Celebrating Haywards Heath

Whilst the purpose of this blog is to celebrate and engage people online with the life and history of Haywards Heath and its surrounds the author has no commercial interest. In broadcasting previous work to that of his own his aim is to celebrate that work whilst drawing out corrections to the town’s history from those more informed than himself.  Since October 2018 the author has published six collections of blog posts, pictures with 100-150 word captions, roughly one post a week on Instagram, Twitter and the following Facebook Groups: Haywards Heath Gossip, NEW Haywards Heath Gossip, Memories of Haywards Heath, Haywards Heath in days gone by and Bentswood Community Partnership (BCPHH). The author serves on BCPHH and on Haywards Heath Town Team. The latter team has been instrumental in raising the profile of town history linked to a forthcoming September 2020 celebration though the views expressed on this blog are his alone. The author recognises the substantive inspirati...

Sussex Road Methodist Church Wyn Ford’s ‘The Church in Sussex Road’ (1994) chronicles the rise and fall of the Primitive Methodist congregation started in 1876. With an emphasis away from set services upon Holy Spirit inspired free prayer Primitive Methodism appealed to ‘the lowly working classes of English society’ (Ford). It became a school of oratory for many leaders in the Trades Union movement. Though Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists formally united in 1932 Sussex Road continued separately until 1991 when its congregation joined Perrymount Road Methodists handing their building over to the B aptist Church. Wyn Ford’s picture is from 1904. Holy Trinity, Cuckfield The Church in Haywards Heath was first planted from Cuckfield having been raised up there by the Sussex mission of St Wilfrid in the 7th century. Lewes Priory provided priests from the 11th century overseeing the construction of the present building over three centuries. The photograph from Davi...