& District Preservation Society Reg. Charity No: 1102573 NEWSLETTER Chairman: Bob Bonnett, Tudor Views, Ringles Cross, Uckfield TN22 1HB Tel. 01825 762341 General Secretary: Adrian Pearce, The Spinney, Blackboys TN22 5HD Tel. 01825 890268 e-mail: [email protected]

Volume 14 Issue 1 February 2005

Chairman’s Address Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre

New Year is a time when we look back at the past and The autumn has been busy trying to put together the forward to the next year. I recently had a look at the Society's pieces of the jigsaw that is becoming the Renovation Project. newsletters for 1969 and 1970 to see how we might have This is now going ahead as one of the projects identified in the changed during this 35-year period. I am very pleased to report Uckfield Regeneration Partnership Action Plan which has in that we haven't. We have grown significantly in most areas, but turn resulted from the Town Health Check. UDPS is continuing the ideals then to preserve and record our local history are to lead the project and the Regeneration Partnership has access maintained today. Here are three examples: - to useful funds and contacts. The Town and District Councils In 1969 we arranged a monthly walk around the Uckfield are also Partnership members and this forum is proving to be area. In 2005 we are publishing a new book detailing all the worthwhile. local footpaths. A meeting was held with the Regional Development In 1970 a survey of all the windpumps in and around the Manager of Heritage Lottery who was extremely helpful and area was made. During 2005/6 an ambitious survey is being identified a bid application route to follow from the many carried out to photograph and record all sites related to the available. We have also agreed timescales for an application manufacturing industries, including workshops, educational and and the preparatory reports and design work required before medical establishments in Uckfield as part of the such an application can be made. Industrial Archaeology Society's initiative to record all A major preparatory item is the architect's design scheme industrial buildings in the whole of Sussex. In addition we are which will allow us to go to tender for the building works to get extending this survey to include other historical buildings for an accurate figure to put in our lottery bid. At present we are the Town Council and our own records. making grant applications to various funding bodies to raise the In 1970 the Society was seeking financial help to restore funds to employ the architect. We shall have to contribute at Nutley Windmill. Now it is the turn of Bridge Cottage. In 2005, least 10% of the renovation costs ourselves as Heritage Lottery I believe, the pivotal point will be reached to turn Bridge will fund a maximum of 90% and often less. If we follow Cottage into a proper working Heritage Centre. correct procedures then the cost of the architect can be counted With four active sub-committees, investigating, as the majority of our 10% contribution but we have to be monitoring, surveying, recording, advising, informing, careful to do things by the book. preserving and protecting all aspects of our local history and The next item on the agenda is to work with the Town way of life, the Society has grown more than envisaged by Council on preparing the proposed 20 years lease on Bridge those who worked so hard to form it. Cottage which is another requirement for Lottery Funding and The area in which we have not done so well is must be finalised before our lottery application is made in mid membership. In 1969 there were over 60 more members than 2005 today. It should be remembered that the population of Uckfield Adrian Pearce has grown during this time. May I, therefore, ask all members to persuade neighbours and friends to join the Society. It is not only to swell our coffers, very important when trying to obtain Nutley Windmill grants for Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre, but numbers help add weight when making representations to local councils and Over the winter months only general maintenance is statutory bodies. carried out at the mill. A sailcloth from one of the common On a totally different subject, access. I wrote some time sails has been sent off for repairs and we hope it will be back ago how fortunate we are to have so much land around for this year's open days. Uckfield in which to walk. It appears that the new owners of The Wednesday workday has been moved to Thursday to one area, Park, do not like local walkers, although in a make it more convenient for some of our members who are recent Sussex Life Magazine they write to the contrary. Barbed unable to attend on the Wednesdays. It is expected to revert wire fencing has been put up along the footpaths that pass back when our open days restart though the land. I understand that a deer was reported as being Robert Pike badly injured. Whether this was a coincidence I do not know. To me it's sad that when the Government is promoting a more Sussex Mills Group open countryside, some landowners are trying to do the Visit to Hempstead Watermill opposite. And Meeting at Bridge Cottage Finally, and most importantly, may I wish everyone a Very Happy and Healthy New Year. Members of the Sussex Mills Group visited Hempstead Bob Bonnett

