regarded as a privilege, it was nevertheless a daunting experience. After dinner, the evenings in the hall were spent on fireside chats, rehearsing plays, readings from the classics and music making. Between 7pm and 7.30pm each evening the whole school song; mainly parts out of Tannhauser, Gaudeamus and the Messiah.
On Sunday evenings the school came together for The Jaw led by John Badley. Similar to an old style school assembly, The Jaw comprised prayers, readings and a talk giving an insight into the ways of the world, a moral perspective on issues of the day and other weighty topics. A compulsory and formal procedure before going to bed each night was ‘Handshaking’ when all pupils had to advance in a single file and solemnly shake hands and wish ‘Goodnight’ with every member of the staff. The aim being to build a bond between pupil and teacher and to wipe the slate clean of any misdemeanour that occurred during the day. This ritual still takes place at Bedales School, albeit with vastly more students, and, similarly, the Sunday evening ‘Jaw’ remains a feature of school life.

John Badley’s vision of a co-education boarding school educating both sexes together was finally realised in 1898 when a girls’ boarding house was established in Scaynes Hill. Eight girls formed the first year’s intake. The girls participated on equal terms in all activities, the only differences being they had breakfast in their boarding house before walking the half mile to school. On arrival they were closely inspected by the formidable Miss Withers, the Matron. Also the girls had to be called by their first names while surnames continued for boys.
In the beginning the girls were not welcomed by the boys, and neither sexes had experienced being taught together. After a short period of initial shyness, no notice was taken either by the boys nor girls of each other. In addition to establishing the girls’ boarding house, the increasing number of boys required another boarding house and Lyoth House, about half a mile from the school, was acquired. It was in poor condition and the boys undertook the redecoration. Like the rest of the school it was lit by gas lamps and all water had to be drawn from the well. With increasing pupil numbers it was not long before it became apparent that that the school required larger premises.

In 1899 John Badley acquired a 120 acre estate at Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire, and set about building a purpose-built school. After seven successful years in Scaynes Hill, the school and its nearly 50 pupils moved in 1900 to its new home, retaining the Bedales name. The school has expanded beyond recognition from its early days in Scaynes Hill and continues to thrive encompassing the revolutionary approach to education pioneered by John Badley. A Royal seal of approval was achieved when Princess Margaret chose Bedales School for the education of her children. Scaynes Hill should be justly proud of having hosted the school during its formative years.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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Lindfield history - 500 years

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group 

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Lindfield West Common

In last month’s article we looked at how Lindfield developed from its earliest days through to the time of the Reformation in the 1500s. For eight hundred years much of the land in and around Lindfield formed the Manor of South Malling Lindfield held by the College of Canon, South Malling on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry VIII in seeking a divorce and the establishment of the Church of England led to the dissolution of religious houses. 

In March 1545 an order for the dissolution of the College of Canons was issued and subsequently all possessions and lands were granted by the Crown to Sir Thomas Palmer of Angmering, a gentleman of the Privy Council. After a couple of years the manorial estate was surrendered to the Crown. Between 1574 and 1618 ownership changed six times, before being acquired by William Newton of East Mascalls in 1618. Fifteen years later Thomas Chaloner of Kenwards bought the manor, becoming Lord of the Manor, until it was acquired in 1689 by the Pelhams, subsequently ennobled as the Earls of Chichester. These names can be recognised today around the village. The transfer of the manor to secular owners and the frequent changes in ownership lost the stability and stewardship long enjoyed under the Canon’s control. 

Another major impact was the church tithes, paid to the Rector as his ‘living’ and for church upkeep, also passed into lay ownership. After being acquired by William Newton the tithes descended through his family to John Nainsby. Only £30 from the annual £600 tithes were given to the church. This led to difficulties in retaining a vicar and the church falling into disrepair. 

Many of the houses lining the High Street, built in medieval times, needed replacement or at least renovation and modernisation, such as installing chimneys. A good number were re-fronted and it is
for this reason that very few of Lindfield’s 41 timber framed houses have exposed timbers when viewed from the street. From the late 1500s onwards for the next two centuries Lindfield saw a period of renewal and construction along the High Street, although apart from some encroachment on to the Town Common, the village remained a one street community. The 1600s and 1700s provided much of the architectural heritage prized today, for example Pierpoint House, Malling Priory, Nash House, Manor House, Everyndens, Froyles, Lindfield House and Rosemary Cottage to name but a few. A feature no longer existing, which stood for some three hundred years until the early 1800s in the middle of the High Street, opposite Doodie Stark, was a blacksmith forge and adjoining shop, both with a room above. Horse-drawn traffic had to pass on either side of this ‘middle row’; it was probably longer in earlier times. 

Just as ancient communication links had formed a key element in Lindfield’s earliest developments, so they would be an important factor in its later periods of growth. Roads across Wealden Sussex were notoriously poor and the north-south route through Lindfield was no exception until becoming a turnpike road in the 1770s operated by the Newchapel and Brightelston Turnpike Trust. As the name indicates it went from north of East Grinstead down to Brighton and became a minor coaching route from London to Brighton, with the Bent Arms and Red Lion inns used as horse change stops. 

The turnpike had two toll gates in the village, one across the High Street by the Toll House, and the other in the entrance to Hickmans Lane. Tolls were collected until 31st October 1884 when the gates were removed and burnt in the street on Bonfire Night with much celebrating! 

Across the country in the 18th century canal building was at its height and following an Act of Parliament in 1790 the Ouse Navigation was established. Modifications to the river allowed barges, 45 feet long, 14 feet wide, carrying up to 30 tons of mainly agricultural cargo and coal, to sail between Lewes, Lindfield and Balcombe. The canal did not have a significant impact on Lindfield and its opening coincided with a period of economic depression. 

The agricultural economy that had provided wealth and stability to Sussex steadily weakened during the late 1700s creating much poverty. Following the Napoleonic Wars and a succession of poor harvests, the social conditions deteriorated rapidly during the early decades of the 1800s. By 1820 Lindfield was an extremely depressed parish, leading to it being chosen by William Allen, the Quaker philanthropist, as a suitable location for his experimental colony, off Gravelye Lane, to aid impoverished agricultural labourers. He also established an industrial school for boys and girls, on Black Hill, to educate children from poor families. Universal free education was not available until the ‘Board’ school in Lewes Road opened in 1881. 

Compton Road in about 1908. One of the first new roads in Lindfield built in circa 1902.

As the 1800s progressed the economy steadily improved and Britain was gripped by railway mania. Neither Lindfield nor Cuckfield wanted the London to Brighton railway to pass close to their communities, so the line was routed along the parish’s western edge. The line opened in 1841 with the station one mile from the village and initially called for the ‘Towns of Cuckfield and Lindfield’. At that time Haywards Heath comprised little more than a couple of farmsteads and a few cottages, whereas Lindfield had a population of over 1750 residents. The coming of the railway created Haywards Heath. Some twenty years later, Lindfield was to have a station on the northern edge of the village on the planned Haywards Heath to Hailsham route. The line was not completed but the remains of an embankment are still visible at the entrance to Lindfield, looking south by the 30mph limit sign. 

Nevertheless the opening of the London to Brighton line led to a period of growth, and as Haywards Heath developed so did Lindfield. A particular feature during the Victorian era was the building of fine villas on Black Hill and mansions around the outer edges, Summerhill, Finches, The Welkin, Old Place, Walstead Place, Beckworth, Oathall and a little later Barrington House. Together with the existing large houses such as Paxhill, Bedales and Sunte they became major employers. In the central section of the High Street old buildings were demolished and replaced by new shops in Victoria Terrace and Albert Terrace. 

Reliance on agriculture for employment reduced as village businesses flourished, such as Lindfield Brewery, Durrant’s piano factory which employed ’25 hands’, Julius Guy’s coachwork, plus many jobs in the building trade and on the railways. Lindfield started to prosper again but despite this growth Lindfield’s commercial importance waned. 

However, throughout the 1800s, Lindfield remained basically a ‘one street’ community. It was not until the new century that new roads started to appear, such as Compton Road, Luxford Road and Eastern Road. Following the tragic years of the Great War, the interwar years saw some growth, but it was not until after World War II that the expansion of Lindfield really took off and continues to this day. 

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Discovering Lindfield’s West Common

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Map of West Common area in 1829 with current roads overlaid in white

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

Today nothing exists of the West Common and you would be forgiven for thinking the area completely lacks historical interest. Less than two hundred years ago the unfenced common extended from Sunte Avenue down to the stream that runs close to Blackthorns and from Hickmans Lane south to Summerhill Lane and then east along Scrase Stream. The southern part belonged to the Manor of Ditching with the remainder by South Malling Lindfield and Framfield Manors. The land is mainly flat and in parts sloping with good well drained soil. In early medieval times, could this land have been the ‘west field’ of the Lindfield cultivated in strips by villagers in the open field system? Perhaps we will never know. 

What we do know is that in the 1820s the land was largely unenclosed and contained only a few dwellings. In the north western corner, at the junction called Pickesgreen Cross, was a small old farmstead dating from at least 1600, part of Framfield Manor, called Wigsel’s Watering, that extended into the area now Oakfield Close. This was replaced by the Bricklayers Arms, now the Witch Inn. In the 1870s the Bricklayers became a popular venue for ‘bean feasts’; annual works outings travelling by train from as far afield as London and Brighton. Following the arrival of the railway, the road running along the western edge was made up and named Station Road (Sunte Avenue) as it was the most direct route from Lindfield to the station. The first housing built was Albert Cottages, typical small Victorian houses with shared wells and privies at the bottom of the garden. 

Towards the southern end, near Oakbank, stood two cottages known as Golden Nob. The 1851 Census listed four families, the Beard, Bish, Gorrange and Miles families, totalling 19 men, women and children living in the cottages. All the adult men were agricultural labourers. The Golden Nob cottages were demolished around 1860, when Summer Hill was built by Charles Catt, a brewer and son of William Catt of the Bishopstone Tide Mills. The Catt family lived in the house for many years and farmed nearby land. From the late 1940s it became a school. 

