The Middy, October 28 1999

Bold experiments in recreation

It is often said history is cyclical, and the fluctuating fortunes of the leisure and entertainment 'industry' across the county bear testament to this theory.

Mid Sussex experimented boldly with recreation and entertainment as the Victorian era drew to a close.

Haywards Heath boasted its public hall and the town’s amateur dramatic society staged productions from as early as 1902.

The story of Haywards Heath by Wyn Ford reports how the society was backed by some of the most prominent members in the town.

On April 15–16 of that year, a playbill for a show reveals there were two categories of seats: "first seats", probably those nearest the stage, or twice the price of the "second seats". Two years later, a reading room was opened at the constitutional club in South Road, and a public reading room at the public hall.

A 'picture theatre', known as the Heath Theatre, was opened in the Broadway, near to where Threshers off-licence now stands, in 1911, and the site is still marked by a turret on the roof.

Children were charged two pence for admission, and a Miss Hatton used to accompany the silent films on the piano.

Lillian remembers: "the wireless, gramophone and piano all gave pleasure, but films too were another source of enjoyment. They were all silent of course, with captions, until the 'talkies' came along and they were thought to be wonderful. "

At this period, there was a men's society known as the Haywards Heath Brotherhood. This was an interdenominational initiative designed to attract men from outside the church congregations.

They would meet on Sundays in Sussex Road, and held lectures at the Wesleyan Methodist church in Perrymount Road, while in 1914, the brotherhood band admitted boys over the age of 14.

The Sunday afternoon meetings proved extremely popular, as the surviving records, which date from 1908–1915, record a 1908 attendance of 61. These included W. T. Fowler, a jeweller on the Broadway, George Langridge, a carpenter, and W. H. Tolhurst, who went on to become head gardener to Sir Alexander Kleinwort at Bolnore.

The meetings were designed to be non-denominational, but seem to have particular appeal to nonconformists.

The burgeoning town of Haywards Heath had no special, or 'joy' day to celebrate annually until the late 1800s, and this was only remedied by the efforts of a prominent resident.

A Mr S. Cooper of Fairlawn presided over a public meeting on March 21, 1889, in which it was unanimously decided to form the Haywards Heath Horticultural Society, with a local schoolmaster, Mr A Wilmott as secretary.

The first show, which incorporated a sports programme, was held in Mr Pannet’s Meadow, now Victoria Park, and was regarded as a great success, with an attendance of 3,000 and gate money of £48.

The park has remained a constant source of pleasure for generations of residents, both young and old as Lillian Rogers recalls: "every Saturday from about the age of 8–11, we used to play in Victoria Park when it was just about all landscape.

"There were the oak trees and the tennis courts and 'the level,' but no play equipment. A sandpit came and went as it was not too popular, and there was a Larchwood bandstand.

The embankment was made from all the earth brought when they were digging the railway, and we used to call that 'the Planny'. On school holidays, we used to go there practically all day and we had the St. Wilfrid's clock to tell us when to go home for meals.

"We had such marvellous fun."

Hugh Matthews' book, "Burgess Hill ", reports how before the advent of the cinema, radio and television, when billiards and snooker with a past times of the well-heeled, people, especially young, had to make their own amusements.

An annual pigeon shooting match was held at the King’s Head in mid 1800s, with a £10 prize for the sharpest shot.

The sporting life appealed to many, and Burgess Hill offered football and cricket clubs from well before the turn of the century.

An athletics club was formed in 1897 and a sports meeting was held that year in a field off Junction Road, attracting competitors from clubs from Watford, Reading and London Hospital.

A swimming club was formed in 1895, and without a purpose-built pool, improvised with a large pond, known as the “Big Hole’, on the site of the Keymer Road brick and tile works.

Tennis was once played in Clifton Road and later in 1931, on the Jane’s Lane recreation ground courts. The Southdown ladies golf club, with 120 members moved to new links in 1891 on land of Junction Road, and the Bowls club have facilities at the rear of the Burgess Hill in, performer moving to a site in Silverdale Road, and finally in 1929 to Royal George Road.

After the war, the Hassocks Garden of Remembrance was given, by Mr Stafford, a benefactor who owned a Brighton store. It was called 'Ad Astra' from the Royal Air Force motto – Par Aduar Ad Astra (by efforts to the stars) – in memory of his pilot son who died during the conflict. He also donated land for the Adastra Park, and gave his house, Wentworth house, to be a Salvation Army Home for old people.

The Garden of Remembrance was noted for its originality, beauty and artistic memorials, and for some time, the names of the fallen from both wars were commemorated there. They have since been removed, along with that of Richard Middlewick, who was killed in the Falklands war, to the British Legion headquarters.

The Cuckfield Improvement Association, one of the earliest amenities societies in the country, was founded in 1902 by leading townsman, Mr R. A. Bevan.

In the 11 years before the First World War, the association provided amenities still enjoyed very much today, including the lime trees on Whitemans Green, which greatly improve the open space, registered as a common under the Commons Registration Act 1965.

Its most ambitious project was the creation of a bathing place, to replace the muddy Newbury Pond, by damming up the old mill stream north of Mackrells Cottage, at an initial cost of £230.

The pool, on land donated by Captain Sergison, was open by Mr Bevan in 1905, and a swimming pool formed which taught 27 members to swim and organised competitions.

For 45 years it was used by generations of villagers who enjoyed its natural setting of fields and woods and grieved when it was closed a few years after the last war on the advice of the medical authorities.

Burgess Hill’s unheated open-air pool in St John's Park, was built in 1935 for £3,700 and on February 8, 1975, the new swim centre, boasting a state of the art 'spectrafloat' glazed wall, floodlight and changing rooms was open.

Not to be outdone, Cllr Arthur Whitticks formally opened Haywards Heath Dolphin Centre on May 8, 1976, including squash courts, gymnasium, two swimming pools and a sauna.

An extension in 1991 vastly improved the sporting and leisure facilities.

The red carpet was well and truly rolled out on Friday, March 26, when her Majesty the Queen officially opened the new Triangle Centre on Jane Murray Way.

A multitude of gyms and fitness centres now caters for the boom in 'stay young and beautiful' philosophy – keeping the heart of mid Sussex pounding passionately.

Acknowledgement: Burgess Hill, Hugh Matthews.

The story of Haywards Heath, Wynn Ford and Lillian Rogers.

A Hassocks Pageant, Margaret Rose.,

Chronicle of Cuckfield, Maisie Wright.