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Watermill on Sunday afternoon 10th October, prior to a meeting respect to conservation of our older buildings and natural at Bridge Cottage. On arrival, members met Bob Bonnett, who environment, please let me or any UDPS committee member organised the visit, and Adrian Kilby, the owner. As with know. previous visits organised by Bob for the Group, we were given Ted Hardy an information sheet which provided a history of Hempstead Mill as well as two photographs of the outside of the mill and a Outing to Lindfield description of Uckfield Watermill, located near Bridge Cottage. (22 August) Details of Uckfield Watermill were provided for members who wished to visit this mill after the meeting. During a period of over two hours, our amiable guide, Members were free to view Hempstead Mill and inspect Richard Bryant, took us on a comprehensive tour of the High the internal machinery that remains on the four floors of the Street area plus a walk beyond the Pond. Particularly mill. The first known reference to a mill on the site was in noteworthy buildings were the parish church, Thatched Cottage 1543. The mill is not shown on Budgen's large scale map of and Old Place (the 15th and 16th century residences of the 1723, but it is recorded in the Buxted Parish Registers as a Chaloners), Lindfield House (early 18th century), the Bower fulling mill, although corn milling and cotton manufacturing House (the medieval rectory), Humphreys (c. 1350 and a took place at some time during its working life. The main part bakery since 1796), a former candle factory, William Allen (of of the oil dressing process, which made hides or skins into Allen and Hanburys’)’s early 19th century school building and leather, also took place in the fulling mill. The most popular use cottages, Malling Priory (once the home of John Bent the of this leather was for making jerkins. On entering the mill on brewer) and many others. We were also given interesting the ground floor, members were able to see the large undershot details of the history of this ancient market settlement, waterwheel within the building, together with the pit wheel and including its connections with the original Malling Priory from wallower connected to the upright shaft passing through the the 8th century and its position on a London- stage first floor. Here on the first floor three bedstones could be seen, coach route. When the toll gates outside the (still standing) Toll but there was no sign of any runner stones. Also on this floor House were removed in 1884, they were burnt in the street there was very little milling machinery, but there was an amid much celebration. interesting exhibition of World War aircraft items ranging from Peter Ferguson RAF uniforms on shop dummies to various articles associated with this period of our history. Parts of the exhibition were also seen on other floors which were of interest to some of our Simon Wright's "Edwardian Uckfield" members, especially Air Marshal Sir Frederick Sowery, (Script read by Sally Pearce - 1 October) President of SIAS, who found a reference to his father in the exhibition records. On the fourth floor at the top of the mill At the parochial school, Albert Richards succeeded various grain bins could be seen. After this very interesting William Rollison in 1895. Mr Richards was expected to teach visit, members then made their way to Bridge Cottage for the the top three classes plus half the youngest class. Adverse afternoon meeting. weather affected attendance, also epidemics such as diptheria at Peter Hill, Chairman of the Sussex Mills Group, the Workhouse. Apart from the Grammar School (Headmaster J welcomed members and members of the Uckfield & District Montgomery), vocational education was provided at the Preservation Society to the meeting. There was also a Agricultural College (founded 1894), with experimental work representative from Cranbrook Watermill. After a general carried on at College Farm, Little Horsted. At Crockstead Farm discussion on mill related items, contributions were made by Framfield and other farms chicken fattening was used to various members, starting with Bob Bonnett presenting slides prepare over a million fowls each year for the London market. of sections of Budgen's Sussex map of 1723. A detailed study Local hops were used in the town's breweries and the beer of this map was made as Bob highlighted all the mills that were delivered by steam powered lorries to public houses such as the shown. Small sections of the map were shown on the screen New Inn Ridgewood. and each section discussed, moving from west to east. Holy Cross Parish Church (rebuilt 1840) had undergone Subsequent contributions were made by Don Cox, Peter Hill, alterations fifty years later. By then the new Rectory in Lawrence Stevens, Robin Jones, Brian Pike, Philip Hicks, John Belmont Lane had been built for Edward Sanderson (Rector Pelling and Michael Chapman. The meeting finished at 5 45 1880-1920). Brookes's organ had been installed in 1892. James p.m. Hart was bellringer and captain from 1902 to 1947 and Alfred Robin Jones Pierpoint one of his team. St Saviours Church, Framfield Road (Editor, Sussex Mills Group Newsletter) (built 1904) was a corrugated structure. During a downpour "we couldn't hear a damn thing". Nonconformist places of Planning & Environment worship included Five Ash Down Independent Chapel, New Town Congregational Church, the Methodist Mission Hall in A meeting of the P & E sub-committee was held during Framfield Road (built 1897) and the Foresters' Hall, used by the third week of January. traditional Baptists. Uckfield Catholics had moved from Items discussed were: The signs recently fixed to the Ringles Cross to a site in Church Street, replaced by a brick Bridge Cottage annexe, the 400 new houses to be built in church in 1914. Uckfield, Olives Yard, local surveys of Historic Buildings, Turning to transport, we saw slides of the disaster in July possible Residential Care Home in Grange Road and the new 1903 when a traction engine drawing two empty trucks Doctors’ Surgery. travelling southwards crashed into the River Uck, the bridge's If any of our members have information or queries supports having given way. The driver and one mate escaped concerning local planning or environment, particularly with serious injury, but the other mate suffered a damaged leg. Dr