In 1835 three acres of unenclosed land held by the Manor of South Malling Lindfield was sold for £56 5s 0d to John Elliott, a Lindfield blacksmith. John Elliott operated the forge in the middle of the High Street (mentioned in last month’s article) and built the forge at Spongs in Brushes Lane. Perhaps with an eye for a quick profit, John Elliott sold the land to Edward Humphreys in October 1838 for £153. In today’s terms this is the land of Chestnut Close across to the west side of Summerhill Drive and north to Hickmans Lane. 

For a couple of years Humphreys rented the newly enclosed land to James Harding of Burnt House Farm, before taking back the land on which he built a house in 1844. The Poor Rate Valuations in the late 1840s record this house as Westfield Lodge, owned and occupied by Edward Humphreys; no connection with the baker of that name. It was approached by a long diagonal drive, and when Summer Hill was constructed the drive was extended to this house and entrance lodges built. 

By the mid 1850s Humphreys was living at Pear Tree House (junction of High Street and Lewes Road), another fine house he built along with St Annes. Westfield Lodge was rented to tenants before being acquired by William Copeland in c1870 when the property was renamed The Chestnuts. 

The Mid Sussex Times in May 1877 carried an advertisement for the letting ‘unfurnished, a well-built detached villa residence, most pleasantly situated, approached by a carriage drive from the high road, and within 15 minutes walk of Haywards Heath Station, and known as The Chestnuts. There is a large drawing room and dining room, two other sitting rooms, six bedrooms, and a dressing room, kitchen, scullery, cellars etc, also a capital garden with greenhouse and vinery’. Even in those days easy access to the station was a desirable feature and evidence of Lindfield becoming attractive to commuters. 

During the 1880s, The Chestnuts was taken by a Mr Hartland and then by Mrs Gertrude Lysons, the widow of Rev Canon Samuel Lysons, rural dean of Gloucester, a noted antiquarian and an early proponent of British Israelism. This was the belief that British people are ‘genetically, racially and linguistically the direct descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel’. 

The Chestnuts was sold in 1895 for £2,000 and subsequently described as being ‘brick built and cement faced’, with grounds containing a good lean-to vinery, stables, detached coach house with loft and a small cowshed. A substantial property but unfortunately we have no photographs of the house and grounds. (If any readers have a photograph, please do make contact). The new owner was Charles Catt of adjacent Summer Hill. 

Following a succession of tenants, in 1909 William Lancelot Knowles J.P., a member of the Stock Exchange, and his wife took up residence, having previously lived at Pear Tree House. A county cricketer, he had played for Kent, Sussex and Gentlemen of England and in 37 first class appearances as a right-handed batsman scored 1439 runs with a highest innings of 127. He was unstinting in his community service being involved with many clubs and organisations in Lindfield, Cuckfield and Haywards Heath. 

In 1933, The Chestnuts became the new home for the Parents’ National Educational Union School (PNEU) started 12 months earlier at Plumpton by Mrs Seymour and Mrs Morgan. Called the Summerhill PNEU School it was the twentieth such school in Sussex and one of a family of about 800 scattered around the world. All the schools worked to a common ethos and curriculum. A notable local example, with its roots in the PNEU system, is Burgess Hill Girls School which continues to thrive today. 

After two years it ceased being a PNEU school and changed its name to Lindfield Preparatory School under the headship of Miss Arnold. Education was provided on the ‘Froebel and other modern methods’ for children aged 6 to 12 years, with a kindergarten for younger children. It advertised ‘Bright, colourful classrooms, Small Classes, Individual attention’ and ‘All general subjects taught’ with a large garden for games, tennis and cricket. A limited number of places were available for boarders. The school was short lived and closed in about 1937, the building reverting to a private residence. There was no connection between this school and the school later established at Summer Hill. The house continued to be occupied as a private residence until being demolished in about 1960 and shortly after replaced by Nos. 1 – 8 The Chestnuts. 

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Lindfield Prep School Kindergarten Room. Photo: J Potter

Returning to the 19th century, the Common was divided by a section of the New Chapel to Brighton turnpike road, now West Common. By the 1840s, the Common on both sides of this road had been enclosed with fields, except for an area around Appledore Gardens but this soon became enclosed. In 1852, at the Red Lion, four acres were auctioned as four building plots fetching £138, £145, £82 and £82. The first two lots restricted the building of any dwelling of less value than £200. None of the plots were built upon at that time. 

It was not until the interwar years that the area started to be developed with the building of Haywards Heath Senior School and housing at Oakbank and along West Common and Sunte Avenue plus the creation of a market garden, French Gardens. Houses started to appear along Summerhill Drive, and although Chestnut Close was constructed by 1937 houses were not built until a few years later. The remainder of the houses on West Common land are predominantly post war. 

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Looking East of Lindfield High Street

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group 

In 1583, if you walked from the Highway down the ancient drove road leading to the lands of Walter West, where would you be standing? In today’s terms you would have walked from the High Street, down Brushes Lane, going straight down the earthen path by The Wilderness junction until arriving at the northern corner of The Limes. Spread out before you would have been the lands of Walter West, then known as the East Field and East Wish, which extended east towards Scrase stream and across to the line of Newton Road. 

Brushes is an ancient name, it appeared in the 1603 record of church seats, ‘In the 8th seat the heir of Walter West for Bruches a room’. 

In the East Field, during an archaeological survey prior to The Limes being built, pieces of Bronze Age pottery were unearthed, indicating people were in this area some 3000 years ago, perhaps living in a seasonal camp. Also discovered were very old field ditches, with one containing early Saxon pottery (circa 650). This is the earliest evidence of a farm in Lindfield. 

Listed as one of Lindfield’s ‘chiefiest men’, Walter West was a mercer (shopkeeper selling cloth, haberdashery and dry goods) living at Froyles, as did his direct descendants, who continued to own the East Field and East Wish until 1683. In that year the land passed to Henry Douglas, also a Lindfield mercer. He had married Ann West; sadly she died shortly after giving birth to their son. It is thought the land was given to provide security for the infant. Henry Douglas died in 1703 and the land was acquired by George Luxford, a lawyer who occupied Old Place (today’s West Wing). His family roots were at Windmill Hill, East Sussex. 

Although his ownership only lasted a couple of decades, the land became known as Luxfords and subsequently Luxford Farm. Tenants changed regularly and ownership is somewhat cloudy, although there does appear to have been a Luxford family connection. In 1811 ownership was in the hands of Reverend George Haygarth, who was probably also a distant relative. The Haygarths lived at Seckhams in the High Street and the land remained within the family until around 1885 when it was sold. 

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1947 aerial view of Lindfield Photo: University of Sussex, Global Studies Resource Centre

Charles Kempe, in the process of building Old Place into his grand country house, acquired the larger western part of Luxford Farm. The farmland to the east was purchased by the Guardians of the Poor of the Cuckfield Union (later Cuckfield Rural District Council). This signalled change was on its way for the agrarian landscape which had existed for centuries. Over time East Field and East Wish had been divided into smaller fields with names such as Barn Field and Old Orchard, as reflected in Barncroft Drive and Old Orchard Close. 

Perhaps the coming change had been signalled some years earlier, when in 1857 the Lindfield Gas Company built a plant to manufacture gas together with a gasometer on a parcel of land, now Chaloner Close. It was accessed via a track from Lewes Road. This facility became redundant in the late 1890s when the Company was acquired by Haywards Heath Gas Company. The site was subsequently used by Scutts, a village coal merchant, as its coal storage yard. 

Returning to Charles Kempe, he removed hedges, planted trees to create wide woodland borders along his boundary and demolished the farm yard buildings. There had never been a Luxford farmhouse. He incorporated the Luxford land into his Old Place lands. Additionally, on fields behind the High Street to the north of Brushes Lane, Kempe created his three acre wilderness garden as a place of solitude and entertainment amongst ornamental trees and shrubs. It provided a contrast to Old Place’s formal gardens and was accessed by an enclosed footbridge over the public footpath that runs east of Francis Road. Long after Kempe’s death and several changes of ownership, the land was purchased in 1957 by Kenneth Holman and the six houses forming The Wilderness were built. 

Planning for the eastward expansion of the village, the Cuckfield Rural District Council purchased much of the remaining land lying north of Lewes Road. Its first new road for housing in the 1890s was Eastern Road, with houses built in phases over several decades. At about the same time, on part of the Luxford farmland previously purchased, to the north of Eastern Road, the Council constructed a ‘Sewage Farm’. Following closure of this treatment works, the nine acre site was used as a refuse dump and when full in 1975 was left to grow wild until being reclaimed as the Eastern Road Nature Reserve. 

The land east of Eastern Road remained fields until 1938 when it was developed as a ‘Mushroom Factory’ growing mushrooms on an industrial scale. The site later became the Noahs Ark Lane housing development, named after a cottage of that name, and also the old field name East Wish is carried forward as East Wick. 

After Eastern Road, the Council created Western Road in 1901 and sold individual plots to developers, with the cottages on the eastern side being the first to be built. The road name was quickly changed to Luxford Road. Charles Kempe, several local tradesmen and later local historian Helena Hall were among those who commissioned houses in the new roads. The semi- detached houses on the village side were constructed around 1926 as part of a Council housing scheme. Harvest Close stands on the site of Smith’s Nursery, established in 1935 by Frederick Smith on land belonging to Vores Oak. 

James Box occupied the remaining land between Luxford Road, the High Street and northwards to Brushes Lane, establishing his thriving nursery business growing trees, shrubs and plants. In its heyday the nursery employed as many as 50 men and won numerous awards at Royal Horticultural Society shows. Previously, the old fields adjoining Brushes Lane carried the names Tainter Field and Tainter Mead. It has been said that the names derive from the word tenterhooks, indicating an association with the wool or cloth trade, and that the later pasture in times past was the site of village gatherings for fun and sports. 

In the decades following the Second World War, the Council developed this area for housing. The track leading to the old gas works site became Chaloner Road. Newton Road, taking its name from William Newton who purchased the Manor of South Malling Lindfield in 1617, was constructed. It followed the line of the old field boundaries of Luxford Farm to the top of Luxford Road and extended in the 1960s to join up with Eastern Road. Newton Close stands on a field, which in the 1820s was aptly called Two Acre Field. Duke Barn Mews is unsurprising close to the site of Mr Duke’s barn and his name is also reflected in Dukes Road constructed in 1957. 

