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Cuckfield Connections
A personal journey of discovery





1836: Railway line through Cuckfield 'superior' to any other option.
West Kent Guardian - Saturday 16 April 1836 Brighton Railway—Sir John Rennie visited Cuckfield on Friday last, and paid great attention...
Jan 24, 20221 min read


1874: Encounter in a railway carriage
A serious case of assault has been heard at the Cuckfield Police Court, in which Mr Jeremiah Farrow, a well-todo farmer, from Old Newton,...
Jan 23, 20222 min read


1836: House of Lords asks about Cuckfield's post
A House of Lords committee in 1836 took evidence from a wide range of representatives from affected concerns while considering the...
Nov 6, 20212 min read


1836: Brighton line route recce
Sir John Rennie visited Cuckfield on Friday last, and paid great attention to the work of the engineers, who are daily making rapid...
Oct 15, 20212 min read


1950: Railway stations serving two villages
It’s interesting to read WH Parker’s perspective on the influence of the London-Brighton railway on the Mid Sussex area, with its impact...
Aug 21, 20212 min read


1850s: Travellers find love on stage coaches - but not on trains!
Writing in in the mid 1850s, Samuel Shergold, observed that coach travellers were more likely to find love on a stage coach rather than...
Oct 27, 20202 min read


1974: Construction of a 50 yard tunnel for miniature railway at Beech Hurst
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-beech-hurst-miniature-railway-under-construction-1974-online
Jul 20, 20201 min read


1842: The progress of the Haywards Heath Railway Station a year after its creation
Sussex Advertiser - Tuesday 24 May 1842 HAYWARD'S HEATH. The Railway traffic continues steadily to increase, and the transit of goods has...
Jul 9, 20202 min read


1865: Tragic railway accident results in First Interment in St Wilfrid's burial ground
Brighton Gazette - Thursday 22 June 1865 HAYWARD’S HEATH Fatal Accident. On Saturday, L. G. Fullagar, Esq., held an inquest, at the...
Jul 2, 20202 min read


1842: A forensic Inquest into Haywards Heath's first rail accident ...
Sussex Advertiser - Tuesday 13 December 1842 THE ACCIDENT ON THE BRIGHTON RAILWAY LAST YEAR. IMPORTANT VERDICT AGAINST THE COMPANY. Dr....
Jun 3, 202021 min read
Shocking accident on railway line in Haywards Heath
West Sussex County Times - Saturday 31 December 1881 HAYWARD'S HEATH. SHOCKING ACCIDENT ON The RAILWAY. —On Tuesday evening a shocking...
May 30, 20202 min read


Historic Advertisement for the opening of the London to Brighton Railway
Morning Advertiser - Tuesday 13 July 1841 London and Brighton railway.—This Railway Is NOW OPEN from LONDON to HAYWARD’S HEATH, near...
May 26, 20202 min read


1945: Inquiry into tragic 2 September Railway accident at Haywards Heath
Mid Sussex Times - Wednesday 12 September 1945 RAIL CRASH INQUIRY AT HAYWARDS HEATH “DEATH BY MISADVENTURE” A RIDER BY THE JURY “Deaths...
May 20, 20205 min read


Worst Rail Accident at Haywards Heath for generations
Mid Sussex Times - Wednesday 05 September 1945 RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT HAYWARDS HEATH. The worst railway accident in Mid-Sussex since...
May 16, 20204 min read


Haywards Heath's first railway disaster 1841
Construction of the new London to Brighton Railway line commenced on 19 March 1838 and was undertaken by a total of 6,206 men, 960 horses...
Apr 1, 20203 min read


Brawl at the Half Moon in Balcombe 1839: Railway workers tried and sentenced
Brighton Gazette - Thursday 17 October 1839 TRIALS OF PRISONERS. WILLIAM COOK, labourer, aged 40, was charged with having, on the 4th...
Jul 7, 20182 min read


Balcombe Railway Station: Site of a horrifying early railway tragedy
Bristol Mercury - Saturday 04 July 1846 FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE BRIGHTON RAILWAY. Two Lives Lost. BALCOMBE, Tuesday evening,. An accident...
Jun 27, 20182 min read
Beechurst miniature railway under construction
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-beech-hurst-miniature-railway-under-construction-1974-online
Jun 19, 20181 min read
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