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Sweet quickly treated the men. The bridge had been replaced Sussex Cures and Customs by 1904. Early motor cars were Jack Thorne's solid tyred (Brion Purdey - 3 December) Thornycroft and Dr Sweet's 1905 Humber, together with Charles Catt's Nutley horse 'bus and the town's fire engine Brion Purdey's talk imparted just some of the large manned by Luther Martin's valiant crew. For the really daring collection of information he has gathered covering cures, there were aeroplanes such as the Bristol biplane which customs and anecdotes which are mostly exclusive to Sussex. damaged a wing when landing at the Victoria Pleasure Ground His talk was well laced with humour. to assist its grounded partner in July 1911. The damage was Many customs and notions which had become established speedily repaired by Messrs Brown and Lockyer (tailors) and a were still well entrenched by the mid-19th century because of carpenter (Aaron Horscroft). Opportunities to dress up occurred the difficulties of travelling out of Sussex, which lasted until regularly, such as May Day 1906 and the Coronation of George the coming of the railways. So the Sussex folk of 200 years ago V and Mary in 1911. and earlier - the ancestors of many of the audience - had lots of Simon’s talk concluded with slides of pre-1914 military th firm prejudices and notions. Examples were formations, including the drums and bugles of the 5 Battalion, - If one heard one's marriage banns read the first child would be Royal Sussex Regiment and members of F Company outside deaf. the Drill Hall in 1913. How many of them survived the next - A person dying on a mattress stuffed with game feathers five years? would have a lingering death . Peter Ferguson - If a swarm of bees landed on something dead rather than something living, the daughters of a household would not Sussex Industrial History marry. (Geoff Mead - 5 November) - If your left hand itched you would have to pay out money and if your right hand itched you would receive money. Some ideas were obviously based on sound sense, such as In prehistoric times the mining, manufacture and st distribution of flint weapons and implements became closing windows on 1 March to keep a house free of fleas. established in Sussex. At Cissbury antler picks were used to Early March was traditionally the time for sowing oats and that extract flints from underground seams. The Romans built forts is known to stir up fleas. such as Pevensey Castle using layers of their own bricks Also, we can now see that some cures such as rubbing between the flints to allow the stones to breathe. In the 15th mildew from a fence onto a cut or wound were based on sound century glassmaking in the Weald was overtaken by the iron medical practice. The mildew would often contain penicillin. industry when bloomeries gave way to blast furnaces. By the The efficacy of other cures appears doubtful to us now. 16th century hops were being grown in Sussex. In the 19th These included century leisure became an important industry. Brighton's West - Use melted adder fat to cure deafness (from Uckfield). Pier was brought from Shoreham in