The land east of the High Street demonstrates the change and growth over 120 years which has helped to create today’s thriving community. It is also pleasing to see names from past centuries carried forward into today’s Lindfield. 

1947 aerial view of Lindfield Photo: University of Sussex, Global Studies Resource Centre

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Along Gravelye Lane, Lindfield to America

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group 

Cottages at The Colony

Gravelye Lane for centuries was merely a track providing access to a couple of farmsteads and Northlands Wood; then in the nineteenth century it became the route from Lindfield to America! There are more points of historic interest along the lane than you might think. 

Almost immediately after turning from Lewes Road into Gravelye Lane, on land now Grey Alders and Kidbrook, the Dowager Countess of Tankerville, while living at The Welkin, opened a laundry in 1902. It was run on charitable lines to provide work and a home for women in difficult circumstances struggling to regain their character through honest labour. The laundry home called ‘Quinta’ provided accommodation for thirty female workers. The laundry was taken over by the Salvation Army in 1912 until 1922 when it became a business trading as the Mid Sussex Steam Laundry. A particular feature of the laundry was its 74ft high chimney. Not only was this a local landmark it also housed the ‘start and stop work’ hooter. Many villagers used to set their watches by the hooter such was the accuracy of the time signal. On closing in 1972 the buildings were demolished and the houses built. 

Mid Sussex Laundry

Further up Gravelye Lane on the left-hand side is a small property sign bearing the name Criplands. The first identified mention of the name is in the Will of William Neale, dated 1625, in which he leaves lands and a house called Cripses, later known as Cripland, to his brother, John Neale. On his death the land is inherited by his second son Nycholas Neale. The Neale family had a lengthy connection with Lindfield as butchers and farmers. Cripland farm passed through several generations before eventually leaving the family. 

In 1742 it was purchased by Nicholas Tanner, a mariner from Brighton, and his wife. At this time the farm comprised a house, two barns, two gardens, an orchard and 30 acres of land and was rented by a Ralph Comber. A series of complex transactions followed until October 1744, when Cripland was purchased by John Dutton and his wife. At this point the Cripland story takes a twist. 

In the eighteenth century there was no effective treatment for smallpox which often resulted in death. At best an outbreak could be contained through isolating sufferers in a pest house. In 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, recently recovered from smallpox, accompanied her husband to Constantinople where she discovered that in Turkey healthy people were deliberately being infected with smallpox. They were inoculated with a small amount of pus and then kept in isolation to avoid the risk of spreading the disease. She introduced the concept of inoculation as protection against smallpox to Britain. Gradually the procedure was adopted by a number of pioneering doctors.
One such doctor was John Dutton who practiced in Lindfield in the late 1730s and is thought to have lived at Bower House. He may have been using part of the premises as a Pest House. In Easter1741‘John Dutton, Churgeon’ (surgeon) had agreed with the Parish Overseers to ‘supply the Poor (of Lindfield) with physic and Chyrurgery’ for a year and in May 1742 entered into a longer-term agreement to do the same for £4 4s per year, and £1 1s extra ‘in case small pox should happen to break out’. 

In March 1744, John Dutton and his wife Elizabeth purchased Cripland and established it as a Pest House. Around this time he started to inoculate people in the village with smallpox pus. This caused great consternation to the inhabitants of Lindfield. As a consequence, Dr Dutton was required to stop this practice and enter into a £600 bond with a term of 60 years payable should he recommence inoculations. 

It is understood that Dr Dutton complied with the undertaking and subsequently sold the Pest House and accompanying land to John Verrall in February 1767. However, the property continued to be known as Pest House Farm until the late 1880s when it reverted to Cripland Farm when sold by John Verrall. 

In 1898, Henry and Ellen Howorth purchased part of the farm’s land on which they built Cripland Court in 1905, a spacious 12 bedroomed country house with colonial style balconies to the rear together with staff accommodation, a range of stables and outbuildings. 

Following the death of her husband in 1907 the property was put up for sale. A tenancy agreement with option to purchase dated 15th November 1911 was entered into with Alexander Howden, a Ship Broker in the City of London. The purchase was completed in 1913. Following Alexander Howden’s death in 1914 and his widow eight years later, the property was sold in 1922 to Granville Bevan. It remained in the ownership of Mr & Mrs Bevan for some thirty years. 

Granville Bevan died in November 1950 and Cripland Court was placed on the market in 1952, being sold to Bishop & Sons Depositories Ltd in December 1953 who used it as a furniture store until the main house was demolished in the 1960s. 

Cripland Court

Almost opposite Cripland Court stood Gravelye Farm, continuing up the lane and shortly before the junction with Lyoth Lane stands Gravelye House.
In the early decades of the 1800s across the country there was much poverty amongst agricultural labourers, many were in fact paupers, placing great demand on a parish’s poor relief. William Allen, an eminent chemist, Quaker philanthropist and social reformer, thought
it would be possible to reduce poverty by providing them with an independent means of support, thus reducing their reliance on the parish. His solution was to establish colonies of cottages with allotments. In the late 1820s, Lindfield was chosen as a parish worthy for this experiment, as poverty was rife. William Allen was helped by his friend John Smith MP of Madehurst who purchased 100 acres in the Gravelye area and placed some of this land at Allen’s disposal for creation of a trial colony. Smith also built Gravelye House for William Allen’s use when visiting Lindfield. At around the same time Allen established the School of Industry on Blackhill to educate boys and girls from poor families. 

The land selected by William Allen was down a track beside Gravelye House, close to today’s Hanbury Stadium, where he built 12 dwellings, six modest single storey thatched cottages each with an acre and a quarter of land, rented at 2s weekly, and adjacent were six larger cottages with the same amount of land at 2s 6d weekly. Additionally in Gravelye Lane he built three pairs of semi-detached two storey houses with supporting land at 3s a week. 

The cottages immediately became known by some as The Colony and by others as America, thought to have derived from the idea of a land of promise for settlers, and later as Gravelye Cottages. The America name endured for the area and appears on old Ordnance Survey maps and the track beside Gravelye House to the cottages took the name America Lane. America is reflected in other road names today. Hanbury Stadium is named after William Allen’s business partner, the business growing into the pharmaceutical manufacturer Allen & Hanbury Ltd now absorbed with GlaxoSmithKline. 

William Allen required tenants to be industrious men with large families. Additional land could be rented if needed, and guidance and small loans were provided for the purchase of seeds, fertiliser and a pig or cow. The expectation was that the labourer would cultivate his allotment in addition to working for a local farmer. Locally in the short term it was a success, as no family went on parish relief after moving to The Colony. However, the colony concept did not provide a feasible national solution. After William Allen’s death in 1843 the Gravelye estate was sold and the colony concept ceased. All the dwellings were condemned and demolished in the 1940s and 1950s. 

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Kempe and his palace of art in Lindfield

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

At the top of the village, stands the grandiose and private Old Place that is largely obscured from view. Perhaps in a strange way, the property goes almost unnoticed when passing by. The impressive size is difficult to comprehend from the roadways, likewise its relationship with the original Elizabethan house onto which it has been ‘grafted’. The buildings as we see them today were the vision of Charles Eamer Kempe, the renowned Victorian stained glass artist and church decorator. The ‘e’ was added to create a grander surname by Kempe on reaching adulthood.

He was born at The Hall, Ovingdean, near Brighton on 29 June 1837, the fifth son and youngest child of Nathaniel Kemp, a wealthy and important member of Brighton society, and his second wife Augusta Caroline. Her father was Sir John Eamer a former Lord Mayor of London and prominent City wholesale grocer and sugar importer. It is thought Kempe was christened Charles Eamer in memory of his mother’s younger brother who died aged 18 in India.

The Kemps were a long established Sussex family, originally from good yeoman stock with their wealth having been derived from corn and wool. This is reflected in the three golden wheat sheaves featured in the coat of arms granted in the 1600s. Interestingly, it was Charles Eamer Kempe’s uncle Thomas Kemp’s house on the Steine in Brighton that was acquired by the Prince of Wales in 1787, eventually becoming the Royal Pavilion. Thomas Kemp is noteworthy for having conceived the idea of a fashionable residential estate in east Brighton, Kemp Town, but unfortunately the scheme caused him great financial difficulties.

Returning to Charles Eamer Kempe, as a boy he was a pupil of the Vicar of Henfield before attending Rugby School and entering Pembroke College, Oxford where he obtained a Masters Degree. Being deeply religious it had been his wish to enter the church as a clergyman but decided a severe speech impediment would restrict his ability to preach and successfully pursue that vocation. He was a supporter of the Oxford Movement of high church Anglicans promoting the restoration of ritual in worship and aesthetic aspects borrowed heavily from traditions before the English Reformation.

Being interested in art and good at drawing, Kempe chose to use his talents, religious beliefs and aesthetic vision to adorn churches. After Oxford he studied church architecture and design under the tutelage of George Bodley, who was closely associated with Gothic Revival and High Anglican aesthetics. This influence together with Kempe’s own beliefs was to be reflected throughout Kempe’s work as an ecclesiastical decorator and stained glass artist. He increasingly saw the use of glass as the medium for expressing the Christian message and pursued this by joining the glass studio of Clayton & Bell.

About 1866, Kempe set up his own studio with two assistants at his home in London, contracting out the stained glass making. Dissatisfied with the quality being produced, he set up his own manufacturery at Millbrook Place, London in 1869. Kempe windows incorporate a small shield containing a wheat sheaf as his mark. The studio also created designs for church furniture, altars, and altar screens, and Kempe additionally continued to design vestments and altar hangings. His designs were most sought after and the business thrived, employing 50 men by the end of the century.

Sadly, at the time the studio was continuing to enjoy great success, Kempe died suddenly on 29 April 1907. The business continued after his death as C E Kempe and Co Ltd under the control of Kempe’s cousin, Walter Tower. To mark this change, windows made after his death have a small black tower above the wheat sheaf
in the trademark shield. Gradually the desire for Gothic revival designs declined and the business hit hard times closing in 1934. By this time the Kempe studio had produced over 4000 windows, and examples graced churches across the country and many cathedrals including York, Winchester and Gloucester. Many Sussex churches contain Kempe windows and decorations. Unfortunately there are no Charles Eamer Kempe designed windows in All Saints’ Church, Lindfield, although there are two by C E Kempe and Co Ltd, these are in the north transept and south chapel.

