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| Cuckfield | |
|---|---|
 Cuckfield High Street | |
  Cuckfield Location withinWest Sussex | |
| Area | 4.32 km2 (1.67 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 3,266 [1]2001 Census 3,500 (2011 Census)[2] |
| • Density | 757/km2 (1,960/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ305245 |
| • London | 34 miles (55 km)N |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Haywards Heath |
| Postcode district | RH17 |
| Dialling code | 01444 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Cuckfield (/ˈkʊkfiːld/KUUK-feeld) is a village andcivil parish in theMid Sussex District ofWest Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of theWeald. It lies 34 miles (55 km) south of London, 13 miles (21 km) north ofBrighton, and 31 miles (50 km) east northeast of the county town ofChichester. Nearby towns includeHaywards Heath to the southeast andBurgess Hill to the south. It is surrounded on the other sides by the parish ofAnsty and Staplefield formerly known as Cuckfield Rural.
Aumale in Normandy has been atwin town since 1993[3] andKarlstadt in Bavaria since 1998.[4]
Cuckfield is known locally for its idiosyncratic system of mayoral voting; unlimited numbers of votes can be purchased for the price of one penny each, with the winner receiving the most votes.[5] The position is purely honorary and the money raised supports local charities.
Before the modern local government system came into operation in the late 19th century it was described as being "in thehundred of Buttinghill, in therape ofLewes". The civil parish covers an area of 431.58 ha (1066 acres), and had a population of 3,266 persons in the 2001 census, increasing to 3,500[2] at the 2011 Census.
The origin of the name, Cuckfield (earlier spelled Kukefeld, Cucufeld, and Cucufelda), is debated but it is generally associated with thecuckoo which is the village emblem.
The village grew as amarket town; and an importantcoaching stop between London andBrighton, since it lay on theturnpike. In 1820, 50 coaches a day were passing through; but when therailway to Brighton was to be constructed in the 1840s, local landowners objected to its projected route: it was therefore built through neighbouringHaywards Heath instead. The village lost its importance as a result. Today theA272 road also bypasses the village centre.
It became anurban district in 1894 under theLocal Government Act 1894, and was greatly enlarged in 1934 under aCounty Review Order by adding part ofChaileyRural District, Cuckfield Rural District (including the parish ofLindfield) andHaywards Heath Urban District.
The Parish Council, Cuckfield Museum and village library reside within the Queen's Hall, built in 1897 to celebrateQueen Victoria'sDiamond Jubilee. Theparish church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, hasNorman foundations, although the building itself is 13th century. Thelych gates arelisted buildings and several of thestained glass windows as well as the pulpit and the ceiling's painting were designed byCharles Eamer Kempe (1837–1907).
In 1822,Mary Ann Mantell, wife ofGideon Mantell, found the first knowniguanodon fossils among many others close to Cuckfield atWhitemans Green, where a monument to him now stands though the quarry from where he acquired them is long gone.[6][7] He also features in the town's museum. Other attractions include theElizabethan stately home, Cuckfield Park, to the west of the village. Cuckfield Park is reputedly haunted by its former resident Anne Pritchard Sergison, who was known to the locals as 'Wicked Dame Sergison', and who died in 1748.[8]Bonfire Night celebrations are held here. Another Elizabethan house,Ockenden Manor, is a hotel and restaurant which has had one star from theMichelin Guide in 2001 and again 2004–2016.[9]
Cuckfield is home toWarden Park Secondary Academy, one of the main secondary schools serving the Haywards Heath area and to Holy Trinity CE (A) Primary School,[10] Cuckfield. The latter is one of the oldest schools in the country; it was founded in the early 1500s as the local grammar school.[11][12] The founder was Edward Flower, a Londonmerchant tailor in about 1512 and endowed by his will in 1521 with lands inWesterham and £100 to be laid out in other lands. Other endowments were added, but in 1589, the original endowment was leased at a perpetual rent of £20. In consequence in 1819, the schoolmaster had an income of a mere £28.8s.0d. In 1844, as a result of local discontent, theCourt of Chancery made a scheme reorganising the school like aNational School and the existing National School (established in 1812) was discontinued. The teaching ofLatin and Greek were discontinued and the fees fixed at a maximum of ashilling. The teacher no longer had to be aclergyman.
In 1886, the National Society gave £15 and the school formally became a National School. A proposal to rebuild the school between 1935 and 1950, and money collected for this was returned to the donors. The school was reorganised again in 1964 under theChichesterDiocesan Board of Finance. In 1991, the school was rebuilt on a new site.[11] The old school was acquired by the church in 1992 for use as a church hall.[13][14]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) The author writes: It is also of note here that there is a great deal of material collected by Mantell recorded in museum catalogues simply as having come from Tilgate Forest. It is highly likely that all of this came from Cuckfield (S.D. Chapman, pers. comm.). The fact that this has not been specifically recorded may reflect the fact that in his publications Mantell was habitually no more specific, perhaps because he did not consider it necessary. By saying that his fossils had come from Tilgate Forest, Mantell was actually being quite specific about the stratigraphic unit and area they had come from. The strata exposed in the quarry at Whiteman’s Green were collectively referred to by Mantell as ‘Strata of Tilgate Forest’.In actuality, however, his famous Tilgate Forest consisted of two adjacent quarries at Whiteman's Green just north of Cuckfield.
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