sections and bolted - To cure a child with whooping cough, pass it under a piebald together. Large hotels were built for the tourist industry, and horse. extensive shopping precincts in the 20th century. Other cures are distinctly unappealing. Fever, which was Moving from the coast by stages to the High Weald, called the ague, was quite common in Sussex because of the Geoff showed us slides of the fishing industry at Selsey Beach, marshes. Eating a live spider with crumbly bread was said to corn growing and a windmill near the South Downs, cure this. Another cure for the ague was to de-bone some red Newtimber Chalk Quarry, brickworks in the Low Weald near herrings and strap them to your loins. You then walked about Ashington, a sandstone quarry and hammer pond in the High coated with rotting fish until you were cured, or lost all your Weald, a coaching inn and factories at . Notable places friends. included , boasting the largest fishing fleet in Europe, Epilepsy was called falling sickness and a cure for this Newhaven, Brighton with its Fishing Museum and heritage and from Burwash in 1701 said “take 40 or 50 live swallows and tourist connections and Battle, where the Abbey was the town's bruise them in a mortar before distilling them with vinegar.” economic hub until the 16th century. On the theme of transport, Many customs were, and still are, associated with a an 1838 map marked the Wey and Arun Canal near , particular time of the year:- while an 1825 map illustrated the straightening of the London- Shrove Tuesday. Playing marbles (with clay marbles) was Brighton road. By the 1930s the London-Brighton railway had said to be carried on to distract one from the deprivations of been electrified, and by the 1950s Gatwick Airport had already Lent. This was particularly popular in Battle and Tinsley Green. become well established. Palm Sunday. This was the day to eat Sussex Pond The speaker’s final theme was “Animal, Vegetable and Pudding. (Not recommended for those with high cholesterol - it Mineral”. Throughout history sheep rearing had been thriving, is a lemon in a heavy, steamed suet pudding). while the three stages of industry, primary, secondary and 25 October - St. Crispin's Day. St. Crispin is the patron tertiary, were represented by Drumcree Poultry Farm and an saint of boot repairers but his day was a time for hearty eating egg merchant’s delivery van. Wealden timber provided planks and drinking because it is the anniversary of the Battle of and material for the furniture industry, while copperas, Agincourt. The iron for the all-important arrow heads at the producing sulphuric acid, was quarried near Portslade. Finally, battle came from Sussex. Geoff showed us slides of the Priory Meadows Shopping 5 November. Sussex bonfire societies are well known and Centre and Government offices in Hastings, and Sussex still well supported in the 21st century. University, three examples of the county’s burgeoning modern 9 November - Lord Mayor's day in the City of London. service sector. Sprats from Sussex were provided for the first course of the Lord Mayor's banquet. Peter Ferguson 23 November - St. Clement's Day. With Sussex at one