Kempe never married and, although said to be a shy man, he enjoyed the company of friends. Living in central London, in 1874 he decided to establish a country residence, primarily for entertaining, and chose Lindfield for this project. He purchased the land of Townlands Farm and Old Place (today known as West Wing); the house built by the Chaloners in 1584, which was in disrepair having latterly been the village poor house. His first task was to renovate the property and have the road that passed directly in front of the house moved, to provide privacy and a garden. The revised road line is as seen today. Kempe then set about a 30 year project to create ‘Old Place’, as his dream home, with its grandiose extensions to the original house, secondary buildings, and extensive grounds, at a cost of over £40,000. Prominent amongst the secondary buildings, in the southern corner of the gardens, is the substantial Pavilion with its tower, built as his studio for when he wished to ‘work from home’.

The main house, built in phases, was resplendently appointed with elaborate plasterwork, much panelling, arts and crafts style door and window fittings and, of course, featured large amounts of exquisite stained glass. It was richly furnished with much artwork including tapestries displayed. The entirety was a testament to Kempe’s aesthetic vision. Country Life magazine featured Old Place several times in the first years of the 20th century, and the 1901 article described it as, ‘the highest development of contemporary taste and skill in artistic design’ and judged it to be ‘a Palace of Art’. To look after Kempe and his large house required some twelve ‘in door’ servants plus a small army of gardeners.

Country Life lavished similar praise on the gardens. The grounds totalled more than 150 acres and included formal gardens, a kitchen garden with glasshouses, and a wilderness garden. The latter, now the site of The Wilderness, was laid out with wide grass walks and shrubs, and reached from the formal gardens by a footbridge over the public footpath leading from the corner of Francis Road. The formal gardens around the house featured lawns, herbaceous borders, a fine pleached lime avenue, ornate gates, great yew hedges, Greek urns and sculptures. A particular attraction was a large sundial, a copy of the dial standing at Pembroke College, Oxford, topped by a carved pelican feeding her young. Very occasionally Kempe would open the grounds for a grand fête and villagers would pay the few pence admission charge and flock to see what was normally out of their view.

Kempe does not appear to have been active in village life, although he did serve as a church warden for a time. To mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, he proposed this should be commemorated by adding three new bells to the peal of five bells. He paid for the bells, and the required strengthened bell frame was funded by public subscription, however the project was surrounded with much acrimony. It also appears Kempe offered a Chancel Screen to the church but this was rejected and not accepted until several years after his death.

Perhaps not as well respected as he deserves, Charles Eamer Kempe was one of the great Anglican church artists of his time and Lindfield’s most nationally notable resident.

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Lindfield houses - Barrington and Buxshalls

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

From the mid 1800s until about 60 years ago Lindfield was virtually encircled by big houses and their grounds. This article looks at two of these houses: Barrington House, the last large villa built in the parish, and Buxshalls.

A large Edwardian villa, Barrington House was built between c1904 and 1906 to the north of By Sunte. Its extensive grounds had for centuries been used for farming and woodland. The first occupant, Mrs Ann Phyllis Powys, was probably responsible for building the house as Barrington was a name within the family. Born Ann Greenwood at Wallingford in 1825, she had been married to Philip Lybbe Powys, an Eton and Balliol College educated barrister and MP for Newport Isle of Wight. They separated in 1863 and it is not known why she moved to Lindfield 40 years later. Mrs Powys lived in some comfort, as the 1911 census describes her as ‘living on private means’ with a cook, parlourmaid, housemaid and resident nurse to look after her. Ann Powys died at Barrington House on 21st February 1912.

Buxshalls near Lindfield

In 1913 Barrington House was occupied by Mr and Mrs Charles Weatherby and their son Thomas. Charles Weatherby, born May 1860, was a partner in Weatherbys. He died in Lindfield on 24th June 1913. Interestingly, seven generations of the Weatherby family have been involved in British horse racing since the formation of the Jockey Club, when in 1770 James Weatherby, a Newcastle solicitor, was appointed Secretary to the Jockey Club, Keeper of the Match Book and Stakeholder. This led to him publishing the Racing Calendar and later the first authentic Stud Book. Since that time, Weatherbys has provided the central administration for horseracing and maintained the register of all thoroughbred horses in Britain and Ireland. Also acting as horseracing’s bankers resulted in the creation of Weatherbys Bank. Weatherbys had been a family partnership until 1994 when it became a private limited company owned by the family. The death of Thomas Weatherby in 1915, denied the family business of a potential key member.

Thomas Weatherby attended Winchester College between 1907 and 1913 and played cricket for their first team. Being a keen cricketer he was a prominent playing member of Lindfield Cricket Club. At the outbreak of the Great War, he volunteered to serve King and Country and was commissioned, joining the 9th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, and promoted to Captain in February 1915. From November 1914 his Battalion was training in Dorset, and, while stationed at Wimborne, Thomas contracted spotted fever (meningococcal meningitis) and died at the Alexandra Military Hospital, Cosham, on 8th May 1915, aged 20. His body was brought home and buried at Walstead Cemetery with full military honours; 150 soldiers from the 2nd London Rifles lined the approach to the cemetery and fired three volleys over the grave.

From 1929 to the mid 1930s it was the family home of Sir William Pell Barton and his wife, following his return from India. Sir William Pell Barton was born in 1871. After university he went to India in 1893 and rose through the ranks of the political system holding many senior posts, such as British Commissioner. In recognition of his service, in 1927 he was Knighted Commander in the Order of the Indian Empire. An authority on the North West Frontier and the Princely States of India, he wrote a number of books, including The Princes of India (1934), India’s North West Frontier (1939), and India’s Fateful Hour (1942).

Sir William and Lady Barton’s younger daughter, Elizabeth Vidal Barton, married Sir Richard Hamilton 9th Baronet of Silvertonhill, a schoolmaster at Ardingly College, in April 1952 at Ardingly. Elizabeth, a prolific historical biographer, wrote the definitive account of the salacious Mordaunt affair that resulted in the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, and friends being cited in divorce proceedings.

The Bartons were followed in the mid 1930s by Marquess Hastings William Sackville Russell, later 12th Duke of Bedford. He would appear to have owned Barrington House, as in 1948 records show he sold Barrington Lodge that stood in the grounds. A keen ornithologist, the Marquess bred many species of parrots and parrot-like birds in aviaries constructed in the grounds, approximately where Barrington Road is today. He occupied Barrington House until it was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War.

After the War the property was converted into flats and further modified in about 1970 into three separate dwellings. Turning to Buxshalls, this name is Saxon in origin and over the centuries its land has seen many owners. The current house, called Buxshalls, was built in 1825 in the Italianate style by William Jolland as his family home. The estate comprised the house, grounds, entrance lodge (built 1876), two large fish ponds and four farms totalled some 500 acres. It passed down the Jolland family line and when Jolland’s only daughter, Katherine Mary Jolland, married Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Sampson in 1878 they received Buxshalls as their home.

The Sampsons added the west wing to the house, which provided a large drawing room with bedroom above and also installed a new grand front staircase. In total there were four reception rooms, a billiard room, fifteen bedrooms and dressing rooms but apparently only one family bathroom. Looking after them in the 1900s was a butler, cook, four servants and a chauffeur.

The house, surrounded by impressive gardens that contained a balustraded terrace, lawns, herbaceous borders and Venetian temple, was set in picturesque parkland with ponds. The grounds, tended by several gardeners, ran down to the River Ouse with two thatched boathouses linked by a covered bridge. In a wooded grove north of the house, the Sampsons built a mortuary chapel as the final resting place for their son who died in 1899 of diphtheria.

Dudley Sampson, born in 1841, joined the Army aged 16 and was posted to India. His regiment saw much action in quelling the India Mutiny. An illustrious military career followed during which he played prominent roles in many campaigns across India.
When not soldiering he was a fine sportsman and gentleman rider, with 42 wins in 52 races. Travelling was also another great passion. He was a keen writer and the author of several songs, including For Union and for Queen, a song for loyal Ireland sung at the Ulster demonstration at the Royal Albert Hall in 1893. The music for this song together with his The Veterans Song was composed by Lady Arthur Hill (famous for In the Gloaming). His book of Songs of Love and Life was published in 1918 after his death and republished in 2016.

Colonel and Mrs Sampson were social leaders in Lindfield, being active in all aspects of public life and supporters of local good causes. He played a major role in driving forward the building of King Edward Hall. Additionally, he was a Justice of the Peace, a County Councillor for the area and a Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex.
He died at Buxshalls in 1917 and his widow two years later; they were interred alongside their son in the mortuary chapel.

From 1927 Buxshalls was the home of Sir Henry Cautley, a barrister, judge and the Member of Parliament for East Grinstead from 1910 until 1936, and his wife. On retirement he was raised to the peerage as the 1st Baron Cautley of Lindfield. Baroness Cautley died in 1943 and on his death in 1946, aged 82, the barony became extinct. Buxshalls was owned from 1947 by Sidney Askew and his wife Dorothy, nee Rank (as in Rank Hovis McDougall). After they left Buxshalls, it became a residential home for the elderly and now stands empty, with an uncertain future.

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Lindfield houses - Bentswood

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

Oathall Place

Mention ‘The Bent’ in Lindfield and one immediately, thinks of The Bent Arms, but who was Bent and where did he live?

When John Bent arrived in Lindfield in 1815 the parish boundary went way beyond its present limits. In December that year he made his first purchase in the area when he bought Oat Hall from Warden Sergison’s estate. He subsequently increased Oat Hall’s land by buying a neighbouring cottage and a few acres of newly enclosed land on West Common to create parkland. He resided in Oat Hall until around 1830 when he demolished it and built a new house, Oathall Place, which stands to this day at the bottom of Oathall Road, Haywards Heath.

How did John Bent acquire the money to buy Oat Hall and build such a grand house? His maternal family were tradesmen at Ashburton, Devon, where he was born on 27th March 1776. He became the MP for Sligo from 1818 to 1820. When being put forward for this seat. John Bent was described as being ‘a commissioner in Demerara’, A British Colony since 1814 on the north coast of South America, famous for its sugar. From 1820 until 1826 he was the MP for Totnes, Devon. According to the ‘History of Parliament’, John Bent ‘certainly had money, was known in the City and invested substantially in landed property in the Lindfield and Cuckfield areas of Sussex’.

