Southern Weekly News - Saturday 03 February 1877

Cuckfield, The Gale

The wind blew very strongly here during Monday night, and several trees in the neighbourhood were laid flat. A plumtree in Mr. Fox's garden, at Whiteman's Green, was torn up by the roots, and at Mrs. Lane’s, Leighton House, the kitchen chimney was blown down, terribly alarming the inmates. It fell into the yard and cleared the roof of the ridge tiles, to a considerable extent; the dog kennel and chicken house were smashed, but luckily no one was injured. Several large stones were displaced on the church roof, slates were blown off, and in the lane below the branches of trees were scattered in every direction.

At the White Hart, the ridge tiles were displaced from the roof. On Tuesday afternoon there was a renewal of the storm, but no further damage was done.—

The squall which passed over Cuckfield on Tuesday morning lasted only about tén minutes, and does not seem to have extended very wide. Its course appears to have been across Whiteman's Green, Cuckfield Park and town, and Butler's Green, where on the lawn a large spruce fir was blown down. After the branches were cut off the next day it was found to measure 90 feet in height and ten feet in circumference.

The gale does not seem to have been felt beyond Franklands.