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Cuckfield Connections
A personal journey of discovery





1853: Fun on the vicar's lawn
On Thursday last the children of the National School, together with these of the Dame Schools, and the Union children, received their...
Dec 31, 20221 min read


1953: Are Cuckfield people willing to have a white elephant and a crumbling Queen's Hall?
Sussex Daily News - Friday 26 June 1953 £5,600 Plan to Renovate Hall CUCKFIELD COUNCIL REFER IT BACK 'If I were the Minister and that...
Dec 26, 20222 min read


1860: Windmill for sale, Whiteman's Green
Windmill Cuckfield, Sussex to be sold by public auction (unless previously disposed of by private contract, of which due notice will be...
Aug 9, 20221 min read


1927: The early History of the Coverts of Slaugham Place is revealed
West Sussex County Times, Saturday 5 November 1927 The Coverts of Slaugham Place The following is a paper read by Miss E. Kensett on the...
Jun 2, 20228 min read


Nine brickmaking sites in Cuckfield
If you asked a local resident 'what industrial production would you associate with Cuckfield' the most likely products that would be...
May 27, 20226 min read


1989: The most famous occupants of Ockenden Manor
You couldn't accuse Timothy Burrell of breaking any social contract when it came to employing William Gates as a footman at Ockenden...
May 26, 20222 min read


Is there is a tunnel across Cuckfield Park? (3)
In the final part we look at some recent evidence that might give support to the legend of a tunnel under Cuckfield Park. In article one...
Mar 30, 20228 min read


Is there a tunnel across Cuckfield Park? (2)
The need for a tunnel and refuge So why might there be a tunnel across Cuckfield Park? Cuckfield Place, which was the mansion's original...
Mar 28, 20229 min read


Is there a tunnel across Cuckfield Park? (1)
Is there a secret secret tunnel between Cuckfield Park and the Holy Trinity Church that was built in the sixteenth century? Evidence...
Mar 26, 20227 min read


1919: Country Life and Cuckfield Park
This comprehensive account of Cuckfield Park (previously Place) was featured in Country Life on 15 March 1919. The late Canon Cooper -...
Mar 24, 20229 min read


1943: Baby delivery diverted to Chownes Mead
I was browsing through the web pages of Barry Ray’s excellent Slaugham Archive website and I came across the page on Chownes Mead which...
Mar 20, 20222 min read


The man who named 'The Lord Woolton Pie'
Chownes Mead, Cuckfield, for a time, was the home of Lord Woolton, the man credited with ‘keeping the nation fed’ throughout World War...
Mar 18, 20223 min read


2001: A brief history of Ockenden Cottage
Ockenden Cottage - 21 South Street (article from Cuckfield Society Newsletter 2001/2002) Ockenden Cottage is one of the oldest inhabited...
Mar 13, 20223 min read


Chain Walk, Place Walk and Spinney Field
The southern part of the village adds a lot of charm and character as the road winds its way through to the High Street. This area,...
Mar 11, 20224 min read


Chain Walk House
The first house that greets you, when arriving in Cuckfield from Ansty, is called today Chainwalk House. In the early 1900s it housed...
Mar 9, 20221 min read


1876: Fireside Studies - reflections on the special beauty of Cuckfield
SOUTH WALES DAILY NEWS, TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 1876. BITS FROM BOOKS. CUCKFIELD PLACE. "Coming to the summit of the steep little street on the...
Nov 11, 20211 min read


1650?: Cuckfield Market Hall revelation
As Cuckfield Connections coeditor Andy Revell recently trawled through local newspapers he made an extraordinary discovery. In a Mid...
Oct 21, 20215 min read


1927: Clock House landmark
Contributed by Malcolm Davison.
Oct 7, 20211 min read


1923: Cuckfield Park Models lent by Colonel HH Rogers
This article appeared in Museum of Art Bulletin published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1923. It features an exhibition of the...
Aug 1, 20217 min read


1923: The Cuckfield 'Pepys' ship model cases
In an earlier article we looked at the collection of ship models at Cuckfield Park now located in the United States Naval Academy...
Jun 29, 20214 min read
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