The 1817 Slaves Register of the Slave Compensation Commission, a government body set up to pay compensation to slave owners consequent upon the abolition of slavery, shows John Bent as the proprietor of Plantation Vrouw Anna in British Guiana which he sold and mortgaged back to the new owner. He put in a claim for £14,000 for slaves on the plantation but did not receive compensation as they were regarded part of the new owner’s mortgage security. Clearly, John Bent had been involved with and profited from the slave trade. He was involved in a scandal in 1825 relating to a mining company in Ireland and was found not to have been fraudulent but imprudent. However, the other directors were found to have acted fraudulently.

Without doubt money made from slavery helped fund his purchase of property and land in Lindfield. He bought Manor House in the High Street in August 1824, together with fields in Denmans Lane and elsewhere. The White Lion Inn was purchased in 1827, and shortly afterwards he changed its name to The Bent Arms. Around the same time he acquired a house then called ‘Taylors or Cheater’, today South Malling Priory, 88 High Street. John Bent also owned properties in London.

He died on 6th October 1848, aged 73, and was buried at All Souls, Kensal Green, London. He and his wife had four children; three daughters and a son, Gibbs Francis Bent. Upon John Bent’s death his properties passed to Gibbs Francis Bent, who then moved into Oathall Place, and land that he owned gave rise to the name Bentswood.

Years later the Bent family connection with the house ended and its ownership changed several times. The Lindfield Parish boundary also changed placing Oathall in Haywards Heath. It was converted to flats in the 1960s before being restored in the character of an English country house and used as offices.

To the north of Oathall, towards the Common, stood Beckworth, with its entrance drive which is now School Lane. Today all that remains of the estate is Beckworth Lodge, on the approach to Lindfield Primary Academy. Taking its name from a medieval field of that name, Beckworth House was built in 1872 for its first owner Mr William Blaber, a retired merchant. It was built by Parker Anscombe, the well-known Lindfield builder. From around 1900 it was occupied by Mr Mellor Brown, described as ‘living on own means’, and his wife; looking after them were five live-in servants and a gardener.

In 1924 Major George Churcher T.D. and his wife Aida purchased the property. A member of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Major Churcher was a respected and well-known amateur cultivator of gladioli creating new hybrid varieties and author of an RHS paper The Modern Gladiolus. An exhibitor at many major shows, he was also a keen grower of daffodils and peonies in the extensive gardens. George Churcher died in 1938 and in his memory Aida Churcher gave All Saints Church the carved oak eagle lectern.

In September 1939 at the outbreak of World War II, the Hostel of God, a Catholic Hospice from Clapham, was evacuated to the house for the duration of the hostilities. After the war it became the dormitory house for 24 boys with troubled backgrounds attending a special agricultural course at Haywards Heath Secondary School (Oathall Community College) on the recently established school farm. The house was then used by East Sussex County Council as their education and youth careers office for the area.

A purpose built nursery was constructed in the grounds and opened in January 1966. St Nicholas Nursery provided a home for babies and young children taken into East Sussex County Council care. The nursery closed in 1976 and was demolished, and replaced with St. Nicholas Court. Beckworth House was demolished in March 2000 to make way for the redevelopment of Lindfield Primary School.

A short distance east of today’s Lindfield urban parish boundary stands Walstead Place on land that a couple of hundred years ago was quaintly called Slatfields, Comin and Bridlate.

At the time of the Tithe Survey in the 1840s, the land was owned by a Captain Graham and subsequently sold to Thomas Rook Davis. In about 1851, Thomas Rooke Davis built the house, then called Walstead House, as his country residence and to provide a home for his two unmarried sisters, Ann aged 35 and Caroline aged 30. They had previously lived with their mother at the Manor House in the High Street which they had rented since 1839 from John Bent. Following their mother’s death in 1846, Thomas Davis wished to provide his sisters with their own home. He and his wife, Lois, lived mainly at their London house in Regent’s Park, London.

In January 1883, Thomas Rooke Davis died aged 86, and is notable for being the last person buried in the Lindfield churchyard. This was 28 years after its closure as the family had a vaulted chest tomb. The sisters continued to live at the house with Ann Harriet Davis as head of the household. An entry in the Mid Sussex Directory describes Walstead House as ‘the walled-in domain of Miss Davis’. Her death a couple of years later was marked in 1888 by the installation of a stained glass window in the South (Massets) Chapel of All Saints, Lindfield. The window by Warrington & Co of London cost £63. During her time in Walstead, she had been a good supporter of Scaynes Hill, especially the school, and left the village £200.

The property was then acquired by Henry Mordaunt Cumberlege and his wife Blanche. They had three sons, and in gratitude for their safe return from the Great War they commission a window, designed by C. E. Kempe & Co, for the South Chapel of All Saints.

The Cumberleges were prominent members of Lindfield society. During the Great War, Blanche Cumberlege played a leading role supporting the home front in the village. Henry Cumberlege was the Vicar’s Warden at All Saints for nearly 40 years. In 1935, following his death, a three light memorial window was installed in the east wall of the North Chapel of the parish church. The stained glass window designed by Geoffrey Webb has his mark of a spider and web in the lower right hand corner. A further panel was added in 1939 in memory of Blanche Cumberlege.

In recognition of service to the village, Blanche Cumberlege was given the honour of unveiling the Lindfield sign erected to commemorate George V’s and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee on 6th May 1935.

In common with many large houses, Walstead Place was requisitioned by the military during World War II. After the war, it was acquired by the County Council and converted into a residential school for 21 ‘educationally sub-normal’ boys. Subsequently the property became a privately owned retirement home.

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From horseshoes to shoes - The Old Forge

By Paul Schofield, Lindfield History Project Group

John Sharman outside the forge

The building at 2 Denmans Lane, known to many as the Old Forge, is today the home of Happy Feet Boutique children’s shoe shop. It was built in 1854 and is listed by Historic England as a Grade 2 building because of its architectural interest. The building is a classic example of a mid-Victorian village forge, hence its listing. It also reflects changes in the commercial life of Lindfield as it has been used by at least 11 trades in its 164 year old history. For most of that time it was used as a blacksmith forge.

The Batchelor family were the first to operate a blacksmith’s business from the building. Edward Batchelor, Senior, was originally from Bolney, where he was baptised in 1783. He was the head of the family and had previously lived and worked in the 1830s at the site of the present day Red Lion. He later moved and lived at a small smithy at the corner of the High Street and Denmans Lane, prior to the building where Bliss is today, before the business was relocated in 1854 to the newly built forge at 2 Denmans Lane. Sadly Edward Batchelor Snr died that year and probably did not live to see his new forge in operation. His second wife, Lucy Batchelor, with whom he had five sons, continued the business with support from Edward’s son from his first marriage, also called Edward. Edward Batchelor Snr with his first wife, Ann Stephens, had six children, three boys and three girls. She died in 1822, possibly in childbirth, aged 35 and is buried in Lindfield churchyard.

John Sharman outside the forge Maintaining the family tradition, all five sons from his second marriage also became blacksmiths working in Lindfield, Cuckfield and Chailey, with William the eldest son joining the family business. So for 27 years the forge was very much the home of the Batchelor family business. During this period Denmans Lane was known as Batchelors Lane, this name remained in use for many decades.

After Edward Batchelor’s death in 1881, the last Batchelor to work the forge, it was acquired by John Trevatt. Upon his death in 1890, the business was taken on by his wife Mary Trevatt, who is described in business directories of the time as a ‘supervisor of a blacksmith business’. This must have been quite unusual at that time. She was helped by Daniel Dovey, employed six years earlier by her husband, who continued working at the forge until 1924 and was a well known character in the village.

In 1892, Charles W. Wood took over the forge and whilst continuing as a blacksmith wheelwright and farrier, he expanded the business and occupied the shop (in the terrace that contains the Stand Up Inn) at the corner of Denmans Lane as his cycle dealership. He also sold and repaired mowing machinery, garden tools and stoves; and later advertised himself as a motor agent. Charles Wood served as a Cuckfield Rural District councillor and became quite an entrepreneur. He also had a shop on the Broadway in Haywards Heath selling motor cycles and cars. In 1905 he was running a Motor Omnibus service around Haywards Heath, Lindfield and Cuckfield as well as a service to connect the railway station to Sussex Road. His business empire further expanded in 1908 with the acquisition of another cycle business in Hurstpierpoint. Charles Wood also entered the world of property development around 1905 and with a partner built West View, although only 17 of the planned 30 houses were built.

It would seem that by 1911, Charles Wood had overstretched himself financially and following a meeting with creditors his assets were assigned or sold. The Lindfield business was sold in 1912 to his half- brother, Thomas Wood, who had previously been the manager of the Lindfield site, and continued to operate from the premises as a shoeing, general smith and cycle dealer until at least 1918. Charles Wood’s Haywards Heath and Hurstpierpoint businesses were sold to J T Hampton who had been an employee for 14 years.

By 1922 the forge was in the hands of John Sharman, who started there as an apprentice in around 1892 and remained for 60 years. For part of that time his business partner was George Fox. In 1922 they placed an advert in the Mid Sussex Times listing a range of services, giving the address as Batchelor’s Lane. As the number of horses requiring shoeing declined there was still much need for a blacksmith. John Sharman was responsible for numerous examples of wrought iron work which still exist today in Lindfield, such as the gates at a number

of properties including Old Place and at Porters on the High Street. He also fashioned the Lindfield village sign that stands on the corner of the Common, by the High Street, Backwoods Lane and Blackhill junction. This commemorates King George V’s and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee. It bears a shield of six Martlets for Sussex and a lime tree for Lindfield. It was unveiled with much ceremony by Blanche Cumberlege of Walstead Place on 6th May 1935; a day of great celebration in the village. Other examples of iron work probably fashioned by John Sharman include the sign stands for the Tiger, Bent Arms, Red Lion and a smaller one for Humphrey’s Bakery. Also John Sharman for many years served as Captain of the Lindfield Fire Brigade operated by the Parish Council from the fire station in Lewes Road.

