Celebrating Haywards Heath

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...

As the M25 skirts the North Downs south of London and the A27 skirts the South Downs and Brighton the A272 traverses the ancient home of Haywards Heath, the High Weald of Mid-Sussex. Heather Warnes 2009 history observes that ‘it was common in this part of Mid Sussex for early estates to be laid out across a ridge top, the north-facing slopes often being reserved to the lord for wood and timber’. The heath was open land facing south benefitting both from the sun and drainage of water from the rock underlay of the High Weald down to the southern claylands. The River Ouse north of the Weald provides a second natural boundary for our heath. Haywards Heath is a town with population 33,845 (2011 census) that grew up to the north and east of the ancient ‘Hayworth’ estate after the arrival of the railway in 1841. Its name derives from ‘Hayworth’ south of Muster Green on the A272 formerly a prehistoric ridgeway track. In her ‘Assessment of the early history of Hayworth and Trubwick in...