Mid Sussex Times - October 19  1979

Today Keymer, as a place, seems to be a village which has almost lost its identity having been enveloped by the town of Hassocks. And yet, it was the parish and village of Keymer which just over 100 years ago gave birth to both the towns of Hassocks and Burgess Hill.

As the LB and SC railway company bought land and developed its line down towards the coast, it had to steer clear of the local villages. Lindfield, Cuckkfield, Keymer, Ditchling and Hurstpierpoint.

Thus, as watering places were established, as one paused to dig tunnels as railheads and depots were needed, so did there arise the labourers’ settlements which quickly developed further. Hassocks or as it was first called, Hassocks Gate, was one of those early settlements, beginning about 1841.

Certainly Keymer’s importance had declined and both parish and village are but shadows of their former selves. Likewise with Clayton, which once stood proudly on its own and whose history is probably even longer than that of Keymer. By 1934 however, it is the parish Keymer and Clayton. Even so, Keymer’s own history includes a mention in the Domesday Survey, c1086, and the church register dating from 1601.

It was with pride that a local writer, in 1874, was able to describe his parishes having "three railway stations," that have Keymer Junction (replaced eventually by Wivelsfield station), Burgess Hill Station and Hassocks Gate.

After about 1840, it would appear that Keymer Village had a receiving house for mail, with letters being routed through Lewes, from where a delivery was made daily at approximately 11 am, by a foot postman. At about 1840, the receiver of mail at Keymer was John Martin. After 1841 in the arrival of the railway, chemo came under the office of Hurstpierpoint.

By 1870, the Keymer receiving house have been re-designated a sub post office, and other names associated with the office during the 19th century besides John Martin, were Charles Mitchell, Ben Helyer and G. J. Heathorn. For a while this office served Burgess Hill and Hassocks, but as the demand increased, other offices were opened and the centres of administration changed.

By about 1874, Burgess Hill is referred to separately for postal purposes and indeed has his own cancellor. Meanwhile, with the settlement at Hassocks growing, the time was fast approaching when it, too, would require its own post office. In 1882 such an office was opened at Hassocks station itself, with the stationmaster, Henry Holdaway, as receiver of mail.

The Keymer office also became upgraded in the same year to "Post, Money, Order Office and Telegraph Office”. Hurstpierpoint, however, was still the main post town, though in the next five years, certain changes were to be effected.

In 1887, Hassocks became the post town for the area, and Hurstpierpoint was reduced to a sub post office on a par with Keymer. At the same time, Hassocks received its first individual stamp cancellor bearing the name of the town and the identifying code H23. Keymer too had its own cancellor, bearing name and the number 500.

Gradually, other outlying villages came under the direction of the Hassocks Office – Ditchling, Albourne, Clayton, Newtimber, Pyecombe, Streat, Sayers Common, Westmeston, and Goddards Green. The records of 1890 show that deliveries to houses and businesses in Hassocks occurred three times a day though only one delivery on a Sunday.

By 1899, Hassocks Office had moved from being actually in the station to premises nearby, at 3, Stamford Terrace. From here it eventually moved to the site it occupies today, at 36 Keymer Road, and where the office opened on 29th of September 1911.

There was a temporary move from these premises, from 1971 to 1973, while a rebuilding programme was in action, and for these years, the Post Office was at 44 Keymer Road, site previously of Key markets old shop. Amid suitable ceremony in the new office on the old site at 36, Keymer Road was formally opened for business on 30th of April, 1973.

Sub postmasters and postmasters associated with the Hassocks office, besides Henry Holdaway, include Albert F. Richardson, A. F. Brooker, T. G. Roscoe, H. E. Walton and A. Barham, which brings the story up to 1958. Of late, many people will recall Mr G. A. Chapman as the postmaster of Hassocks.

At the Keymer office, besides the four gentlemen already mentioned, the following bring the list up to 1940: Mrs Heathorn, Mrs Morfee and Mr Merrett.

Today Hassocks is a thriving community and although nearby and more ancient villages have lost their former importance in various roles, they all have their charm and quite vivid postal histories. Indeed, for some, the village post office has provided for many inhabitants a valuable link with the outside world at the very least. Even more, these offices keep help keep alive actual villages.

A rare site these days is the local box in the Hassocks office, in which one is requested to post mail for Albourne, Ditchling, hassocks, Hurstpierpoint, Sayers Common, Newtimber, Streat and Goddards Green.

A simple history, all told, but part of the recent heritage of the area.