In 1900, the blacksmiths from the forge revived the old custom of firing the anvil in celebration following the relief of Ladysmith and Mafeking in the Second Boer War. It has since been fired as part of all Royal Coronation and Bill Bartley shoeing a horse at the forge Jubilee celebrations in the village. Previously, the anvil had been fired on St Clements Day to frighten off evil spirits. Today the anvil is fired on Village Day. It involves the anvil being put upside down on the ground and the hole at the bottom being filled with gun powder. A plug is added and when the powder is lit there is a large bang!

John Sharman died in 1954 and on his retirement a couple of years earlier, the forge was taken over by George Brown, his one-time apprentice, and afterwards to Bill Bartley. George Brown continued the tradition of firing the anvil. After almost 120 years the smithy at the forge ceased trading in about 1970.

The premises’ connection with metal working continued in 1978 when it was used by Lindfield Engineering Ltd, who advertised themselves as precision engineers. It is believed they traded from the old forge until 1984, by this time the forge was very dilapidated. The adjacent wheelwright’s shop was demolished but thankfully the old forge was saved and renovated, following a campaign by the Lindfield Preservation Society.

It was next used as a TV repair workshop by Bob Lambert, as an extension of his shop on the High Street. Between 1987 and 1991, it was a children’s clothes shop called Scallywags run by Vivienne Clark. Over the next 12 years there were five different traders operated from the Old Forge at 2 Denmans Lane. Firstly a dress, hat and bridal hire shop called Beauty Salon, run by Valerie Holt. Then Green, Elliot and Crowe, opened their opticians practice before moving onto the High Street, now Lindfield Eyecare. A picture framing business followed, called Leave it to Jeeves run by Terry Jeeve, and next a florist, the Conservatory, again prior to their move to the High Street. The last trader to operate from this location prior to the current shoe shop was Lindfield Gifts and Interiors, a gift shop, which opened in 2003.

Happy Feet opened at the Old Forge in 2007 and is busy providing shoes for the children of Lindfield and beyond.

The original blacksmiths who worked at the forge could not have imagined that the building would still be standing 164 years later and that it has seen such a varied usage during that period. From shoeing horses to shoes for children!

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Lindfield Women and the Great War

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

During the nation’s four year centennial of remembrance of the Great War, much attention has rightly focused on the men who served and especially those who died for their country. As this period of reflection draws to a close it would be timely to look at the contribution
of women to the victory. The role played by Lindfield women was typical of those in rural communities across the country.

In addition to raising their children alone, the country’s future lifeblood, many women undertook vital voluntary duties, charitable works, fundraising and employment replacing men. Most importantly women played an invisible role in providing social cohesion and the moral backbone resulting in the avoidance of civil unrest despite the difficult circumstances that prevailed.

The most visible contribution by Lindfield women to the war effort was their role at the Lindfield Auxiliary Hospital located in the King Edward Hall; one of some 3,000 administered by the Red Cross. The hospital opened its doors on 3rd November 1914 and received an initial intake of 20 Belgian wounded soldiers. Under the leadership of Mrs Florence Hooper, of Firs Cottage, local women volunteers undertook much of the nursing. For example, Faith Humphrey clocked up 3,592 hours between 3rd November 1914 and 16th December 1918, giving up all her recreation and spare time to nurse in the evenings after working all day in her parent’s bakery shop. They also filled the support roles necessary to ensure the efficient running of a hospital from Statistics Clerk to cook, a role fulfilled two or three times a week by Mrs Frances Lee of Beckworth Cottages in addition to her work as a dairy woman.
As the war progressed the nationality of wounded soldiers changed from Belgian to British, and with the coming of peace the hospital closed after having treated 877 patients. With so many hospitals being established at the outbreak of war there was a shortage of pillows, and a countrywide appeal to poultry keepers for feathers was made. Mrs Prideaux of Spring Cottage volunteered as the local collector and received over three hundredweight (about 150 kilos) by the end of September 1914.

Also hospitals across the country and overseas were in desperate need of surgical supplies such as bandages and slings plus clothing for the wounded. In August 1914, the Red Cross appealed for women to help meet this need. Mrs Dudley Sampson of Buxshalls rallied the women of Lindfield and arranged for work to be given out twice a week and established a productive working centre. In October 1915 this became the Lindfield War Hospital Sub-Supply Depot.
The Depot, under the chairmanship of Mrs Blanche Cumberlege of Walstead Place, had a work room at Old Place. During the first six months over 400 items were produced, ranging from vests, pyjamas and limb pillows to casualty bags. The materials for these items were purchased with money given by the women themselves and residents or from fundraising events.

As voluntary work became increasingly important, in late 1915 a national network of organisations approved by the War Office was set up to coordinate the making of supplies, enabling women to make a structured contribution to the war effort. The Mid Sussex Volunteer Work Association was formed, with 12 depots in local towns and villages, resulting in the Lindfield Voluntary Work Organisation (LVWO) being formed as a registered charity. Its depot was opened at the Bent Arms on 12th January 1916, with Mrs Cumberlege in charge and Miss Masters as secretary. Shortly after, the Hospital Supply Depot amalgamated with the new organisation and Mrs Sturdy provided this enlarged operation with a base and workrooms at Fardels in the High Street. Local women undertook work there three days a week; it was also the hub for homeworkers.

Items were made to order using specifications and patterns provided by the national organisation. Later in the war, LVWO specialised in surgical dressings. Some included sphagnum moss collected from local woods. The moss was mildly antiseptic and could help dry a wound. Over 2,000 dressings and many garments were made each month until February 1919. Many Lindfield women undertook this vital work and received the Government’s Voluntary Works Badge. Despite the importance of such work, funds for the purchase of materials had to be raised by the women either through requesting donations or organising fundraising events. They became one of the largest fundraisers in the village. Events organised ranged from musical and dramatic entertainments and grand fetes held at the major houses to whist drives in the Reading Room and jumble sales at the Bent Arms.

Britain’s unpreparedness to support a lengthy major war can also be seen in the constant need for charitable assistance to provide money and goods for the war effort. Socially active ladies rallied to the calls and ‘did their bit’. Hardly a week passed without an appeal, ranging from flag days to cricket bats for soldiers on the Western Front or funds for Christmas puddings and presents. A few specific examples are:

In September 1914, Mrs Lambert and Mrs Knowles responded to a call from the Royal Sussex Regiment at Shoreham and collected 150 blankets from Lindfield residents in a matter of days.

Mrs Eycott-Martin, the Misses Catt and Mrs Twiss sought subscriptions and help in making sand bags for the front in June 1915. After seven weeks £14 19s 6d and 500 sand bags were dispatched.

Mrs Prideaux organised a collection of cut throat razors for soldiers, with 427 being collected in six months during 1915.

A whist drive in August 1916 organised by Mrs Howden at Criplands Court on behalf of the British Prisoners of War Fund raised £111.

Throughout the war, Mrs Strachan Davidson was involved in collecting money for the RSPCA to assist the Army Veterinary Corps provide care for wounded and sick horses and mules in France. Perhaps the highlight of the ladies’ fundraising was their involvement in the annual Red Cross ‘Our Day’ which comprised a week long programme of social and community events raising considerable sums of money.

Lindfield Women’s Institute was established in June 1917 and quickly gained a large membership. Activities included instruction in cooking, food economy, growing food crops, sewing and renovating old clothes, cobbling, health issues and making soft toys to replace previously imported toys.

The Mid Sussex Times in fulfilling its patriotic duty, and mindful of censorship, regularly reported the good news of women’s contribution. For example in November 1917 it reported ‘no matter to which social class they belong they (Lindfield women) readily give according to their means whenever an appeal goes forth for a worthy cause’. Rarely was any comment made regarding the most important contribution by all women across the country, especially the poor. Their stoic acceptance of hardship with fortitude and resourcefulness helped maintain the social cohesion so essential to the nation’s ability to continue the fight. Widespread civil unrest could have resulted in our surrender.

Lindfield women, with their menfolk away fighting, had to endure the constant fear of receiving bad news. Holding the family together and caring for their children added to this anxiety, especially for those women in the lower classes living in poor housing and being solely reliant on the Government’s Separation Allowance. This Allowance often did not cover family needs. Rising prices and shortages of food and coal made life difficult. During a Parish Council debate on food shortages and the need for restraint by villagers, a Councillor commented that ‘many of them existed on bread and a scrape of margarine and a dab of jam’.

Their continuing patriotic support received little recognition. However, at the Lindfield Welcome Home dinner Major Willett in his speech paying tribute to their ‘womenfolk at home’ said: ‘There was a saying: Keep the home fires burning. The women had done that and more than that. It had been simply splendid the way women had carried on throughout the war’.

Tributes should also be paid to the few Lindfield women who signed up with the military or undertook duties abroad. Particularly worthy of mention are Minnie Anscombe who served with the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service in Mesopotamia and India. Likewise, Ruby Wearn undertook arduous and courageous nursing duties abroad with the French Flag Nursing Corps and the Scottish Women’s Hospital. Perhaps a separate article is required!

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After The Great War in Lindfield

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

Welcome Home parade arriving at Kind Edward Hall

Today we have grown used to receiving news as it happens 24 hours a day, whereas one hundred years ago newspapers were the almost universal means for the public to receive news.

News of the Armistice on 11th November 1918 bringing to an end the fighting took time to spread and was not widely received until the following day. People needed to read it to believe it was true. There was a joyous but muted reaction in Lindfield and across Mid Sussex, with no organised public celebratory events.

The Mid Sussex Times reported that ‘During the past week the inhabitants of Mid Sussex have been in high spirits because of the cessation of hostilities. Joyous peals have been rung upon the church bells. Cottagers have displayed from their humble homes such flags as they could get hold of, bonfires have been lighted, and rich and poor have mingled together in the Services of Thanksgiving.’

Some took high spirits further than others. Ellen Baxter, from Horsted Keynes whose husband was serving in France, was brought before Haywards Heath magistrates. She had been celebrating with friends in Lindfield, and was found drunk and incapable beside the road at Town Hill, Lindfield on 12th November. Police enquiries failed to find out where in Lindfield she had been served her drinks. Mrs Baxter was fined five shillings.