Page 4 Uckfield and District Preservation Society time being the major region of the iron industry in England, the Thomas Turner, the East Hoathly diarist, watched a game day of the patron saint of blacksmiths has been particularly played at Easons Green between Lindfield and a Framfield- enthusiastically celebrated. A blacksmiths' supper is still held in team. The entry has recently been republished in Mayfield on St. Clement's day. Sussex Record Society volume 88, Sussex Cricket in the David Berrecloth Eighteenth Century, edited by Timothy McCann. Some sort of commemorative publication is envisaged. Book Review Any information you may have is eagerly sought: especially Christopher Nye, illustrations loaned for copying, references or personal :reminiscences. Please send them to me at 51 Manor Way, Maximum Diner: Making it Big in Uckfield Uckfield TN22 1DQ. (Sort Of Books, 2004), 220pp. £6.99 Brian Phillips ISBN 0-9542217-3-7

The author, brother of TV scriptwriter Simon, from a Diary Dates

Henfield family, bought a bistro at the top of the High Street from Kevin Markwick of the Picture House in 1993. His Local History Talks and Outings account is recent business history: he used the Pareto optimum (All talks on Fridays at the Civic Centre, commencing 8 p.m.) and the zero-sum game in his calculations, but comedienne Jo Brand (from Tunbridge Wells) endorses it because it’s funny 4 February Chris McCooey Sussex Heroes and about eating. He covers his staff, customers and other local figures as 4 March David Calvert Castle well as his own experiences. He admits that names and attributes have sometimes been altered, which may explain the 1 April Pat Berry Glory in Glass appearance of UDPS in garbled form. His neighbour, Tony Turner, worried about reaction to the size of his extractor pipe. 6 May Mark Perry Nash English Village Life in the Therefore, he went to a meeting: "ushered towards a large room Middle Ages paved with flagstones and empty except for a large oak table around which the preservationists had convened - all of them, 24 June Guided Tour of Brighton with Geoff Mead oddly enough, wearing brown. It brought a medieval moot (evening) strongly to mind." All was harmony. One incident involved trying to cater simultaneously for 20 August Guided Tour of Shoreham Airport three of the different strands of customer on a Sunday (11 a.m.) afternoon: "small children out to party, Uckfield's drunken underclass and middle-aged motorists", but that drama too was (At least one other outing will be arranged for May and/or resolved. Mr Nye is scathing of the values and institutions of July.) this small town, such as the Carnival and the Mayor. Business For further details of outings please ring 01825 766410. was rarely good, especially once McDonalds opened. The flood transformed his fortunes, until McDonalds was rebuilt, and he Nutley Windmill Open Days decided to sell. His successor overcame a racist reception to become well-established. The Mill will be open most Thursdays until the end of With issues that seldom make even our sensationalist March from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local press, let alone the town guide, this book won't please the (Please ring 01435 873367 or 01825 762341 for confirmation) Uckfield establishment, especially if sales soar. The author's Sun 27 March, Sun 24 April, Sat & Sun 7 & 8 May (National many contradictions set out here may explain his performance. Mills Weekend), Sun & Mon 29 & 30 May, Sun 26 June Uckfield is seen as dull if likeable but also with heritage. (Classic Vehicles Display, open 11 a.m. to 5 30 p.m.), Sun 31 He resents car domination here (which killed his favourite July, Sun & Mon 28 & 29 August, Sun 25 September. customer, Miss Green, an evangelical Christian), but can’t work (Opening times 2 30 p.m. to 5 30 p.m. except in June) out how to change this and buys a big car. He charts his busy and slack times but stayed open all hours, with a brief Monday Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre closure. Even before he left, his many competitors thrived and now today are more numerous still. Open most Saturdays March to November from 10 a.m. (If in Be prepared for plenty of strong language. It’s an doubt, ring 01825 769129.) irreverent comical survey of Uckfield’s recent history and may become our most pervasive image. Contributions from members in the form of articles or letters Brian Phillips will always be welcome, and should be sent to The Editor (Peter Ferguson), 89 Lashbrooks Road, Uckfield TN22 Maresfield Cricket 2AZ. Deadline: Friday 25 March

Maresfield Cricket Club is preparing to celebrate in 2006 Please note: Comments published in this newsletter do not the 250th anniversary of recorded matches in the village. necessarily represent the views of the Society.

Company No. 04471316 Headquarters: Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre, Uckfield TN22 5DA Website:www.UDPS.co.uk Subscription enquiries to: David Berrecloth, 29 Littlewood Lane, Buxted TN22 4LW Tel. 01825 733711