This amateur 8mm film 'Sussex Life' shot by the Haywards Heath Cine Society turns the clock back 55 years to a time when the pace of life was gentler, the area was much less populated and it was arguably a much more pleasant place to live in. I can recall it at this time.

Click here to view the video of the film: https://screenarchive.brighton.ac.uk/detail/3121/

The script concept was based on the premise that a young couple house hunting in Mid Sussex and visit the local villages that they are interested in. We are taken on a tour of eight villages: of Lindfield, Ditchling, Cuckfield, Fletching, Horsted Keynes, Hurstpierpoint, Ardingly and Balcombe. We learn some trivia, see pretty houses and village activity and, in my case, muse on how quickly time flies by..

But the film's charm today is that so much has changed, what we see are today's 'classic' vehicles motoring on very quiet roads. We see pubs that sadly have long gone, and houses and shops that are today replaced by, in many cases, by less worthy replacements.

The pace of this film is slow, it's nearly 27 minutes long. You will find Cuckfield between eight and 12 minutes into the film. The commentary and visual editing style inevitably dated and stilted, reminds you of the Pathé News style. This was the society's big production for the year which would have been submitted for the regional film competition.

This was found in the Screen Archive South East Archive. https://screenarchive.brighton.ac.uk

https://screenarchive.brighton.ac.uk/detail/3121/

Contributed by Malcolm Davison.

Visit Cuckfield Museum, follow the link for details https://cuckfieldmuseum.org.