Within weeks of the Armistice, thought was being given to a memorial for the fallen and welcome celebrations for the returning service men. Lindfield received praise from the Mid Sussex Times for being first to start planning a welcome home event. Following a well-attended meeting in the Reading Room, a committee of twenty was formed and a fund for donations opened in early January 1919; this received a Welcome Home parade arriving at King Edward Hall generous response. The date set for the Welcome Home Day was 28th May 1919, as it had been expected most servicemen would have returned by then. However, many were still to be demobilised which continued into 1920.

Shops and houses were decorated with flags, bunting and banners in readiness for the celebrations. These started at 5pm with a Service of Thanksgiving in All Saints Church. Afterwards, the men formed up behind the Ardingly Band and to the tune ‘Sons of the Brave’ marched down the High Street accompanied by their families and watched by a large crowd. Outside King Edward Hall, the crowd cheered the men into the Hall.

Following a warm welcome by the committee, about 140 men sat down in King Edward Hall to a ‘capital spread’.

The menu was:

Roast Beef
Hams
Tongues
Steak & Kidney Pies
Veal & Ham Pies
Braised Beef
French Salads, Tomato Salads, Potatoes

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Blancmanges
Strawberry Creams
Lemon Jellies
Fruit Salad

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Cheese & Oliver Biscuits

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Ale, Lemonade, Ginger Beer, Coffee
Cigars & Cigarettes

The meal was followed by speeches of thanks and toasts from the top table. After the formalities, the men were treated to musical entertainments and a ‘sleight of hand’ show. The evening closed with the National Anthem and Auld Lang Syne.
The Welcome Home Committee also arranged for demobilised men to receive complimentary membership of the Lindfield Club for 1919. From the funds donated there was a surplus of £55 and this was used to start the War Memorial Fund.

The Great War did not officially end until the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919. The government decreed Saturday 19th July 1919 as Peace Day and called for towns and villages across the country to organise events to celebrate the war’s end. Again generously funded by voluntary subscriptions, the Lindfield Peace Day featured a full programme of events:

10am Service at All Saints Church
10.30am Decorated cycle parade in fancy dress down the High Street
11am Cricket match on the Common; Cricket Club Captain’s Team v Wednesday Captain’s Team. Tennis and bowls matches were also played.
2pm Children’s sports on the Common followed by tea in the Reading Room
4pm Adults’ tea buffet in King Edward Hall 5pm Adult sports on the Common and aquatic events on the Pond
7pm A dance in King Edward Hall
9.30pm Illuminations around the Pond
10pm Fireworks and bonfire on the Common

View fullsize

A Victory Ball was also held in the King Edward Hall on Wednesday 23rd July 1919 with some 90 people attending, many in fancy dress. The dancing continued into the early hours.

After four years of sacrifice and hardship, the coming of peace brought many social issues, including an expectation throughout the country that returning servicemen should live in a land fit for heroes. In January 1919, with men starting to return, the Cuckfield Rural District Council asked Parish Councils about additional housing requirements for the working classes. The need for new low rent houses was discussed at length by Lindfield Parish Council. It was also considered Welcome Home parade in the High Street by the Lindfield Women’s Institute, whose members were concerned by the lack of workers’ houses and the insanitary conditions prevailing in many existing properties. This was emphasised by some ex- servicemen’s call for the village war memorial to take the form of public bath facilities.

The Women’s Institute advised the Lindfield Parish Council that many modern cottages were needed in the village. However, after much deliberation, regarding rents and costs, the Parish Council advised the District Council that only 10 or 12 new worker’s houses were needed. Less than half these numbers were built.

On a lighter note, the Parish Council asked the War Office about the availability of war trophies and was told to contact the Lord Lieutenant of Sussex. At the September 1919 Council meeting, the Chairman reported the Lord Lieutenant had advised twelve rifles would be available. ‘It is not what we hoped to receive’, commented the Chairman, with another Councillor suggesting ‘the centre of Bents Wood would be a good place to put them or they might dispose of them at a jumble sale’. However, it was resolved to accept the rifles. Clearly, the Parish Council were disappointed, as it is thought they were hoping to receive an artillery gun! What happened to the rifles is not known.

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Lindfield’s village War Memorial

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

November 2018 marks one hundred years since the signing of the Armistice brought to an end the fighting in the Great War. Lindfield Life, in the Lest We Forget column, has been listing the men and sons of Lindfield who died as a result of the war. Their names are recorded for all time on the memorials in the churchyard and south transept of All Saints church.

As we remember them, it is timely to look at the Village War Memorial in the churchyard and its dedication in November 1922. Initial thoughts on a memorial for the village, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by local men, were first expressed in early 1919. However, it was not until 1920, following formation of a War Memorial Committee by the Parish Council, that discussions started in earnest. Over numerous meetings the Committee considered various suggestions to be funded by public subscription, including a monument, public bath facilities, housing for ex-servicemen, endowed beds at Haywards Heath Cottage Hospital and a scholarship fund for village children. After protracted discussions agreement was eventually reached on a stone monument as this would be a lasting tribute where flowers could be placed by relatives.

Various sites were considered, including in the middle of the High Street at the junction with Lewes Road. A site on the Common at the southern approach to the village became much favoured, although there were concerns about possible damage. At a meeting of subscribers held in August 1921, All Saints churchyard was unanimously decided upon as the preferred site. The Committee commissioned Ninian Comper (knighted in the 1950s) to design the monument, and he visited the churchyard producing a design to specifically address the location and space available. The chosen position was in the west boundary wall, which would ensure the memorial could be seen by passers-by in the High Street and all entering All Saints church.

Sir John Ninian Comper (1864-1960) is regarded as the greatest British church architect of the 20th century and one of the last great gothic revival architects. Noted for his churches, their furnishings and stained glass, he attended Ruskin School of Art at Oxford. Afterwards he worked as an assistant to Charles Eamer Kempe, the renowned stained glass artist and church decorator, before being articled to Frederick Bodley. Then he joined Thomas Garner and later went into partnership with William Bucknall.

After the Great War, Ninian Comper received a number of commissions for war memorials, the most notable being the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff. Crosses with Calvary or lantern heads were his favoured designs for monuments in town and villages. The War Memorial Committee is thought to have chosen Comper due to his connection with Charles Eamer Kempe, whose country house had been at Lindfield. It was now occupied by his nephew, Walter Tower, a prominent member of the War Memorial Committee; and, as the owner of C E Kempe & Co, he probably knew Ninian Comper.

Calvary Cross

The estimate for the Calvary cross design chosen by the Committee was £328 plus £37 extra for inscribing the names, totalling £365 excluding architects fees. The sum subscribed to the fund by villagers stood at £425.

Comper worked in collaboration with William Drinkwater Gough (c1861-1937), a well respected mason and sculptor based in Kennington, south London, and the making of the Lindfield cross is attributed to Gough. Facing west on to the High Street, the memorial takes the form of a churchyard cross built into the churchyard boundary wall. Made in Clipsham stone from Rutland, the tapering octagonal column ascends some 20 feet to a cross. The column stands on four classic scrolls mounted on a square plinth set at an angle into the boundary wall.
At the head of the column is a cross, upon the west side is the Calvary with the elaborately sculptured figures of Christ crucified and standing on a ledge beside Christ are John, his beloved disciple, and Mary Magdalene. At the top of the cross is a scroll bearing the letters INRI standing for ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews’; being the sign placed over Christ’s head during the Crucifixion. In the centre of the ledge beneath the feet of Christ is a shield with stylised Greek letters for alpha and omega with a pattee cross; a device for naming the figure on the cross as Christ the Redeemer, as in ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end’ (Revelation 1:8). Upon the reverse of the cross, facing east, is the figure of the Madonna with the Divine Child. Centrally on the ledge is a shield inscribed with the letters IHS. The letters are recognised as having a number of meanings relating to Jesus, the most fitting being ‘in this cross is salvation’.

Engraved on the left side of the inward facing base is ‘1914’ and below the inscription ‘CHRIST DIED FOR ALL MEN’ and on the right ‘1918’ and ‘THESE FOR THEIR COUNTRY’. On either side of the base are stones set into the wall on which are inscribed the 61 names of the fallen in alphabetical order without rank. On Sunday 12th November 1922 almost 100 ex- service men assembled on the Common and marched to All Saints church, headed by the Lindfield Boy Scouts’ Drum and Bugle band, for the Dedication Service. Lining the roadway outside the church were the Lindfield Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs, Lindfield Girl Guides and Scaynes Hill Girl Guides. In addition to the ex-service men, the congregation included relatives of the fallen, members of the Parish Council, the Voluntary Aid Detachment and War Memorial Committee.

After the service, which included the recital of the names of the men who died, the congregation was led to the memorial behind the processional cross borne by Jesse Newnham Jnr. Three of his brothers had been killed in the war. A large crowd had gathered awaiting the dedication. The Bishop of Lewes pulled away the flag covering the names and read the prayers of dedication followed by a well-received address.

This was followed by John Arkwright’s hymn ‘The Supreme Sacrifice’, the bugle calls ‘Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’, a minute’s silence, the laying of wreaths and the National Anthem. Mr Stevens, chairman of War Memorial Committee, then handed over the memorial to the village with the words: ‘On behalf of the subscribers to this memorial, I hereby deliver it to the village of Lindfield, to be tended and cared for through all generations’. Afterwards, the ex-service men were entertained to tea in The Tiger.

The generation that suffered so much loss and hardship gave Lindfield a memorial worthy of their sacrifice and for the remembrance of their fallen. It is our duty to ensure that those who died are remembered and their memorial is cared for and protected for the future.

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Lindfield’s River Ouse and Deans Mill - Part 1

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

When did you last stand on Lindfield Bridge and look at the river? It is quite easy when driving from Lindfield towards Ardingly not to notice you cross a bridge over the Ouse, as only the briefest glimpse of the river is possible. The dark, slow flowing water passes through private land with no public access, perhaps making it Lindfield’s hidden and forgotten river.

The Ouse is 33 miles long and flows south in a gentle curve. Starting as a trickle near Lower Beeding it gains strength from a spring at Slaugham, and further small tributaries join as it journeys towards Upper Rylands Bridge (by the Balcombe viaduct). By the time it flows
to the north of Lindfield it has grown into a river. The Scrase Stream that meanders through Lindfield joins beyond East Mascalls. The Ouse continues on its curving journey passing through Lewes and onward to the sea. Until medieval times it entered the sea at Seaford, but, due to silting up, the mouth became inaccessible to the larger ships being built at that time. In 1539 a man-made cut was made to take the river directly to the sea, with the new exit being named Newhaven, allowing ships to access Lewes. From Lewes to the sea the river was known as ‘The Great River of Lewes’ then pronounced Looze, from which the name Ouse is derived. The river upstream from Lewes was known as the Middewinde (various spellings) meaning middle. The last evidence for this name being formally in use was some hundred years ago when Midwyn Bridge was renamed Lindfield Bridge. The current bridge dates from 1938.

Throughout history the river has been a route for small craft to journey into the heart of mid Sussex. Thomas Pelham of Stanmer Park, MP for Sussex, arranged in 1787, at the height of canal mania, for William Jessop to undertake a survey to see if the river could be made avigable for barges from Lewes to Slaugham. Jessop’s report suggested the river be ‘canalised’, that is straightened, widened and deepened, from Lewes to Pilstye Bridge (on the Cuckfield- Balcombe road). The estimated cost was £13,595. The Upper Ouse Navigation Act passed through Parliament in 1790, creating The Company of Proprietors of the River Ouse. A contract for construction at the cost of £15,199 was signed and work started with a completion date scheduled for May 1792. Work did not go to plan and the builders were replaced in 1802. It was not until 1809 that 30 tonne barges, measuring 50ft long, could reach Pim’s Lock at Lindfield. From the passing of the Act, it had taken 19 years to complete 19 miles with 15 locks. The decision was then made to terminate the navigation at Upper Rylands Bridge (the hump back bridge by the Balcombe viaduct). This final section opened on 22nd April 1812, required four locks and a small basin for the barges to turn in, which has long been filled in, but the wharf cottages remain to this day.

The total cost was massively more than the original estimates. Tolls never reached the expected levels and, to make matters worse, the clerk responsible for managing the toll money was accused of misappropriating the money over a ten year period.

The main cargos were wood, chalk, marle and coal, charged by the tonne per mile. Trade gradually improved and in the 1830s the canal company secured a contract from the London Brighton & South Coast Railway to transport the building materials to build the viaduct
at Balcombe. The coming of the railways signalled the terminal decline of the Ouse Navigation and the company closed in 1859.

A trade reliant on the river that lasted significantly longer was milling, with many mills being built on the river above Lewes. From the eighth century, land in and around Lindfield was controlled by the Canons of South Malling, with their Dean holding the land adjacent to today’s Lindfield Bridge. A short distance downstream, the Dean was responsible for building a water powered mill on the banks of the river, hence the name Dean’s Mill. A mill has existed on this site for over a thousand years. After the dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII in the mid-1500s the mill passed into secular ownership. Following changing owners several times, it was acquired in the 1700s by the Pim family and a new mill was built in 1761. For a time their mill was both a corn and paper mill with both trades continuing to about 1850 when paper making ceased.

By 1858 the Pim family had left, and the mill was next occupied by Robert Jenner and his son, Samuel. In 1880 a new mill, which stands to this day, had to be built as the Pim’s mill building was virtually destroyed by a severe storm. The milling continued, with a succession of millers, until around 1930.

Dean’s Mill was bought by Mr and Mrs Horsfield in 1935 and milling recommenced, and, with a change in ownership in 1957, production of stoneground flour continued until 1976 when all milling ceased. The mill is now a private residence.

Shortly after acquiring the mill, Mr Horsfield diversified the business by converting the Elizabethan barn that stood in the grounds into a tea room and constructed a narrow gauge railway, Dean’s Mill Railway, as a visitor attraction. The railway opened in 1937 and comprised some three hundred yards of track with cuttings, a short tunnel and station platform. Passengers travelled in an open carriage fitted with rows of bench seats, initially pulled by a small steam tank locomotive but this was soon replaced. Service was suspended during the war and recommenced with a petrol powered locomotive. The railway remained popular until its closure in 1957 following the mill’s change in ownership. A Lindfield Life reader, Ron Batchelor, fondly remembers ‘it was a real treat to be taken by my parents on a Sunday afternoon to Dean’s Mill for a ride on the little railway with tea afterwards’. A memory no doubt shared by many youngsters in the decade after the war.

Find Part 2 of Down by the River here.

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Lindfield’s River Ouse, Deans Mill - Part 2

Part 1 can be found here

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

Last month’s article (found in Lindfield History Articles December 2018) looked at the River Ouse and Deans Mill, this month’s explores more nearby features along the river.

Did you know Lindfield has a castle? If Historic England’s Monuments Schedule is to be believed, on the northern bank some 500m downstream from Lindfield Bridge, on strictly private land, stand the remains of earth works described as a motte and bailey, dating to Norman times. Named Lindfield Castle it is also marked on Ordnance Survey maps as a motte and bailey, although all that remains today are a series of bumps covered by bushes and trees. Historic England’s record says the motte at the centre measures about 40m across and stands some 1.5m high. This was surrounded by a broad moat which joined to the river through gaps in the outer earthworks. North-west of the motte is a crescent shaped bailey 45m long. Outside a ditch linked to a stream entirely surrounded the castle. Such defensive structures were constructed in towns and on open land. The listing describes its position as ‘strong yet strategic location for policing of traffic crossing the Ouse’. However their papers do indicate an element of doubt as to its origin and suggest it might have been a system of fish ponds. This is plausible as in 1175 a nunnery was established somewhere close to the castle site. Fish ponds were a feature of religious houses in medieval times. Another suggestion is the remains of a moated farmhouse.

Interestingly, on the 1845 Tithe Map, the earthworks are labelled ‘site of a priory’. The adjoining two fields carried the names Nunnery Pond and Nunnery Plot, while standing close by is a wood which to this day is called Nunnery Wood. This small nunnery was no doubt closed on the orders of Henry VIII and quickly became a ruin. Since that time all traces of the stonework have disappeared.

As an aside, hanging on the wall in the Library Room, King Edward Hall is a copy 1840s map. Although difficult to see, in the top right hand corner is a small drawing that purports to show ‘The Ruins of Lindfield Nunnery as they appeared in 1601’ with a pond in the foreground. Without an archaeological survey the precise location of the nunnery and the true origin of the earthworks will remain undiscovered, but it is pleasing to think Lindfield might have had a Norman castle. A fact beyond doubt is that the Ouse did have an important strategic defensive role during World War Two. Early in the war, in the event of a German invasion breaching the Sussex coastal defences, ‘stop lines’ were created along natural features to halt or at least slow any advance. One of the most important lines ran west to east along the Rivers Arun and Ouse with an anti-tank ditch joining them between Handcross and Slaugham.

The northern riverbank at Lindfield was revetted with vertical tree trunks making it difficult for tanks to mount the bank, so forcing them towards Lindfield Bridge which was heavily defended with anti-tank blocks, barbed wire and a pillbox. It was the responsibility of the Lindfield Home Guard to man this Type 28 pillbox, which still exists today just north of the bridge. There were similar defensive positions at the other local bridges. Home Guard member Sid Cross recounted several years ago being equipped with a Lee Enfield rifle and ten rounds of ammunition and told ‘that was enough to kill 12 of the enemy – ten with bullets, one with the bayonet and the last with the rifle butt’. An anti-tank gun was not received until later in the war. Thankfully, the invasion threat soon receded! A short distance along the road is the southern entrance to Paxhill, which during the war was a Canadian Army camp.

There were similar invasion fears in the mid-19th century arising from the French, resulting in the Sussex Rifle Volunteer Corps being formed to defend the county. It was essential for these part-time soldiers to be able to shoot accurately. For 25 years, the men of the Lindfield unit had ‘been subjected to the inconvenience of having to walk to Cuckfield for target practice’. To correct this unsatisfactory situation, Colonel Dudley Sampson, the owner of Buxshalls, made land available upstream of Lindfield Bridge for use as a firing range. In August 1886, the 300 yard range was opened with much ceremony and a mock battle defending a nearby foot bridge. Two years later the range was extended to 600 yards and it was hoped this facility would encourage more Lindfield men to join the volunteers.

A more peaceful pursuit, also on Buxshalls Estate’s land, was established about 200m upstream from Lindfield Bridge, when in May 1906 the Lindfield Swimming Club was formed. Colonel Dudley Sampson agreed to grant the club permission to use a section of his riverbank, provided everything was conducted in a proper manner and all non-costumed bathers treated as trespassers. Accordingly, club rules were established, and approved by the Colonel, prohibiting card playing, gambling and other improper conduct and requiring all bathers to wear full ‘University costumes’ in the club’s colour of navy blue. From the annual subscription rates it would appear membership was initially only open to men and boys.

The bathing place, as it was known, was soon set up with a changing hut and the land fenced off. Arrangements were made with the miller at Dean’s Mill to shut the sluice gates during Friday evenings to allow water to build up for the weekend. This allowed members to dive from low boards.

The club thrived, women were permitted to join and facilities constantly improved including men’s and women’s changing huts; a newspaper report also mentions a ‘clubhouse’. In 1924 the club had 229 members made up of 156 gentlemen and 73 ladies. It was decided to construct a new diving stage spanning the river, with platforms at 6ft, 10ft, 14ft and 18ft, and room ‘for ten persons to dive off the stage at once’. Permission was given to deepen the centre of the river to allow safe diving from the new higher top platform. Arrangements to blast the riverbed were duly made!

Swimming galas and diving competitions were regularly arranged for members and matches against other local clubs, with cups and medals duly awarded. The bathing place provided much enjoyment for villagers and many children learnt to swim and dive in the river. Sadly the facility was closed in 1938 due to a polio scare in Lindfield.

On this section of the Ouse, historic records for the 1500s and 1600s suggest a fulling mill stood, unfortunately little information is available, although its one time existence appears to be reflected in the names of the nearby farm and derelict river lock. Finally, adjacent to Lindfield Bridge, for many years during the 19th century, was a wharf, mainly for coal carried up the river from Lewes. The facility to transport coal in bulk by barge allowed Lindfield residents to enjoy cheaper coal and increased its usage in the village.

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